Managing Quality Places

Close up, Greenwich Millennium Village

Design should be only the start of quality. Quality of life is partly determined by a person’s ability to shape their surroundings. The physical form and management of a place will either encourage or discourage their desire and ability to interact with the place and the people they meet there. Good places that are actively managed and safe will encourage a positive neighbourliness and a sense of belonging.

To ensure places function effectively in the long term they must:

• Be safe, well maintained and well managed
• Have the right management structures for people who live and use the place to be able to influence what happens there
• Have active support and resources to enable them to function in the long term