Shaping Places for Wellbeing began in 2021 as a Programme delivering local project action supporting organisations to take a place-based approach to increasing wellbeing and reducing inequalities.
Working with seven Project Towns over three years, the Programme aimed to improve Scotland’s wellbeing by reducing the significant inequality in the health of its people while addressing the health of our planet, what we call a 'triple win'. It worked to change our collective approaches to the places where we live, work and play, enabling partnership-based, wide-ranging action at a local level.
For full details of how the Programme, jointly delivered by the Improvement Service and Public Health Scotland was developed, read the Programme Summary and to learn about our overall impacts, read the Impact Report.
Our Local Project Action pages detail the journey undertaken in each Project Town and contain all of the outputs produced, and our Supporting Place Based Working Across Scotland page shares information about our work delivering the approach with partners in additional areas.
Based on learning from our Local Project Action 2022-2024, we developed the Shaping Places for Wellbeing approach that combines three key elements. This approach continues to support anyone looking to take a place-based approach in Scotland and is introduced below. We captured our learning on how to follow and embed the approach through local action, and have shared this through our pages on learning resources, impact stories and blogs.
Why take a place-based approach?
Evidence shows that the places where we live, work and relax have an impact on our wellbeing, on the wellbeing of our planet and on how much inequality exists between the richest and poorest in society. This impact can be positive, such as reducing poverty and carbon emissions and improving health. But it can also be negative, making our wellbeing and planetary health worse. This is why place is important.
Given the importance of place, it is crucial that we create ones that contain all the features that evidence tells us will have a positive impact. At times decision makers do not consider the unintended consequences of their activity and can inadvertently have a negative impact on the features we need to get right in every place.
The way to prevent this unintended impact is to take a place-based approach. This means combining three key elements:
- Knowing what people in an area are experiencing
- Understanding the evidenced features every place needs
- Considering the impact of the decisions we are making on both of these.
People, place and decision-making are the key elements to taking a Shaping Places for Wellbeing place-based approach. The visual below illustrates the three elements and the tools and evidence that helps support it. Each page provides further information about each element and the support available for you to take a place-based approach.
Knowing what people are experiencing in a place means using quantitative and qualitative data on inequality. Read more about our data journey.
Research and evidence tell us the characteristics we need to get right in a place to enable those using it to thrive. These characteristics, known as the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes provide a consistent and comprehensive Scotland-wide set of Outcomes for all our places. The Shaping Places for Wellbeing place-based approach is anchored in bringing the delivery of these Outcomes into decision-making.
More information and context to the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes can be found in this briefing paper and on the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes webpage.
We brought this understanding of people and place into decision-making through Place and Wellbeing Assessments. A Place and Wellbeing Assessment is a tool to guide place-based decision-making around a specific plan, policy or proposal.
The Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme was jointly delivered by the Improvement Service and Public Health Scotland and supported by The Health Foundation and Scottish Government.
If the Shaping Places for Wellbeing place-based approach sounds like something you would like to know more about, please contact Irene Beautyman, Place and Wellbeing Partnership Lead, below. Alternatively, follow us on LinkedIn - Planning and Place-Based Approaches, to keep up to date with the Planning and Place-Based Programmes from within the Improvement Service, and X @place4wellbeing to recap on the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme’s journey.
Irene Beautyman - Place and Wellbeing Partnership Lead
Phone: 07908 930763
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Planning for Place Programme
The Planning for Place Programme supports councils and their partners to collaborate around place, seeking to encourage place-based approaches to joint planning, resourcing and delivery of places that enable all communities to flourish.
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National Planning Improvement Programme
The National Planning Improvement Champion is responsible for monitoring the performance of planning authorities and providing advice to them (and others) on what steps might be taken to improve their performance.
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Planning Skills
The Planning Skills Programme co-ordinates training events for public sector planning officers, with the aim to develop the skills required to deliver better places.
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Digital Planning
The Digital Planning team at the Improvement Service collaborates with local government to enhance and unify data related to planning and building standards. This work aims to develop a cohesive national data landscape, fostering insights and supporting informed decision-making.
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Shaping Places for Wellbeing Place-based Approach
The Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme is a joint delivery partnership between the Improvement Service and Public Health Scotland. This forum is for those interested in our work supporting the role of place to reduce inequality and improve the wellbeing of people and planet.
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Place Network
For those interested in the importance of place as a working approach to delivering national outcomes around improved wellbeing and inclusive growth.