High streets

The image shows an unchanged view of Liverpool over the years yet the city and this area has changed enormously. The view is not about looking back but in considering how the old and new work together. Particularly post-Covid it’s not all about reinvention and...

UK Cities of Culture tripsThe UK City of Culture title is relatively new, with only two events having taken place so far. The first was Derry/Londonderry in 2013, a city I’ve visited, but not during their year of culture. In 2017, Hull had the accolade,...

The end of 2021 marked 10 years since I left my job, to set-up what is now known as The Assembly Line and what an interesting time it has been! With a few jobs in regeneration/place related roles throughout my career, I’d also spent several years...

With Christmas just literally a few days away, there have been many initiatives, campaigns and tactics used to drive people to shop local, but could it be easier? Especially now, as small businesses are more impacted by the new variant which is deterring people from...

Recently I’ve been exploring the North West and finding out about local projects in the larger towns and cities. So far, I’ve visited Lancaster, Bolton, Preston and Wigan (more soon on those) and there’s plenty more places to go! My first trip was to Lancaster, a...

Last year, when it looked like Covid-19 lockdowns were a thing of the past, we interviewed Damian Patchell, Markets Manager for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets as he prepared to reopen some of London’s most well-known markets including Petticoat Lane, Brick Lane, Roman Road and...

This month we've curated a series of events with Roland Karthaus of Matter Architecture for The London SocietyDiane, our director is a Trustee at The Society whose mission is to value the past whilst looking to the future.The 2021 programme is on the theme of...

Back in January 2019, our director, Diane embarked on an MSc in Place Management and Leadership with the Institute of Place Management based at Manchester Metropolitan University.Diane has now reached the final stage of the course which is the dissertation. This has been through various development...

England’s first lockdown saw most high streets and town centre’s physical stores close, which resulted in a huge increase in online shopping. Whilst lockdown 2 is lighter, there are still huge disparities between what is classed as essential and non-essential and markets vs shops with...

As a trustee at The London Society, we hosted a panel discussion last week on London’s high streets. We know that the lockdown has affected current patterns of working, shopping and eating out. Local high streets are reporting some recovery, but central areas are still seeing footfall...