Planning

RealWorth's James McGowan and Erik Bichard recently hosted a social value walking tour of Liverpool's northern docklands area. Joined by Officers from Liverpool City Council and Make CIC, we discussed how regeneration can create social value for existing and future residents.

Labour is committed to building 370,000 new homes per year in England. RealWorth's Erik Bichard discusses what this means for social value in the built environment.

Social value is best created when communities are empowered, objectives and ambitions are aligned, solutions are optimised, and outcomes are thoughtfully targeted and measured. What can the incoming Labour government do to ensure social value is delivered in the built environment?

To conduct its social value analysis, RealWorth teamed up with the charity Big Help Project to survey people with experience of fuel poverty and establish the social value of escaping fuel poverty. In the report, the authors discuss how fuel poverty impacts lives and what measures the built environment sector can put in place to reduce the likelihood of fuel poverty.

Issues like food poverty and the worst effects of climate change disproportionately affect low-income neighbourhoods. Town planners have the opportunity to tackle the social inequalities created by hayfever through the planting of public orchards

Following the finding that over a third of households in England and Wales are rented, James McGowan explores potential solutions to the UK's home ownership crisis.

Public parks are much prized community assets that have immeasurable positive impact on communities and neighbourhoods. So knowing this, why are they so chronically underfunded? Have we forgotten the true purpose, and the true value of public spaces?

The London Borough of Brent recently announced a participatory budget of £2.25m to be used by local community groups. What can participatory budgeting projects teach us about creating social value in the built environment?

Our next SVUK Thought Leadership Group session is on the 22nd October!

RealWorth was appointed in May 2019 to work with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to deliver an ongoing social value evaluation of its Spatial Development Strategy.

There have been many attempts to define the components that together make up places that support people and the environment.