Swansea Explores the Potential for a New Food Trail
Working in partnership with Swansea University and former IPM Research Associate Alessandro Graciotti, the Institute of Place Management (IPM) brought together businesses, local partners, and community organisations to explore what would a food trail look like across Swansea city centre and country?.
Led by Prof Steve Millington and Dr Chloe Steadman, the workshop invited participants to consider how food can become a catalyst for revitalising the high street and strengthening the city’s identity.
The session opened by acknowledging the long-term challenges facing town and city centres across the UK. Changing shopping habits, the dominance of global brands, out-of-town retail, and the rise of online commerce have all reshaped how people use urban spaces. As the workshop highlighted, centres can no longer rely on traditional retail to drive footfall. Instead, they must embrace multifunctionality, experience, and local distinctiveness.
Participants were introduced to the IPM’s evidence-based framework for vitality and viability, drawing on more than 9,000 academic studies and 237 factors that influence town centre performance. The 25 Priorities for Place Management provided a structured way to understand how interventions, such as a food trail, can improve activity, diversify the offer, strengthen management, and enhance the look and feel of a place.
Food is uniquely positioned to deliver across these priorities. Examples from across the UK illustrate the potential: the Gwynedd Seafood Trail, which connects visitors to coastal heritage and local producers; the Shropshire Tasty Trail, which blends walking with local food experiences; and Carmarthenshire’s Larder Trails, which showcase regional produce. These models demonstrate how food trails can create memorable experiences, support independent businesses, and reinforce a sense of place.
With this inspiration in mind, participants were tasked with designing a prototype Swansea food trail. Working in small groups, they mapped key landmarks, identified potential food stops, and considered whether the trail should be a year-round offer or a seasonal celebration. Ideas ranged from “Market Taster Passports” to QR‑enabled “Hidden Gems” stories, linking long-standing traders with new audiences. Others imagined “Culture & Cuisine” pairings that connect food venues with Swansea’s creative and cultural institutions.
A second activity focused on stakeholder mapping, using IPM’s four-quadrant model of influence. Participants identified the strategic actors who shape long-term vision, such as Welsh Government, Swansea Council, Visit Wales, and Natural Resources Wales, alongside operational partners like Swansea BID, Swansea Market management, and local hospitality businesses. They also recognised the vital role of coordinating organisations, including universities, cultural institutions, and food networks, as well as the deeply embedded relational actors: independent traders, community groups, heritage pubs, and local storytellers.
The workshop concluded with a clear message: successful place-based initiatives depend on collaboration. A Swansea food trail would require shared vision, coordinated delivery, and ongoing partnership between stakeholders at every level. But the enthusiasm in the room suggested that the foundations are already in place.
As Swansea continues to evolve, a food trail could offer a powerful way to celebrate its identity, support its independents, and invite people to rediscover the city centre through taste, story, and experience.
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.