Defining place-keeping: The long-term management of public spaces

There has long been a focus in urban landscape planning and design on the creation of highquality public spaces, or place-making. Large amounts of capital continue to be spent on creating such spaces without adequate thought or resources for their long-term maintenance and management of public spaces, or place-keeping.

While there may be continued policy rhetoric about the importance of place-keeping, particularly as public spaces are recognised for their important contribution to health, wellbeing, biodiversity and also their economic value, this has not however been supported in practice. There are examples in many cities where public spaces are subject to poor management and maintenance practices. This is clearly visible where vandalism, litter and damage to facilities and equipment occur, and people no longer feel safe or comfortable.

This paper argues that this uneven focus on place-keeping is not only due to a lack of resources but also a lack of understanding of the concept, its complexity and the wide implications it has for users, practitioners and policymakers. The paper aims to address this gap in knowledge by providing a detailed exploration and definition of place-keeping within the urban context. Place-keeping is not simply about the physical environment, its design and maintenance, but also encompasses the interrelated and non-physical dimensions of partnerships, governance, funding, policy and evaluation.