If space is an environment that holds no meaning for people then, inversely place is one in which meaning is embedded through a connection between those people and the location; this meaning could be historic, cultural, social, personal or communal. In Australia, the concept and understanding of Place have evolved over the past 60,000 years to adapt to the needs of the rapidly growing size and population of our cities. Alongside, placemaking has evolved from an activist-led and grassroots supported movement to a sophisticated and multi-faceted industry.
Place Score has produced this report to share the learnings of over 20 years, 500 projects and insights from over 70,000 Australians. In this report we explore the meaning and need for a place, the importance and means of measuring it, and how place-based data can play a crucial role in decision-making and designing human-centric places that are both for and by the people. We also illustrate people’s changing place values based on factors like age, place of birth and place of stay and how these collectively shape our towns and cities.
Place Score’s mission is to empower every person to have a say in the decisions that impact their every day. Understanding local place values and performance is key to evidence-based decision making where the common good overrides the loudest voices who tend to speak longest.
