Place Development for cities and regions
Cities and regions today compete not only for investments and talent, but for people’s trust, attachment and long-term commitment. As expectations on quality of life, sustainability and identity increase, places must actively shape environments where people want to live, work, play and stay. Urbanisation, digitalisation, climate transition and demographic change are reshaping how places function and how they are perceived. In this context, place development becomes a strategic necessity. It is about strengthening attractiveness, resilience and cohesion — by aligning physical development, identity, governance and long-term vision.
At Future Place Leadership, we support cities, rural locations and regions in building structured, data-informed and collaborative approaches to place development.
Our Approach
Our approach to place development combines perception data, stakeholder engagement and strategic planning. A central component is our Talent City Index, which provides insights into how a place is perceived by both residents, potential residents and businesses — including which qualities they value most, and which weaknesses influence their willingness to stay and establish or recommend the place.
By analysing perception gaps, strengths and development areas, we help you prioritise what truly matters for attractiveness and long-term competitiveness. This allows place development to be grounded not only in planning ambitions, but in evidence-based understanding of reputation, identity and lived experience.
We integrate urban planning, placemaking, place branding, change leadership and data analysis into one coherent framework — ensuring that physical development, positioning and stakeholder collaboration reinforce each other.
What We Offer
We deliver place development services across four core areas:
- Analysis and strategic direction
We provide place analysis, perception studies and strategic advisory to help define your long-term vision and development priorities. - Data and perception insights
Through our Talent City Index and related research tools, we deliver structured insights into how your place is experienced and positioned — locally and internationally. - Process management, change leadership and stakeholder coordination
We design and facilitate cross-sector collaboration processes, ensuring clear roles, shared ownership and effective governance structures. - Positioning and attractiveness development
We support the alignment of physical development, place branding and communication — strengthening both internal cohesion and external appeal.
You can find examples of our previous projects below, and we invite you to get in touch if there is anything we can help you with!
