Duncan Laird 01/10/2026 Duncan Laird 01/10/2026

News Round Up #2

A fortnightly look at headlines from the world of adaptive reuse. SUBSCRIBE for a monthly newsletter to you inbox.

How can we measure the economic and social benefits of heritage?
Heritage projects generate a wide range of benefits, but capturing their full value for people and places can be a challenge. The Heritage Fund UK commissioned Simetrica-Jacobs to develop and test and approach to valuing the benefits for the economy and for society . You can read the report HERE

The Social Value Need Index
The Social Value Need Index is a free and open-source tool developed by WPI Strategy on behalf of the Social Value Commission. The tool allows users to select one or more local authorities, combined authorities or regions to understand the social value need of an area. A useful tool to help support the case for adaptive re-use investment in areas of high need.
Funding available
- Historic England have up to 21 grants of up to £15,000 available that could be used to support ReWeave projects. Deadline for applications closes on November 27th.
- A range of funding opportunities offered through the fab Architectural Heritage Fund.
A new era for community ownership?
An insightful report by Power to Change and Locality about the future challenges and opportunities around community ownership.
Heritage led regeneration
The Heritage Network are running a great event in Perth and Kinross with a focus on a scheme and grant programme to re-use vacant buildings.

The High Line: The Public Above and Below the Viaduct
An interesting article by Federica Leone examining the impact of the famous New York Highline and the challenges of gentrification versus community benefit. If interested in the Highline you can still find a second hand copy of the founders book if you look online.
Guess how many buildings there are on Earth?
2,750,000,000. As estimated by researchers at the Technical University of Munich have mapped them in the GlobalBuildingAtlas: the first open dataset to provide global coverage of individual building footprints, heights and simple 3D models.

🔗 Tutorial → https://lnkd.in/e3sDKk8V
🔗 Research paper → https://lnkd.in/ehsVVUVn
🔗 Explore the project → https://lnkd.in/e68apFGY
🔗 Code and data → https://lnkd.in/exi9Wki2

Duncan Laird 17/09/2026 Duncan Laird 17/09/2026

News Round Up #1

A fortnightly look at headlines from the world of adaptive reuse. Subscribe for a monthly newsletter to your inbox.

‘We’ll invest £1.4billion in heritage and communities over the next three years’
The Heritage Fund UK has released its new delivery plan for 2026-2029 outlining the next steps to achieving an ambitious 10-year vision for the UK’s heritage.
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) has shared its sixth annual Impact Report
Building on the Evaluation Framework introduced in 2024, the new Report details the Outcomes and Impacts of the AHF’s work over the past year, demonstrating the difference they are making for heritage-regeneration projects and communities across the UK. Read the 2025/26 Report HERE
Holbeck Viaduct feasibility study ready to progress
The Railway Heritage Trust has awarded a grant towards a feasibility study to progress the community led Holbeck Viaduct greenway project in Leeds, UK.
Green and Blue Infrastructure Design Guidance, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (WWCT)
New guidance from the WWCT that provides guidance for designers to help grasp the opportunity to integrate blue and green infrastructure within active travel networks.
Historic England, Heritage Investment Prospectus
The Heritage Investment Prospectus showcases historic sites and buildings across England where owners are actively seeking investment partners or buyers right now. Check out the 2026 prospectus

The Bentway (Toronto) - A new report outlining the positive role public space can play in combating loneliness?
What role can public space design and programming play in fostering connection and combating loneliness? A new report released by The Bentway with partners Gehl (New York) and researchers from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (U of T) reveals the essential role public spaces play in fostering mental health and social connections - and benefit. Great work.
Re-use Italy are running two competitions on the reimagining of two iconic Italian buildings:
- The Convent - Among the mountains of Abruzzo, in central Italy, lie the ruins of the Convent of Santa Maria di Cartignano. Over 1,000 years old the community are looking for a new use.
- The Theatre - The Roman Theatre of Falerio Picenus, Falerone, rises on the flat alluvial plains of central Marche, along the left bank of the Tenna river. Can the theatre be brought back into use whilst respecting the historic fabric?

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