PHS welcomes delegation from Norway to learn more about the Place Standard Tool

Public Health Scotland (PHS) was delighted to welcome colleagues from City of Stavanger in Norway to Scotland this week. The visit was to share insights and knowledge on the implementation of the Place Standard Tool (PST), following the recent successful application of the tool in Kvernevik, a community just outside the City of Stravanger.

The PST was developed through a partnership involving PHS, Scottish Government, Architecture & Design Scotland and Glasgow City Council, with implementation also supported by the Improvement Service. It enables organisations and communities to have targeted and timely conversations to help inform and initiate improvement in their local areas.

Delegates visited the town of Alloa, an area where the PST has been used to effectively facilitate professional collaboration and community consultation to inform local planning, design and investment.

Colleagues from partner organisations Clackmannanshire (Clacks) Council, Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface (CTSI) and Alloa First shared their experiences of applying the Place Standard to identify what was important to people and deliver real improvements in Alloa town centre.

John Howie, Interim Public Health Principal, Public Health Scotland said:

"A place based approach is about understanding what works well within a place, where potential for improvement exists and what the priorities are for change, through effective collaboration between local communities and organisations.  The Place Standard Tool has proven to be an effective means of supporting this process.

"This visit provided an excellent opportunity for Scotland and Norway to exchange knowledge and ideas on approaches to place-based working, and discuss the positive impacts of the Place Standard Tool on local places and the well-being of local communities.

"Colleagues from both countries look forward to the continued development of the tool using the shared lessons and suggestions discussed this week."

Since its launch in December 2015, the PST has developed a wide network of use, promoting collaborative approaches across Scotland, the UK and internationally. It has been recognised, promoted and applied by the World Health Organisation European Healthy Cities Network, UN Habitat and EuroHealthNet.

Find out more about the Place Standard Tool at the Our Place website (external site).

The visit was planned with the support of a range of colleagues from Public Health Scotland, Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Architecture and Design Scotland, Clackmannanshire Council, Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface, Alloa First, Shaping Places for Wellbeing, Bracewell Stirling, Kingdom Housing Association.