The term place-shaping was defined by Sir Michael Lyons as ‘the creative use of powers and influence to promote the general well-being of a community and its citizens', and became a key theme in the 2006 Local Government White Paper. The Department's interpretation of this concept is set out in the Statutory Guidance - Creating strong, safe and prosperous communities which can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/strongsafeprosperous