Vacant car parks, dwindling crowds, anchor stores closing their doors for good and replaced by cheap and not-so-cheerful discount stores. It’s a scene that has become all too familiar in shopping centres across the UK, and has fuelled a debate over a so-called retail apocalypse. As consumer behaviour becomes more influenced…

The concept of shared, culturally significant spaces is as old as time itself. The ancient Greeks had agora, the Romans had forums, and medieval cities had bustling squares for trading. Since then, the relationships between people and place has been rethought multiple times. Now, with the rise of technology as…

January’s Let’s Get Real 2019 Conference saw speakers from across the arts and cultural heritage sector converge to discuss the intersection of digital practice and social purpose at London’s Wellcome Trust. The event demonstrated the power of digital practice for driving social change – including ‘changes to our identity, our wellbeing,…

“The quality of spaces between buildings is now as important to us as the quality of the buildings themselves.” – City of London Corporation, 2015 Well-considered, attractive and useful public spaces can increase investment, property values, revenue, livelihood opportunities and much more. But how can developers and local authorities make the…

Much has been made of the so-called ‘death of the high street’ and some of the blame often falls at the feet of digital technology. This is understandable as online and app-based retail has driven a change in consumer behaviour – shopping from the comfort of our own homes is…