Building better places through meaningful conversations.

In Person Engagement

We design and deliver meaningful and accessible engagement that helps build trust, spark conversations and support the creation of thriving places. Whether on the high street or in a workshop, we create the space for people to share what matters to them. 

  • Our high street pop-ups are designed to reach an incidental audience; those who might not seek out opportunities to have their say. Set up in busy public spaces, these flexible, welcoming stalls offer hands-on, visual activities that spark curiosity and encourage people to stop, share their views, and shape the conversation.

  • Our pop-up shops meet people where they are. Set in familiar, local spots they offer a unique opportunity to capture the views of less-heard voices alongside key stakeholders. We create a warm, welcoming, and friendly space where people can meet the team, join conversations, and take part in practical, collaborative activities. Pop-ups can be a one-day drop-in or part of a longer engagement plan.

  • These workshops create the opportunity to work with a focused group - such as your project partners, older adults or young people - or host a session that is open for all. Through hands-on, visual and collaborative tools, our experienced team support people to navigate tricky topics, unlock solutions and feel confident their voices are heard. 

  • We’re full of ideas. Over the last decade, PLACED has delivered a variety of tailored approaches for clients, creating additional opportunities and offering alternative ways to raise awareness and support engagement. These have ranged from bespoke community activity packs and family workshops to debate events, virtual seminars, and walking tours. Get in touch to explore what we could create together.

Youth Engagement

PLACED have been involving children and young people in the design of places since 2011. Not only does our work with young people provide an invaluable insight into the views of this key, often underrepresented group, but it also delivers significant social value through building confidence, exploring career options and encouraging active citizenship.

  • We deliver workshops with schools and youth groups and create engaging, hands-on workshops that give young people a say in how places are shaped. Through creative activities, we support young people to share their views and feel confident contributing to local decisions whilst delivering real social value. We also create resources for teachers and youth leaders to use independently.

  • Our award-winning PLACED Academy is a free to access education programme for 11–25 year olds, focused on the built environment. It reflects our commitment to diversifying participation, opening up conversations about place and supporting greater diversity in careers across the sector. PLACED Academy is made possible by support from partners and sponsors, and PLACED reinvesting our profits. We help young people develop skills, build confidence, and access opportunities - regardless of background or experience. These extended programmes offer a powerful way to involve young people in live projects, bringing their insight into real-world developments. Find out more about PLACED Academy!

  • Our Partnership Academies put young people at the centre of real-world projects. Commissioned by clients who want focused engagement with young people and to deliver deep social impact, these bespoke programmes focus on specific areas or developments. With a strong emphasis on social value, they’re designed to capture youth insights and create meaningful, measurable impact for both participants and the communities they’re part of. Each Partnership Academy is tailored to the local context and can run from three days to several months.

  • We design and deliver creative, hands-on workshops and resources for schools and colleges, supporting young people to develop skills, build knowledge, and explore built environment careers. Working with ages 7+, our sessions are tailored to suit different ages, interests and learning needs, from short introductions to more in-depth projects.

Strategic Support

We offer flexible engagement support, advisory and training services for when you need capacity, guidance, and advice rather than a comprehensive service. This is ideal for when you don’t have resources for delivering a growing programme, you’re at the start of your journey but aren’t sure of the approach to take, or there’s an emerging challenge you need specialist external support in addressing. 

  • We can support you in assessing your approach to engagement, developing comprehensive engagement strategies for individual projects or more holistic engagement across multiple programmes. We can bring a fresh perspective to help you define your scope, briefs and tenders to make sure the work you commission will deliver the outcomes you need.

  • Our skilled, experienced team can undertake programme reviews and evaluations, helping you to identify areas for improvement in how you work with your service users and communities, identify your successes and provide independent, evidence-based reports to funders.

  • Whilst many clients have some internal skills, capacity can be challenging or experience may not align with the approach needed. Whether it’s providing additional capacity to support delivery or delivering a specific aspect of engagement, such as working with a Community Forum, we’re here to help. 

  • We can help you to identify relevant stakeholders within the system you work in, whether to support an engagement process or service development.

  • We know getting engagement right can be challenging. We can provide CPD sessions for your teams that helps to develop their skills in procuring, delivering, and evaluating engagement.

Digital Engagement

Our digital tools make it easier for more people to get involved in ways that work for them. Using interactive maps, surveys and comment spaces, we capture a broad mix of views, helping you build a clear picture of what matters most to communities.

Our fully-managed online hub brings your project to life, combining location-based insights, open conversations and structured feedback in one place. Designed to be easy to use and visually engaging, it allows people to explore, contribute and stay informed at their own pace. Whether used on its own or alongside in-person activity, it offers a flexible, accessible space for meaningful engagement. Have a look at some of our recent digital engagement!

We can also deliver online engagement campaigns, combining targeted paid social advertising with clear community-focussed messaging and engaging digital content to reach more people online, widen participation, and inspire residents to have their say.