An animated film about the complexities of pride in place...

The UK Government has enshrined “pride in place” as one of its 12 'Levelling Up' missions. “Civic” and "local" pride is increasingly cited in public policy: it serves to reanimate declining high streets, attract economic investment, boost tourism and celebrate festivals such as UK City of Culture. Despite this political engagement, the way people feel about where they live remains relatively undefined and under-examined in policy documents and practice. What do we expect to happen if we increase pride in place? How will measuring pride in place lead to better decision making? What do community organisations need to address pride in place? Responding to these questions, the University of Southampton’s Institute for Arts and Humanities (SIAH) has developed a knowledge exchange project, Feeling Towns, funded by the AHRC. Working with partners including Historic England, Darlington Borough Council, Rural Media, and Southampton City Council, this project offers conceptual, practical and critical expertise on the subject of pride. The event will include short presentations from perspectives and disciplines across policy, practice and research. A Q&A and discussion will follow. Speakers and respondents include: Charlie Ingram (Coventry University) Sarah Bartley (University of Reading) Jack Shaw (Institute for Public Policy Research) James Harrison (Community Ownership Fund)

To launch Feeling Towns and bring together our community of practice, we present our first online webinar, “Whose pride is it anyway?” The ‘Levelling Up’ agenda has highlighted the political value of pride in place. The government white paper enshrines “restoring local pride” as one of its 12 central missions. More broadly, “civic” or “local” pride is increasingly cited in public policy: it serves to reanimate declining high streets, attract economic investment, boost tourism, and celebrate festivals such as UK City of Culture. Despite this engagement, the way people feel about where they live remains relatively undefined and under-examined in policy documents and practice. What does “pride in place” actually mean? Why is it so important to policymakers? What is the impact of this political agenda on the communities whose pride is so eagerly sought? To respond to these questions, the University of Southampton’s Institute for Arts and Humanities (SIAH) has developed a knowledge exchange project, Feeling Towns, funded by the AHRC. Working with partners including Historic England, Darlington Borough Council, Wirral Council, Rural Media, and Southampton City Council, this project offers conceptual, practical and critical expertise on the subject of pride. The event will include short presentations from perspectives and disciplines across policy, practice and research. A Q&A and discussion will follow. Speakers and respondents include: Gavin Sullivan (IPU Berlin) Will Jennings (Univ. of Southampton) Jack Shaw (Institute for Public Policy Research) Alice Butler-Warke (RGU Aberdeen) If you have any questions about this event or want to find out more about Feeling Towns, please: Visit our website — www.AndTowns.co.uk/feelingtowns Contact us by email — AndTowns@soton.ac.uk Follow us on Twitter — @AndTowns