Trust and technology. Two complex issues the construction industry seems far from resolving. At UKREiiF, we hosted our latest A Place at the Table event gathering a group of industry leaders to talk about how the industry can rebuild relationships with the communities we build for. Our Chair, Pierre Wassenaar reflects on the topics discussed at the event.
It’s all about engagement
Trust in our industry is at rock bottom. Grosvenor’s 2019 Rebuilding Trust survey found that only 2% of the public trust developers, and just 7% trust local authorities regarding large-scale development.
Rebuilding this relationship is a slow road, and the public’s cynicism feels justified. People are aware that change has winners and losers, and community needs are often overshadowed by broader development agendas which fail to deliver on promises and lack transparency.
The industry needs to prioritise honest, ongoing conversations with the community to rebuild their faith and establish clear community outcomes from the start. Without early and ongoing engagement to understand local needs, the inherent power dynamic feeds hostility, rather than understanding.
These engagement efforts will only work if they’re rooted in a genuine desire to deliver long-term social value, and not just token gestures. Genuine, face-to-face interactions, transparent communication, and emotional intelligence are crucial. As is local energy, involving people who live in these communities to reach the unheard voices, listening, and being upfront about what people can genuinely influence. As projects progress and scopes, budgets, and timelines change, these also need to be communicated back to the community.
Can AI transform those engagement efforts?
The potential of AI in placemaking brings both excitement and apprehension. While AI can easily handle administrative tasks, there’s a fear it’s already replacing our creative and critical thinking. The industry’s challenge is to use AI to complement human effort, not replace it.
Everyone has differing levels of knowledge, experience, and understanding of AI and how it might impact development, showing there’s still some way to go before it can be fully integrated.
From a broader development perspective, the issue is that humans aren’t good at learning from the past. The construction industry itself knows alarmingly little about what does and doesn’t work in the built environment. If we lack this foundational knowledge, how can we expect AI to fill the gaps effectively? We need far more information and a deeper understanding of our past successes and failures.
From an engagement perspective, AI can be a useful tool in analysing large data sets, performing sentiment analysis on survey responses, and testing the effectiveness of public-facing content. But again, its effectiveness depends on the quality of data, and how well the AI is trained and prompted. People know when engagement efforts feel impersonal or automated, so AI’s deployment must be handled with care and ethical considerations. Ultimately though, nothing will build relationships like face-to-face conversations.
Talk the talk, walk the walk
The discussions showed how rebuilding public trust in placemaking is a multifaceted challenge, and one that requires early, honest, and sustained engagement efforts. While AI can help us enhance these efforts, it’s not a magic button, and must be used thoughtfully and ethically. If we’re to restore public confidence in development projects, it takes dedicated effort, collaboration, and accountability.
A Place at the Table offers an informal setting for built environment professionals to share ideas and challenges around modern placemaking, fostering candid, cooperative discussions that aim to push the industry forward. To get a flavour of our events, take a look at the UKREiiF film created by LDN Collective to document the highlights of the 2024 conference.
