The Place Standard tool
The Place Standard tool is one of the approaches we are using to frame our work on place. It was designed in partnership by the Scottish Government, NHS Health Scotland, and Architecture and Design Scotland.
The Place Standard tool is a way to assess places. It provides a simple framework to structure conversations about place, and can be used in a variety of settings. It allows people to think about the physical elements of a place, as well as the social aspects. The tool provides prompts for discussions, and pinpoints the assets of a place as well as areas where a place could improve.
We have been actively engaged with the development and implementation of the Place Standard tool over the last few years. The Place Standard complements our existing place and community based activities and we are embedding it in our work.
What is place?
We all have places that we interact with on a daily basis. It might be where we live, work and play, or somewhere that is important to us for other reasons.
A place is made up of many different elements. It includes the physical environment, such as the buildings, streets or greenspaces and also social aspects, such as the community and the way individuals feel about the place they live.
The places we spend our time in have a huge impact on our health and wellbeing, with clean and green environments helping us to lead happy and healthy lives. That's why we work with communities across Scotland to deliver projects that improve their local places for everyone to benefit from.
A great example of our work with the Place Standard tool is our Hillhead and Harestanes project. In 2016/2017, we worked with East Dunbartonshire Council and NHS Health Scotland and carried out a pilot project using the tool to inform the development of a locality plan. You can read the report on this project here.
Katie Murray
Environment and Place Services Manager
