Parliaments are both spaces and places. As spaces, they are collections of rooms, halls, offices and grounds that are used for particular purposes. As places, they mean something to the people they represent – but they don’t mean the same thing, or as much, to everyone, and increasingly people hold negative feelings towards parliaments.

This Guide explores the idea of parliaments as spaces and places and provides guidance for staff and Members of Parliament on using spaces to develop citizens’ understanding and positive associations towards their parliament as a place. We use a wide range of examples from parliaments across the world to demonstrate how this can be done.

This publication was developed by the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN), in partnership with Inter Pares. It was produced with the financial support of the European Union as part of the Inter Pares I Parliaments in Partnership project, implemented by International IDEA. Its contents are the sole responsibility of International IDEA and IPEN and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Explore the full suite of Citizen Engagement Guides for actionable tips and inspiration to strengthen your parliament's engagement with the public on the Inter Pares page. Click for more information.