Welcome to the August 2012 issue of the Place Bulletin. With the London Olympics now been and gone, this month's Place Bulletin offers some alternative perspectives on 'Brand UK'. We also have rather a different view on being a Portas Pilot from Margate, who according to The Daily Mail, is a divided town, in terms for its support for the initiative. On a practical note, we collate some useful guides on neighbourhood planning. We also have the link and some early evaluation of the UK Police website, that links crimes to outcomes at a postcode level. Also, given the world's current interest in sport, we have a paradoxical piece from Adrian Davis at Bristol City Council summarising the global problem of physical inactivity - the failure to spend 15–30 min a day brisk walking (or cycling) increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes by 20–30%, and shortens lifespan by 3–5 years. And whilst the subject of our last story, Costa Rica, may not have done very well in the Olympic Medal table - it does come top in the Happy Planet Index, which measures life expectancy, experienced well-being and a country's ecological footprint.