A new force for placemaking has emerged with the official launch of The Place Collective—an alliance of property specialists dedicated to place advocacy.
The group aims to drive industry-wide understanding of the crucial role place plays in creating, shaping, repositioning and activating successful properties, communities, precincts and urban neighbourhoods.
Bringing together leaders from diverse disciplines, The Place Collective demonstrates how strategic placemaking, applied from project inception through to ongoing activation and management, enhances the value and experience of people, properties and portfolios.
Founding members of The Place Collective:
Callan Cameron (propella.ai): Customer and location data insights
Mike Day (HATCH | Urban Solutions): Place shaping
Richard Duerden (Diadem): Wayfinding, UX strategies and signage design
Bec McHenry (To Good Use): Placemaking, place transition and activation strategy
Rebecca Shackleton (Marketing Perspective): Place experience, community consultation and marketing
Kat Smith (Studio Perspective): Place positioning, branding and marketing.
(Pictured top, from left, Richard Duerden, Bec McHenry, Mike Day, Kat Smith, Rebecca Shackleton, Callan Cameron.)
All members share a deep passion for place and are committed to inspiring innovation, fostering leadership, encouraging meaningful collaboration and achieving positive change for both the industry and the communities it serves.
The Place Collective is already driving critical industry conversations, bringing together key decision makers from both the public and private sectors.
Through targeted forums, it engages leaders across retail, office, residential, infrastructure, health, education, hospitality, and more, fostering collaboration and strategic insights.
Following the success of its first Melbourne and Sydney events, more events are planned across capital cities in 2025.
Looking ahead, The Place Collective is expanding its advocacy and industry engagement strategy with videos, white papers, LinkedIn insights and a future podcast to further solidify its position as a leading voice in the industry.
“There is growing recognition within the property industry that great places require intentionality and collaboration. The Place Collective exists to bring expertise, insight, and strategic thinking to the process, ensuring that urban ventures are not just built, but brought to life,” said Bec McHenry, Place Collective member and founder of To Good Use.
“We believe everyone who works in or engages with the property industry should consider themselves a ‘place shaper’. From investors to property developers, architects to asset managers, everyone who participates in the property lifecycle has the potential to prioritise, progress and inform great place outcomes.
“We believe if we empower everyone in our industry to think this way, we can have a real impact not only on outcomes but on lives.”
Through its events, thought leadership, advocacy, and strategic industry engagement, The Place Collective is set to reshape how placemaking is understood and embedded in urban development across Australia.
The Urban Developer is proud to partner with The Place Collective to deliver this article to you. In doing so, we can continue to publish our daily news, information, insights and opinion to you, our valued readers.
