New Journal of Place Management and Development articles on devolution and place management now available open access
Two new papers published in the Journal of Place Management and Development (JPMD) have been made available open access for a limited 30-day period, courtesy of Emerald. Their publication is particularly timely, as the House of Lords will next sit on 20 January at Committee Stage to consider the Devolution Bill, bringing renewed attention to how devolved powers are designed, governed, and delivered in practice.
Both papers speak directly to the issues now under parliamentary scrutiny and will be of strong interest to IPM members working across local government, combined authorities, BIDs, community partnerships, policy, and regeneration.
Commenting on the release, Dr Nikos Ntounis, Editor of the Journal of Place Management and Development, said:
“With devolution returning to the forefront of parliamentary debate, these papers arrive at a critical moment. They move beyond abstract discussions of governance to examine the real civic capacity, institutional gaps, and delivery challenges facing places on the ground, while also setting out practical ways in which place management can be embedded within devolved systems. Making this work open access, even for a limited period, is an important step in ensuring that research informs policy and practice when it matters most.”
Certain civic challenges in left-behind towns: limits and prospects of devolution
Dr Eric Lybeck’s article, Certain civic challenges in left-behind towns: limits and prospects of devolution, examines how devolution operates in towns that have experienced long-term economic and institutional decline. It highlights the gap between national policy ambition and local civic capacity, including fragmented leadership, weak institutional infrastructure, and an uneven ability to absorb devolved responsibilities.
At a time when Parliament is considering the next phase of devolution, the paper offers a timely reminder that devolving powers alone is not sufficient. It raises critical questions about what support, governance arrangements, and place-based capability are required if devolution is to deliver genuinely inclusive and effective outcomes.
Read the article (open access for 30 days):
https://www.emerald.com/jpmd/article/doi/10.1108/JPMD-10-2025-0145/1327064
Options for accommodating place management within devolved, place-based governance and delivery
The Viewpoint article by Chris Wade and Graham Galpin, Options for accommodating place management within devolved, place-based governance and delivery, addresses a practical and increasingly urgent question: where place management functions sit within complex devolved governance and delivery systems.
The paper sets out a series of options for embedding place management within local and regional arrangements, helping to bridge strategy, delivery, and community engagement. It is particularly relevant for those involved in combined authorities, local partnerships, and multi-agency delivery environments - and for policymakers concerned with how governance reforms translate into the everyday management of places.
Read the Viewpoint (open access for 30 days):
https://www.emerald.com/jpmd/article/doi/10.1108/JPMD-10-2025-0144/1311606
Chris Wade FIPM said: “From a practitioner’s point of view, I think this is the IPM working at its best. It’s great to be able capture practical experiences based on discussions with fellow members and then share them through the rigorous structure of a journal article. It’s great that this might be used to influence national policy and local practice at such a key time in determining how decisions are made by local people about places that matter to them.”
Graham Galpin FIPM said: "Publishing our practitioner led paper is a unique experience for me and I was delighted to work with Chris on this. By publishing a paper based on place managers' and members' experience and research shows how our field work can feed back to other members, academics and Government. I hope this and Eric's papers are the first of a regular input from members to the debate with opinion pieces."
With the Devolution Bill entering Committee Stage in the House of Lords on 20 January, debates around civic capacity, governance design, and delivery mechanisms are moving firmly to the centre of policy discussion. Taken together, these papers:
- Show limits of devolution in places with weaker civic infrastructure, and
- A framework for strengthening place-based leadership and delivery through place management.
They both reinforce a central message for policymakers and practitioners alike: successful devolution depends not only on powers and structures, but on the people, partnerships, and professional capabilities that manage places in practice.
IPM encourages members and partners to read, share, and discuss these papers while the open-access window is live, and to draw on their insights as devolution debates continue in Parliament and across the sector. IPM members can access the Journal of Place Management and Development all year round, with four issues published annually and hundreds of articles available as part of IPM membership. Members can access JPMD via the members area only section on the IPM website.
About the author
Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.