Five rivers and where they meet (cross‐disciplinary reflections on development, policy and place)

The purpose of this paper is to describe and make sense of the confluence of theoretical and practical preoccupations that contribute to the current interest in place management.

The paper presents an overview and interpretation of trends that have led both policy‐makers and academics to an interest in the management and development of places. It demonstrates how various streams of thought coalesce into five key concepts: participation, distinctiveness, knowledge, relationships and values – that provide, at their meeting point, a cross‐disciplinary conceptual framework for place management and development.

The field of place management is located – both strategically and challengingly – at the crux of key contemporary policy issues in development and governance. There is a need to draw together insights across disciplines into a conceptual framework that will help both practitioners and academics make sense of the challenges we face.

Understanding where we have come from helps them to chart where we are going. There is opportunity to build a new a theoretical and policy framework around place management that articulates why and how place is important in the context of larger development and governance debates.

As a big‐picture overview of a cutting‐edge space, this paper is intended to help both practitioners and academics position their work in its broader context.