Feeling Towns: the role of place and identity in governance and local policy
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Southampton
Department Name: Sch of Humanities
Abstract
The emphasis on pride and place in cultural policy initiatives has become commonplace - it is, for example, core to the 2021 Levelling Up Prospectus. Yet the concept, experience, and mechanics of civic pride and place attachment often remain undefined and unexamined in policy documents, practice and evaluations. Likewise, its socio-political meanings and values are at best contested and at worst unexplored or even ignored. This project will use our existing research on towns, pride and metrics to work with lead partners and a broad community of practice to creatively and collectively explore methods and metrics of civic pride and place attachment monitoring, evaluating and reporting. We understand this to be an opportunity to share the value and range of qualitative methods and metrics which can complement the more dominant econometric approaches towards culture, regeneration and local economies.
The project brings academic research into conversation with national cultural bodies and local authorities to exchange knowledge regarding the correlation between place attachment (understood as the emotional bond between people and place) and the health of local cultural ecologies. The collaboration will speak directly to the need, established with our partners, for a set of co-produced evaluative metrics for understanding pride and place.
The project brings academic research into conversation with national cultural bodies and local authorities to exchange knowledge regarding the correlation between place attachment (understood as the emotional bond between people and place) and the health of local cultural ecologies. The collaboration will speak directly to the need, established with our partners, for a set of co-produced evaluative metrics for understanding pride and place.
| Description | This knowledge-exchange project involved partnering with local authorities (Darlington and Southampton) and arts and heritage bodies (Rural Media in Hereford and Historic England). We worked with these bodies, as well as policy makers in DHLUC, in order to better understand the metrics for measuring pride and place attachment as they were being developed in the Levelling Up agenda. We provided reports on pride in 'hard to reach' wards for Darlington and Southampton councils, both of which fed into their Levelling Up Funds (round two) applications. We organized webinars for cultural practitioners and policy makers on measuring and understanding what constituted pride in place. |
| Exploitation Route | We developed place-based creative methodologies for understanding and analyzing pride and created a toolkit for using these that can be used by our partners and beyond. |
| Sectors | Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://www.andtowns.co.uk/videos |
| Description | Our project brought together a community of practice from a range of sectors, communities and geographies in order to better understand and evidence the correlation between place attachment (understood as the emotional bond between people and place) and the health of local cultural ecologies. We explored methods and metrics of civic pride and place attachment monitoring, evaluating and reporting and shared our findings with local authorities, heritage and arts organisations, and policy makers. We completed reports on pride and place in two hard to reach communities (Darlington and Southampton) and on pride and volunteering (for Rural Media in Ledbury). Our qualitative methodologies and toolkits for measuring pride to policy makers were taken up by researchers and policy makers in both DHLUC and Southampton City Council. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Title | Pride in Place Thinkkit |
| Description | This research tool is designed to enable academics and practitioners involved in understanding and researching place attachment with creative methodologies |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The results from the research tool were used by our partners - local authorities in Darlington and Southampton - as part of their Levelling Up funding application. |
| URL | https://www.andtowns.co.uk/think-kit |
| Description | Towns and Historic England |
| Organisation | Historic England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We worked with HE to better understand the role that heritage assets played in developing Town Investment plans and the ways in which cultural and heritage sectors operated together in small communities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | HE introduced us to organisations within each of our case study towns and they also facilitated conversations in the wider sector at a national level |
| Impact | We have extended our relationship with HE and are now working with them on developing evaluative metrics for 'pride' in another AHRC grant. |
| Start Year | 2008 |
| Description | Towns and Historic England |
| Organisation | Historic England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We worked with HE to better understand the role that heritage assets played in developing Town Investment plans and the ways in which cultural and heritage sectors operated together in small communities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | HE introduced us to organisations within each of our case study towns and they also facilitated conversations in the wider sector at a national level |
| Impact | We have extended our relationship with HE and are now working with them on developing evaluative metrics for 'pride' in another AHRC grant. |
| Start Year | 2008 |
| Description | Community consultation in Darlington |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Our place-based researcher conducted a number of semi-structured interviews and focus groups in the Northgate area of Darlington in order to better understand the ways in which pride was felt and experienced in a ward that the council felt was hard to reach. This included work in foodbanks, schools, parks and festivals over a number of weeks. It concluded with a report to the Darlington Towns board that fed into their Levelling Up Fund application. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Community consultation in Ledbury |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We conducted a focus group, using creative methods (a poetry workshop) to ascertain what was the relationship between pride, place and volunteering during Ledbury Poetry Festival. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Community consultation in Southampton |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The research team used a series of creative methodologies to explore feelings of pride and place attachment in the Harefield ward of Southampton. The findings were presented as a report that was used by the Council in its Levelling Up Funding 2 application |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Feeling Pride webinar series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | We ran a series of webinars for practitioners in local authorities and the cultural and heritage sectors focusing on the metrics, meanings and measurements of pride. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.andtowns.co.uk/videos |