People and Place is Footwork’s programme of support for community innovators, to turn bold ideas into long-term change for their neighbourhoods.
What is People and Place?
Who do we mean by a community innovator?
People with home-grown solutions to pressing local challenges, and the sense of urgency to address them.
Community innovators act to solve local issues, shape their local environment and grow long-term community power. They revive local spaces. They ensure services meet local needs. They bring buildings, land and resources into local control.
Their ideas take many forms: community ownership and use of buildings, greening and growing on land, transforming streets, retrofitting, generating community energy, and lots of other kinds of ‘community asset development’ that strengthen the connection between people and place.
Why?
Around the country, community innovators (or ‘Community Asset Developers’ / CADs) play a vital role in locally-led neighbourhood transformation, making places more socially just and ecologically safe.
Yet, from the start of their journey, they face systemic barriers in accessing and stewarding buildings and land. They’re often isolated, undervalued and undersupported, without the resources, strategic tools, mentorship and visibility they need to bring their ideas to life – and to sustain and scale their impact.
Testimonial
Aim
People and Place exists so community innovators can turn their bold ideas into strong, lasting projects, supporting them to:
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Deepen their capabilities and confidence
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Effectively implement their strategies and plans
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Reduce feelings of overwhelm and isolation
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Gain greater clarity and purpose
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Feel more connected and hopeful
As the programme evolves, we’re shaping more ways to facilitate greater trust between community innovators, residents and their local council. We’re supporting community innovators to create lasting relationships with these and other local stakeholders, and to lead collaborations that are rooted in shared purpose and transparency, and that drive deeper systemic change.
Find out more about our pilot ‘local’ programme in 2026 -
How?
The programme is a 12-month peer-learning journey, with resources, support and connections for community innovators to get their project off the ground, or grow its impact.
This includes:
Bespoke support
A carefully matched ‘1-1’ mentor (strategic or peer, depending on needs), a shared pool of mentors and technical advisors for ad hoc support
Online training/workshops/knowledge-share sessions, led by cohort needs .
Be together
Moments to gather as a peer group to rest, reflect and learn from others, including field trips across the country
Connect
Connecting with local partner like local authority
Connecting with Footwork's wider (national) network of built environment practitioners, community asset developers and allies to shape a national movement for locally-led neighbourhood transformation.
Impact
Over the past three years, we’ve Foot-worked across in 30 neighbourhoods, supporting over 50 community innovators through the People and Place programme.
Meet the network:
“There are so many people ready to drive change in their neighbourhoods, but they often lack the support, power and partnerships to make that change.
Thankfully, someone directed me to the People and Place programme, which offered exactly the support I needed. I experienced what it’s like to be backed in a truly collaborative, enjoyable way, and to grow collective power with peers around the country who are all working on bold local ideas."
In 2026 & beyond
In 2026, we’re launching People and Place: Camden in collaboration with Camden Council (expressions of interest now open).
In 2027, the annual national programme will return, bolder and better than before – after a short pause to take stock of learnings, impact and ideas from the last 3 years, together with our insights group and previous People and place innovators. Expressions of interest will open in Autumn 2026. Sign up to our newsletter or get in touch if you’re interesting in supporting or collaborating on this work.