Delivering Humanised Places: what’s our new research partnership all about?
The Delivering Humanised Places research partnership brings together Humanise, UK Research and Innovation, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the University of Glasgow to build a stronger evidence base for creating places that put people first.
It’s a partnership rooted in a shared belief: that successful places shouldn’t only work well technically and economically, but also support human wellbeing, social connection and civic life. By combining expertise from place-based research, neuroscience and related fields, the programme aims to deepen understanding of how the built environment affects people and how that knowledge can be applied in practice.
Building the case for more human places
A key focus of the collaboration is the relationship between building exteriors and human experience. Research increasingly suggests that the appearance and character of buildings can influence emotions, behaviour, wellbeing and people’s sense of connection to a place, and the partnership will turn this growing body of knowledge into practical evidence that can help:
- influence design, planning, development and regeneration practice
- support mayors, local authorities and developers to create better places
- increase public awareness of the importance of human-centred design
- translate research into accessible tools, principles and public campaigns.
By bridging the gap between academic research and real-world decision-making in this way, we’re trying to make sure that human experience, and how we feel about our places, plays a greater role in shaping the future of towns and cities.
Three areas of activity
The Delivering Humanised Places programme is organised around three connected workstreams.
1. Research
The first workstream focuses on strengthening the evidence base for more human buildings and cities. This includes exploring how building design, particularly the design of building exteriors, affects emotions, health, wellbeing, behaviour, belonging and civic life. The findings will help provide a stronger foundation for policy, practice and future research.
2. Solutions for mayors and developers
The second workstream focuses on turning evidence into practical action. Drawing on the Humanise Principles, the programme will develop tools, guidance and partnerships that help mayors, local authorities, developers and regeneration teams create places that better support the people who use them. The intention is to make human-centred design easier to apply in everyday planning and development decisions.
3. Boosting public conversation
The third workstream recognises that creating better places requires public engagement as well as professional expertise. The programme will support a wider public conversation about the importance of human-centred design and help build a stronger movement for better buildings and cities. A central goal is to ensure that local people have a greater voice in shaping the places where they live.
A shared ambition
Ultimately, Delivering Humanised Places aims to create a stronger connection between research, practice and public participation. By combining robust evidence with practical solutions and public engagement, we want to help create places that are not only functional, but also inspiring, welcoming and deeply human.
We’ll be sharing more about the partnership as the work unfolds. To never miss an update, join the Humanise mailing list.