Research: Community Consultation for Quality of Life

Project type: Multi-partner research project and code of practice

Project partners: University of Reading, Ulster University, Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, Commonplace, Urban Symbiotics

Location: Reading, Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh

Funder: UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council 

Project outputs: 

What was the project?

Community Consultation for Quality of Life (CCQOL) was a collaboration with the universities of Reading, Cardiff, Edinburgh,  Ulster and Cambridge. It was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by Professor Flora Samuel. It aimed to develop a new, map-based model of community engagement that takes place both online and face-to-face across the UK.

The research was the largest study of its kind into consultation and engagement practices in the UK.

CCQOL used a map-based model of community consultation. It was built on the belief that creating maps of local assets is a good way to involve the local community in the co-development of local knowledge, which can help make arguments for future improvements and development.

It asked the local populations in Reading, Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh to help create maps of their area, both in community spaces and online. 

The project used the Quality of Life Framework as a way of identifying aspects of an area that are important to people’s quality of life.

Why community consultation?

The purpose of community consultation is to give people a sense of influence and control over their environment, which is a key determinant of their overall quality of life. The CCQOL project aimed to start a conversation about what local communities value and need in their local area. It was a consultation that:

  • was map-based, so rooted in their environment
  • took place both online and face-to-face
  • could continue over time.

Research questions

  1. How can community consultation be made more useful and effective across the diverse policy contexts of the UK?
  2. How can community consultation be made more representative and inclusive?
  3. How can community consultation be undertaken for areas that have not yet been developed, when ‘future users’ are not known?
  4. What are the relative benefits of online and physical community consultation? What format could community consultation take in a pandemic?
  5. How can community consultation be made into a long-term project that fosters ongoing civic debate?
  6. How can social value mapping inform the process of community consultation?
  7. What terminology is needed to describe inclusive, empowering 21st century community consultation?

Project methodology

The project addressed these questions using several means. It began with a literature review carried out by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence. The review captured what has been written in academic literature about the practice of public participation within UK land use planning and placemaking since 2010.

The team then planned, delivered, and evaluated four physical ‘urban rooms’ in four UK cities: Reading, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. Urban rooms are defined by the Urban Room Network as spaces ‘where people can come together to help create a future for their local area’. 

Alongside these urban rooms, the team used Commonplace online mapping platforms and surveys to engage with local communities. Each city had its own approach, and this approach was informed by a policy literature review specific to each nation. 

Throughout the project, the academic team also conducted interviews with local planning and community representatives and established Local Advisory Groups in each city.

National reports

The national reports from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales reflect on relevant policy and legislation in the four nations, assessing the state of play in community participation. They also draw out the findings from an urban room held in a city or town in each nation and make recommendations for improving community engagement across the built environment.

Key findings

  • 69% of people (across the four cities) had never taken part in a planning consultation before.
  • The main reason given for not taking part in planning consultations previously is that people had never been asked to (62%)

The research found that, across the UK, community consultation and engagement in the planning process is inconsistent and often inadequate. 

Every nation in the UK is affected by poor consultation and engagement practices, making the planning process, at times, undemocratic.

But the research also highlighted that we are well-equipped with knowledge about how to do consultation and engagement well and that there is great enthusiasm for change.

We must now work collectively to bring about that change.

Read the national reports

A Code of Practice for Community Engagement

To address the issues of inconsistent and often inadequate community engagement, alongside these reports we launched a Code of Practice for effective community consultation and engagement in development, planning and design.  

Every project and team that measures up well against this Code of Practice will have developed a good understanding of the distinct needs and wants of the place and its communities. 

The code of practice is supported by an Inclusive Engagement Toolkit, which was created with Urban Symbiotics as part of the project. And we will be adding supplementary materials that address specific community needs or methods of delivery over time. 

Find out more about the Code of Practice

Read the Inclusive Engagement Toolkit