Specifically, this guide is intended to:

• Bring greater consistency to the definition of high-quality development, in particular how it can drive positive social, economic and environmental outcomes for local people.
• Ensure that local authorities and developers are more aligned on their expectations of the social value of new development projects.
• Empower local authorities to be more demanding in terms of the social value outcomes they expect from new development projects, and how they expect these to be measured.
• Enable more sustainable developers to outperform their competitors using social value outcomes as a key differentiator.

In compiling this guide, we have primarily considered the opportunities presented by medium-to-large sized urban development schemes, whether residential, commercial or mixed use. Clearly, opportunities exist on all types of development, but the scope and scale offered by these types of scheme made them an obvious focal point.

This guide identifies key stakeholders and their current opportunities to drive social value and offers a suggested process for creating a social value strategy. It identifies the kind of social value outcomes which could be expected from new development and highlights opportunities along the development lifecycle for achieving those outcomes.

It then outlines some of the current perceived barriers to improving social value outcomes in developments, as well as the opportunities for social value to improve the development process. Throughout the guide, the various issues and suggestions are brought to life with a selection of case studies.