Regenerative Placemaking for Affordable Housing

Learnings from Emma Hall, Director of Placemaking

With housing affordability taking centre stage in national conversations and cost-of-living pressures intensifying, it is more vital than ever to implement housing models that prioritise both individual and collective thriving. As investment in affordable housing accelerates, many organisations find themselves navigating new terrain where traditional policies struggle to match the pace of growth.

For ten years, we have collaborated within the housing sector, evolving alongside the industry by using placemaking as a strategic lens for building resilient, liveable environments. Over the last six years, my work with various developers and housing providers has revealed a spectrum of attitudes, from executives viewing their role strictly as "building boxes" to urgent requests for operational funding in community developments, or the common misconception that placemaking is simply something "added to a wall."

In response, it is important to clarify that Placemaking is a process grounded in the reality that every project and community is unique. To deliver great homes, we must understand a place's nuances and align our intentions before implementing any solutions.

Through my experience delivering multiple placemaking projects for housing projects, working on organisational frameworks and developing a best-practice engagement guide for the sector, what are some of the things I have learnt? 

1. Listen to the learnings of people on the ground

At Village Well, we believe the wisdom lies in the community. Local people know what their places need; our task is to establish processes that truly listen, ensuring our places are shaped by the actual needs of those who inhabit them. While this requires initial patience, it ultimately leads to greater long-term efficiency. 

2. Embed placemaking from day one

Projects are far more impactful when they are designed to respond to specific community needs. Utilising a facilitated approach that prioritises the benefits a project can provide to the place ensures more coherent and successful outcomes. Placemaking has been shown to increase pride of place, which in turn leads to more cared-after spaces with lower maintenance costs. 

3. Working together will get better results than going it alone

Alignment across your entire team is essential. When departments, from development and marketing to maintenance and operations, share a unified vision, every individual can contribute their part toward achieving that collective place-based goal.

4. The fix may not be ‘Hardware’

While 'Hardware' refers to the physical infrastructure, 'Software' encompasses the intangible elements like social connections, storytelling, and community programming that give a place its character. We often see beautiful physical designs that fail because they lack curated software. Before investing in new construction to solve a problem, consider if a software-based solution might be more effective and sustainable.

5. ‘Community’ shared spaces can be an asset or a problem, depending on how you treat them

Without proper activation and maintenance budgets, communal areas often become neglected. For these spaces to flourish, they require a foundation of pride, belonging, and empowerment, qualities that can be nurtured and accelerated through thoughtful placemaking processes.

6. Doing the hard work at the start to understand your place saves time and money in the long run

Engaging in deep research, site visits, and collaboration with place specialists provides a clearer roadmap for success. Given the significant investment required for housing, we must ensure that our approach is perfectly tailored to the resources, people, and specific context of the location.

7. High-density housing is going to have challenges; we need to be prepared for them

Intense living environments naturally present hurdles. By remaining proactive and identifying potential friction points early, we can stay responsive to the evolving needs of the community and manage these challenges more effectively.

8. Trauma-informed placemaking is crucial to creating safe spaces

Safety is a fundamental requirement for wellbeing, particularly in housing projects. Integrating a trauma-informed lens allows us to identify and implement the specific elements that foster a genuine sense of security and stability for all residents.

Lastly…

I recall that same executive's words after our collaboration: "Our role is to deliver homes for people and places for communities to thrive..." 

Now that is something that I can back… And I think that Regenerative Placemaking is the way to get there.