The value of building community trust

A project’s true success isn’t just measured by completion, but by whether it creates lasting value for the people who live, work, and dwell there. That success depends heavily on building trust with communities, developing with a conscience, and deeply understanding their needs and priorities. 

At this year's UKREiiF, we hosted a panel discussion delving into what it truly means to build trust with communities. We invited influential voices from across the built environment, including city council, property developers, and an ambassador from Regeneration Brainery - the conversation was honest, challenging and full of insight.  

Marc Cairns, Director of Place at New Practice, part of Civic, explores further how to balance commercial viability, environmental priorities, governance requirements - and above all, community trust. 

Why trust matters more in times of pressure 

In building resilient, sustainable places where people want to stay long term, the starting point should be obvious - understand the needs of the community. Yet in times of economic struggle, this is often the first thing that is cut. What many don’t realise is, with tighter budgets, there is actually less margin for error, and building trust with communities becomes more important.  

Communities are powerful - this was made especially clear in the panel discussion. If they feel like their voices are heard or taken seriously, they can delay, or stop, a project entirely.  

Which is why trust isn’t a ‘nice to have’ - it’s as critical to a project’s success as finance, planning or design. 

What trust in practice looks like  

All the power shouldn’t sit with the developers, it needs to be shifted so the community holds a significant, reflective amount. 

It’s not just as simple as gathering feedback either, the feedback then needs to be embedded throughout the decision-making process, to make sure communities are the co-authors of change, which is different to merely improving the consultation process. 

Meaningful engagement isn’t just about tea, biscuits and cheerleading. It’s about being transparent, even when the conversations might be difficult. Plus, not “consulting from a distance” but giving communities access to the why as well as the what. 

Trusting a process is the foundation for building resilient and meaningful places.  

Having trust is as critical as the structural groundworks, and the pipes running through the building. 

The benefits of getting it right 

When communities are truly at the table, the payoff is significant. If you engage the community throughout the decision-making process, you will undoubtedly gain better design outcomes, from practical, lived insights and surface issues, that might otherwise be missed.  Further, communities are not homogenous - they are diverse, sometimes divided, with competing needs. Recognising and working with this complexity is what makes engagement meaningful and impactful. 

Just as net zero strategies or just transition policies are essential for environmental sustainability, a strong community trust and engagement policy is critical for social sustainability. It underpins the longevity and resilience of a project, ensuring that places are not only built, but really valued. 

Plus, compared to total project budgets, the investment needed to do engagement properly is modest, but the upsides, such as avoiding delays, surfacing design issues early, and creating long-term resilience, are huge. 

New Practice, part of Civic, is committed to putting communities at the heart of change. If you’d like to explore how we can help you build projects rooted in trust, connect with us via the Civic team page: Team | Civic