On the essence of place - with Andrew Marcus

Thrilled to be invited by my colleague Andrew Marcus to contribute to his blog series exploring the essence of place. As someone who has dedicated their career to understanding, shaping, and championing place—through civic engagement, placemaking, cultural strategy, and academia—this is a topic close to my heart.

Place is more than geography. It’s memory, identity, and community. It’s how people experience and shape their surroundings, whether through design, activism, creativity, or care. My work has taken me across sectors and borders, always returning to the question: How do we make places that matter?

https://www.andrewmarcus.co.uk/blog/how-do-you-identify-the-essence-of-a-place

💡 Jen Kavanagh, Curator: “The essence of a place is shaped by people”

💡 Dr Cara Courage SFIPM FRSA, Place, Communities & Culture Consultant: “The essence of a place is ultimately found in the intersection of physical space, collective memory, and lived experience”

💡 Janine Downes, Head of Public Programmes at Black Country Living Museum: “Our stories are rooted in our history, our places and our people”

💡 Alia Alzougbi, Artistic Director and CEO of Shubbak Festival: “The essence of a place is an embodied response -- a physical manifestation of a feeling”

💡 Jamie Reece, Cultural Consultant: “Distilling the essence of a place is most probably impossible”