How Placemaking can put more money in your till courtesy of Creative Communities

Document owner: David Engwicht, Creative Communities (creative-communities.com).
Purpose & how to use: A free merchant-facing resource by David Engwicht (Creative Communities) explaining why a street's "vibe" or sense of place directly drives shop revenue, and what individual traders can do about it. Use it to help local businesses understand the link between placemaking and their till.
Who it's for: Local traders and the Town Teamers working with them on main-street activation.
Key points: The piece argues that prosperity is tied to how many people are in the street and how at-home they feel there. It sets out eight principles for building sense of place — enrich the total experience, fix small things that detract from quality, slow people flow with activity nodes, shift focus from intentional shoppers to leisure shoppers and tourists, deliver service and civility, add surprise and humour, offer authentic experiences, and cooperate rather than compete with neighbouring businesses — each with practical, low-cost actions a single trader can take.