The Place Navigator

Partnerships power a university's civic mission, but making sense of the local landscape isn't always easy.

Welcome to the Place Navigator: a visual tool built to help university staff in England get to grips with their local area. It maps key players, sectors, and systems, with practical insights and a clear view of local infrastructure. It helps teams connect, collaborate, and create real impact where it matters most.

Explore the infrastructures by clicking one of the buttons below or scroll down to learn more about the how to use the place navigator.

Navigation

The Place Navigator is organised around seven key infrastructures, each with its own dedicated page:

How to view the Place Navigator

The Place Navigator is best experienced on a desktop, laptop or tablet. Please switch to one of these devices for access to all its visual features.

What is the Place Navigator?

The Place Navigator is a dynamic, visual tool that maps out the core infrastructures you might interact with when developing and delivering your civic university ambitions.

It provides a clear, high-level overview of key sectors, their priorities, and the organisations driving them. Whether you're looking to collaborate with local government, engage with the voluntary sector, or connect with health and social care providers, the Place Navigator supports you with knowledge and strategies to begin your journey.

Why Use the Place Navigator?

  • Gain Local Insight
    Understand the structures, agendas, and key players in your locality. The Place Navigator breaks down complex systems into accessible information, helping you to navigate your place with confidence.
  • Build Effective Partnerships
    Identify potential collaborators across seven core sectors and discover practical ways to connect with them. From local councils to cultural organisations, the Place Navigator helps you find the right people to work with.

  • Drive Civic Impact
    Align your university's activities with local priorities. By using the Place Navigator, you can ensure your projects address real needs and contribute to meaningful positive change.

What to expect from the Place Navigator

The Place Navigator is designed to help university staff and academics better understand the key infrastructures that shape their locality. Each page is tailored to a specific 'infrastructure', such as Education & Skills, Health and Social Care, or Local Government, offering practical insights and guidance to build meaningful partnerships and drive civic impact. Here's what you can expect from each section:

Overview

An overview of each infrastructure and its core structure.

Key Agendas

A guide to some of the key priorities you might come across when working with organisations in this infrastructure.

Top Tips for Working Together

Practical advice on building relationships and engaging effectively with partners across the infrastructure.

Existing Relationships

Guidance on where to look within universities for existing partnerships.

Partnerships

Case studies of organisations to help you think about how you might approach or involve them in a partnership.

People

Profiles of the sorts of people that you might work with, alongside their needs and priorities, to help identify possible collaborators.

Birds Eye View

A visual snapshot of the sector's structure, highlighting key organisations and networks at both national and local levels.

Resources & Case Studies

Access additional materials that deepen your understanding or showcase successful collaborations within each infrastructure.

Get Started

The Place Navigator is organised around seven key infrastructures, each with its own dedicated page:

Understand how councils and local authorities operate, their responsibilities at different levels (e.g., single-tier vs two-tier systems), and how to align your work with their priorities.

Learn about organisations developing local economic strategies, driving growth, and creating opportunities for collaboration in areas like skills development and innovation.

Navigate this vital sector by exploring NHS structures, public health initiatives, and social care frameworks. Discover how universities can support health equity and wellbeing.

From schools to further education colleges, this page outlines opportunities for partnerships that address skills gaps and enhance lifelong learning.

Explore how cultural organisations operate locally and nationally. Learn how to contribute to creative initiatives that foster social cohesion and pride in place.

Understand the role of grassroots organisations in delivering local services. Find out how to engage effectively with community groups to amplify impact.

From policing to transport infrastructure, this page provides insights into public service delivery at a local level and opportunities for collaboration.

About the Place Navigator

The Place Navigator was developed by the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) as part of the National Civic Impact Accelerator (NCIA), funded by Research England, with technical development by Sheffield Hallam University. Designed to help universities navigate local infrastructures and build impactful partnerships, this tool reflects a shared commitment to advancing civic engagement across England.

We are grateful to participants of the NCIA's Action Learning Programme, and the Institute of Community Studies whose feedback and testing shaped early versions of the tool. Their insights helped ensure the Place Navigator meets the practical needs of university staff working to deliver their civic mission.