Will Your Town Centre Survive and Is it time for Councils to Reinvent Themselves?
The Tonight programme on ITV asked and tried to answer this question. (source ITV Tonight programme 22.04.21https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqiCMYDx0q0) There are lots of good ideas out there as to how this can happen and some are shown in the programme but no one actually provided a long term, sustainable solution. For town centres to succeed there needs […]
Should Town Planners Incorporate Green Spaces into City Centre Development?
More and more people are moving towards urbanised living, leaving the suburbs behind. The myths of city centre deprivation are long gone and people are aspiring to live in desirable city centre residences. The city centre culture is changing, with residents looking for the convenience, of pubs, restaurants, wine bars and coffee houses. Student accommodations […]
Congratulations as Paul Wright of WhatIfGroup is elected Senior Fellow of the Institue of Place Management
Dear Paul, The election of a Senior Fellow is always based upon the unanimous decision of our existing Senior Fellows. It is the highest level of membership of the Institute and carries the post-nominal letters SFIPM. It is a bestowed honour, based upon achievements that have had a profound impact upon the practice, study or policies of […]
Incorporating SDG’s – A Business Risk or an Opportunity?
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) is a framework that can be used by businesses to work towards improving equality, health, wellbeing and sustainability for people, the planet and the economy. Although there are criticisms of the SDG’s there are also advantages. The goals are not legally binding therefore, businesses can choose 4 or […]
What is Ethical Investing and is it Perfect?
Ethical investing is investing in projects that sit in line with your values and principles both socially, morally or religiously. The only person who can determine if an investment is ethical is the person investing. One way for a professional investor to do this is to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) into their investment […]
Public Private Partnerships
PPP STRATEGY PAPER Jan 21 V4
Is it possible for Capital Investors to invest in Local Authorities?
The Municipal Bonds Agency is working on a plan that allows local authorities to issue ESG bonds. They are working on a framework which will allow capital market investors to lend to local government for projects that meet ESG criteria. This was recently reported at the Local Authority Treasurers Investment Forum (Latif) and may offer […]
What if Council’s became Commercial Entities?
Over the past few years, Local authorities have been hit hard with austerity and now Covid and will have to become more innovative in their thinking and approach. One way they can do this is to form partnerships with the private sector, creating their own commercial companies to build revenue and achieve sustainability. See full Localis report […]
FUTURE HIGH STREETS FUND IN A POST COVID WORLD KEVIN PARKES, CO-FOUNDER OF Whatif
These are tumultuous times for the UK’s High Streets. The response that is needed is exceptional and at a scale that is more than any challenge faced by most towns in living memory. Only the challenges of housing market renewal in some urban areas 20 years ago bears comparison to the challenges faced by nearly […]
The dirty secret of capitalism and a new way forward
The dirty secret of capitalism – and a new way forward. Rising inequality and growing political instability are the direct result of decades of bad economic theory, says entrepreneur Nick Hanauer. In a visionary talk, he dismantles the mantra that “greed is good” — an idea he describes as not only morally corrosive, but also […]