The Public Engagement Forum received funding in December 2019 from the UKRI’s Enhancing Place-Based Partnerships in Public Engagement fund. Researchers from across the University worked with communities in Wester Hailes as part of this exciting new project.
This project complements and builds upon existing place-making activity in Wester Hailes, building on current momentum in this area to develop a Place Plan.
Wester Hailes is an area in the South West of Edinburgh, made up of seven distinct neighbourhoods: Calders, Clovenstone, Dumbryden, Hailesland, Harvester, Murrayburn, and Westburn. These hyper localised districts are the seven kingdoms referred to in the title of this project. As project partners, one of Edinburgh Napier’s three campuses is situated within a mile of Wester Hailes. The Scottish Parliament’s Planning Act (2019) encourages communities to produce their own Local Place Plan and is designed to increase public participation with local issues. Wester Hailes has been chosen by the Government as a Place Plan pilot community.
Seven Kingdoms project aim:
The primary aim of the project, developed collaboratively with our partners in Wester Hailes, is to develop a framework with community partners to offer up-skilling to community researchers who will be recruited from Wester Hailes. The project will develop an innovative research framework to investigate and establish means of ensuring four guiding principles for community research.
- Participatory – This project will be conducted with rather than for the community.
- Polyvocal – This project will be inclusive and seek to be an output for all.
- Performative –We will communicate our findings through creative practice.
- Placemaking – We are seeking to discover and disseminate how meaning is attached to place.
