Our ground-up approach and local re-investment strategy has been included in the following research publications:
The Place Framework
The PLACE Framework emerged out a SSHRC-funded research project on Shorefast’s place-based approach to economic development. Co-developed with Shorefast and Memorial University, the acronym PLACE signifies five key principles communities can use as a guide in exploring opportunities to revitalize their respective economic futures.
Emerging on Fogo Island, the PLACE framework has been subsequently used throughout many communities in Newfoundland & Labrador. To share the learnings of this ongoing community-driven research, the PLACE Dialogues was created as an annual gathering to connect community leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and academics across Newfoundland and Labrador to discuss the challenges and opportunities of economic development.
In the Fall of 2023, the PLACE Framework took a significant step forward with the publication of Revitalizing PLACE through Social Enterprise, a book of case studies featuring place-based social enterprises in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland, showing the diverse ways the PLACE Framework can be applied to help create more sustainable economic futures.
The PLACE Model and Dialogues have had a transformative local impact and are currently mobilizing an expansion on the West Coast of Canada under the direction of Dr. Natalie Slawinski through her work at the Gustavson School of Business at University of Victoria.