Scotland’s Towns
Small Towns Initiative
In 2013 former BEFS Chair Cliff Hague undertook a ‘health check’ of Scotland’s small towns. The health check was designed in the spirit of Geddes’ “Folk, Work, Place”. It addressed not only the built environment but also competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development, and the social life of the town. The health check comprised a ‘check list’ which acted as a catalyst for discussions across different interest groups within a place. The report on the overall project can be found here. You can also read the reports on the individual towns visited during the initiative:
- Arbroath Report
- Campbeltown Report
- Cupar Report
- Dumfries Report
- Elgin Report
- Helensburgh Report
- Kilsyth Report
- Stornoway Report
Scotland’s Towns Partnership
BEFS is a member of STP – the largest collective of interests representing and promoting the diversity of our towns and places. STP has led on development the Understanding Scotland’s Places – a platform commissioned by the Scottish Government and launched in April 2015. It offers a mechanism for understanding the similarity of places across Scotland. Deliberately designed to avoid a simplistic ranking of places as better or worse, USP focuses on the shared characteristics of towns. For further information click here.