In Europe we're used to seeing people strolling down the prom (‘promenading’) and likely do so on holiday ourselves.However, when we are out and about sometimes see public realm schemes that look good but there's nobody using them so it was great to see a...
In November, we headed to Sheffield for a tour with Place Collective UK to learn more about the changes taking place across the city.We started at Park Hill with a tour from developer Urban Splash. It’s been nearly 20 years since Urban Splash got involved...
Contesting Public Spaces: Social Lives of Urban Redevelopment in London. Ed Wall, Routledge (2022)Contesting Public Spaces considers public spaces in London - how it evolved, how it's used and how its context changes when large scale regeneration happen, often under a masterplan. Using three key...
Recently, we headed out to Thamesmead, London’s New Town. The part visited on the tour was in the borough of Bexley and the new Abbey Wood Elizabeth Line station has brought it much closer to central London. Billed as the ‘Town of Tomorrow’ when it was...
During the summer as meetings reduced we decided to use the quieter weeks to get out and about. Calling it meeting-free Fridays we managed to keep to it over five weeks during the summer, moving existing meetings to phone calls or keeping the day clear....
We met John Macaulay and Sophie Macaulay, the team behind GRIT Studios in Stockport and founders of Art Battle Manchester.They shared what has made Art Battle successful and how they have worked with local authorities and developers to take over empty spaces in town centres...
Street Food: Hawkers and the History of London (Oxford University Press) by Charlie Taverner. Street Food traces the history of London’s street traders starting from the sixteenth century and bringing things bang up to date with the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns. It takes us through...
We recently visited Woolwich for the first time, an area with a long history and importance to London. A walk with The London Society explored the municipal architecture of the town centre, it took in all styles of architecture and streetscapes from Victorian and Georgian to art deco...
We´ve been working on High Street Task Force projects recently across England where the evening economy has come up in discussions.This includes a town centre we were supporting with a new vision and visual identity, where the discussion turned to the evening economy and the...
The Fabric District CIC is working to develop the area a few minutes walk away from Lime Street station in Liverpool. It is home to historic buildings, indie businesses with a growing hospitality and creative sector and an international food offer.Its neighbours include University of Liverpool, The...