What can UK towns learn from Mississippi or Pori, Finland?

What can a small rural town in England learn from the fortunes of a town in Mississippi? Could a town on the coast of Scotland learn the secrets of a thriving town in Finland? Douglas White from Carnegie UK Trust reports.

In our new report – Turnaround Towns – we highlight how previously struggling towns from around the world have transformed their fortunes and created vibrant, prosperous places for people to live, exploring what this could mean for UK towns.

The case studies making up Turnaround Towns – compiled for the trust by Jane-Frances Kelly, former director of the cities programme at the Gratton Institute in Australia – come from towns in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Finland. They demonstrate how towns have rebuilt their economies and found a new sense of purpose.

We must avoid the temptation of policy transfer. Approaches that work well in one jurisdiction are rarely replicated successfully in another place. But equally, we must be open to policy learning – to understand how and why initiatives have worked in a variety of different settings and consider what inspiration these examples might provide for our own local contexts.

The towns we analysed all had a strong sense of purpose – a clear narrative about themselves which was recognised and held in common by both residents and those from outside the community. Duluth in Minnesota celebrates both its industrial heritage and its location on Lake Superior and is attracting new businesses through culture and outdoor activities.

Building on this sense of a wider goal, it is significant that none of the towns focused solely on their economy in their drive to achieve improvement. They wanted to improve the entire experience of living in the town for residents, to offer secure livelihoods alongside a clear sense of identity and strong social connections.

While none of the case studies were all about the economy, economic improvement was at the heart of each of the stories. The research reinforces that a successful economy is the central, critical component of a thriving town.

Some clear lessons also emerged from the case studies about the process for achieving change.

• Local leadership of the process was critical. They took ownership and responsibility for doing so, while drawing in external resources and support as required. Altena, in Germany, supplies nearly a fifth of the world’s steel wire. Despite also having a popular tourist attraction of 12th century castle on a hilltop just outside the town, it began to struggle following the 2008 economic crisis with major businesses leaving and the town’s population in decline. The town’s leaders took decisive action, recognising that a major opportunity was being missed with only a relatively small proportion of the 100,000 plus visitors to the castle each year actually visiting the town itself. A new elevator was built to link the castle and the town centre, which quickly reaped significant benefits.
• Alongside leadership, a high degree of community engagement was also a key ingredient. A remarkable example came from Douglas, Georgia where a welcoming event organised by the Chamber of Commerce for a company considering relocating to the town attracted 500 local residents to the airport at less than 24 hours’ notice, to give the visitors a warm welcome. The company eventually selected Douglas as the site for their business.
• This example also illustrates another significant message from the case studies – the importance of cross-sector collaboration – finding common cause across traditional public, private, third sector and community boundaries in order to achieve practical outcomes.
• Finally, the research emphasised the importance of time and flexibility in achieving significant social and economic change. None of the case studies were overnight successes, all had to work hard over many years to achieve their desired goals.

So what about lessons for UK towns?

• We need to improve the recognition we give to towns as valuable, distinct entities. We need more data about our towns and ‘what works’
• We need to support the development of local leaders and foster community participation
• We need to help towns to work together to share learning for mutual gain.

• Time for Towns sets out key asks for all those interested and working in town socio-economic development across the UK and Ireland.