What if Londoners were happier, safer and more connected because we designated London’s high streets as social and ecological spaces, rather than spaces for commerce and transaction?
London has more than 600 high streets and town centres with an enormous diversity of size, activities, catchments, and roles in the city’s economy.
High Streets are the places where most Londoners engage with the economy; at their best, they reflect their local population and are the most visible representation of London’s distinctive neighbourhoods.
They have a long history of providing the services, access to culture and social connection. For many, they are the places where they will realise the benefits of the social foundations identified in Doughnut Economics.
High Streets are, however, often places of deficit in terms of nature and ecology. They are also the places where we individually and collectively make many of our consumer choices, decisions which can have significant positive and negative impacts on the lives of people and on the planet as a whole.
We argue that deliberate focus on social and ecological factors can provide balance, helping us make better individual and collective decisions. To respond to this, we're building a toolkit rooted in Doughnut Economics that empowers communities to define and measure high street and neighbourhood success on their own terms.
We believe that by focusing on the right basic information, we can enable ourselves to fundamentally change our city’s economy, one high street at a time.
This project is evolving; you can read our work in progress here.
