What Paisley means to me: an exploration of the meaning of place

Paisley is rich in history, culture and heritage. With much of the industry that contributed to its success gone and out of town shopping centres resulting in a deserted high street there is a need for regeneration. Consequently it has bid to become UK City of Culture 2021 and has launched a series of initiatives under the Paisley 2021 banner. The bid champions landmarks of historical significance and celebrates the textile heritage of the Paisley Pattern and Shawl. It has received enthusiastic support from the business and cultural community - but what about the local residents?

This research aims to explore what Paisley means to local residents, it aims to capture their viewpoint of their home town through the rank ordering of photographic images. Studies show that destination marketing strategies often fail to capture the true essence and identity of the place as envisioned by those who live and work there. A purposive sample (n=20) covering a range of socio-demographic groupings based on age, gender, family life stage and employment will be invited to sort a range of images of the town to begin to understand what the town of Paisley means to them.

The q-sorts will be undertaken in face to face meetings where 35 photographs representing different landmarks and aspects of community life will be sorted on a +4/-4 forced distribution scale. The sessions will be tape recorded with participants encouraged to
discuss the images whilst sorting to capture as much context and background as possible.