Why Managing Agents must be a part of Placemaking strategy.

What is Placemaking?

Placemaking is not a new term, it has been around for many years, but it is being used more widely as regeneration schemes and very large estate schemes have come to the fore in recent years. Placemaking puts the community at the heart of a scheme and requires the collaboration of all stakeholders to create places that people want to live in, contribute to and self govern. Principally it is the combining of a wide range of knowledge and skills to make better places and environments in which to live and work.

Why is it important?

In the UK there remains a significant housing shortage and that is driving big regeneration projects. In order to ensure their success, past mistakes need to be avoided - density, lack of infrastructure, poor management planning, a lack of resident engagement, have all resulted in failed developments over many years. Seeking the involvement and cooperation of communities from the outset has proved valuable in delivering the right solution and one that is widely bought in to. 

Long term management planning is essential to ensure safety, security and economic viability of large complex developments. All parties should be certain that fairness and the balanced allocation of costs is at the centre of the management plan. Developments need to be connected to services and the wider community and to be alive to local culture and tradition. All of this is more easily acheived when all parties are involved at the outset.

Who does it involve?

Placemaking involves all stakeholders including the local community, the new community, local authorities, planners, architects, developers, property managers, asset managers, estate agents and lawyers. Managing Agents have an important role in assisting planners and architects to design viable long term solutions that allow the community to self regulate their environment. All large communities need facilities and central meeting areas, open space and play areas. Managing agents have real experience of what really works and what does not and, in particular, what will stand the test of time economically.

What does it change?

Placemaking is changing the way that we will design, interact and share space. Creation of real pride and sense of belonging is important in ensuring that schemes will stand the test of time, generate best value for investors and demand for homes. Public open spaces, the provision of services, transportation, running costs, cyclical costs, security and safety are all important considerations from the outset. Other matters such as traffic restrictions, cycle paths, central squares, secure designs, kitchen windows overlooking play areas, recycling and sustainability are all part of ensuring places remain desirable in the long term.

The key components and how does a managing agent play a part?

Transparency, collaborative management styles, partnership with developers and the community are key factors. Managers must demonstrate real expertise, availability and willingness to share and participate in community engagement and should be the binding central factor around communications with all parties.

Agents need to demonstrate measureable service delivery that is enshrined in contractual terms and where possible rewarding success and penalising failure. A detailed community management plan is essential and needs to be provided and explained in detail and amended as and when necessary to meet the needs of those living and working on the scheme. This plan needs to allow the community to have an important place in the decision making process and to allow their vision to prevail. Managers should facilitate community involvement, provide advice and information and where necessary training to ensure that communities can make the right decisions.

Summary

Successful placemaking enhances environments, improves values and future investment in the locality and it never ends. Managing agents are long term community partners in this process and will be involved long after developers and other experts have moved on. It is important therefore that they are included in the early stage consultation and design and selected in consultation with stakeholders and not as an afterthought.

It is up to agents to maintain collaboration between the communities long into the future, ensuring that the physical environment remains at its best and that people choose happily to live within. That is no easy task and one for which the residential management sector needs to adapt to rapidly if it is to keep pace with the social sector.