The Place Standard

The Scottish Government’s Place Principle promotes a shared understanding of place and the need to take a more integrated, collaborative and participative approach to decision making and delivery of services and assets to achieve better outcomes with and for our communities. It encourages local flexibility to respond to circumstances and opportunities in that setting and provides communities and partners with a way to exercise local accountability over decisions. Places shape who we are, what we do and how we feel. They impact every aspect of our lives. They are where people and communities interact with policies and investments.

A place-based approach requires that all those responsible for providing services and looking after assets in a place work and plan together, with local communities, to improve the lives of people, support inclusive and sustainable economic growth and create more successful places. Adopting a place-based approach can help all of us make better decisions for people, communities and planet. Taking collaborative and co-ordinated action with communities and working with partners enables better targeting of resources to the most relevant outcomes for our communities.