This paper addresses the changing leadership task associated with a new agenda about the leadership of place. The shifting development context for cities and regions -including the emergence of the creative city and the knowledge-based region -places a renewed emphasis on the importance of interdisciplinary processes that stimulate the creation and the exploitation of knowledge. Consequently there is a requirement for an approach to the leadership of processes of collaborative learning and 'associational' working. There is, however, a general lack of alignment of the literature on leadership, place-shaping and the stimulation of the knowledgebased economy. This article refers to the existing leadership literature and draws upon research related to economic development policy to initiate a discussion about the new leadership of place. It presents a rationale and outlines an initial argument for a more comprehensive approach to the leadership of place that takes account of the paradigm shift occurring in urban and regional studies.