School of Social & Political Sciences

The AHRC Place-Based Research Programme is a long-term strategic investment by UKRI/AHRC, based at the University of Glasgow. The Programme supports research, knowledge exchange and partnership working to advance more people-centred approaches to place-based policy and practice.

At its core, the Programme aims to create the conditions for people-centred, place-based approaches to be adopted more widely and embedded more deeply across place-based work. These approaches bring together the lived, felt, geographic, administrative and economic dimensions of place, ensuring that policies and practices are developed through equitable partnerships between individuals, communities, professionals and organisations.

A key focus of the Programme is felt experiences of place: the ways people feel in and about places, and the relationships they form within and through place (Madgin, 2022). By centring attachment, belonging and pride in place, the Programme demonstrates how people-centred approaches can support a wide range of social, cultural and economic outcomes, from individual wellbeing and sense of self to community cohesion, participation, productivity and inclusive growth. Working with partners across government, local and regional authorities, public bodies, community organisations, heritage institutions and the private sector, the Programme develops conceptually grounded, methodologically innovative and evidence-based responses to contemporary place-based challenges.

In Phase 1 (2021-2023), we worked with nine Knowledge Exchange projects across the UK, designed to improve access to arts and humanities research expertise with a view to informing and supporting local regeneration.

In Phase 2 (2023-2027), cross-sector Partnerships with national and international organisations and networks are helping us create the conditions for advancing people-centred approaches to place.