CREW Regeneration Wales' 'Deep Place' Study

CREW has recently published its ‘Deep Place’ report, the result of 12 months of detailed research into the community of Tredegar by Professor Dave Adamson and Dr Mark Lang. CREW has been pleased with the initial reaction to the report which some have described as a game changer for current approaches to tackling poverty and creating environmentally, socially, economically and culturally sustainable communities in Wales.

The research, which looked at Tredegar holistically, has identified the key disadvantages experienced by people living in the town, and identifies the positive opportunities to create a sustainable community. It offers an alternative to the view that regeneration is only about managing decline in post-industrial communities.

The ‘Foundational Economy’, a concept developed by Prof Karel Williams of Manchester University, is viewed by CREW as the principal means to achieve economic growth in Tredegar. The report argues for a more localised semi-autonomous local economy that could provide a sustainable future for the local community with, for example, localised supply chains and patterns of employment. It identifies four key sectors that are critical to future success: food; energy conservation and generation; the care sector; e-commerce and employment.

There are already spatially orientated policy initiatives in Wales, such as Enterprise Zones, Local Growth Zones and City Regions. There needs, however, to be a ‘Total Place’ strategy for communities, and this is what the Deep Place Study proposes for Tredegar.

The Deep Place approach can be used as a means more generally in other disadvantaged communities in Wales and beyond. For communities to become more resilient, inclusive governance is needed. However, this requires very different perspectives from the normal approach to power at community level and will depend on willingness and openness of public sector organisations at national, regional and local levels to share power, coordinate activities, develop synergies and work for common objectives.

To find out more, you can download the report, Toward A New Settlement: A ‘Deep Place’ Approach to Equitable and Sustainable Places, from the CREW website.

CREW Regeneration Wales will also be hosting a Twitter talk on the study later today from 5 until 7pm, using the #DeepPlace hashtag. 




Dr Mark Lang
CREW Regeneration Wales