Exploring the significance of local mixed streets

Local mixed streets have been part of the urban fabric as long as cities have existed. They contain retail, services, production, leisure and residential uses. They host a series of different cultures, activities and identities. Despite the car and retail led redevelopment of the last half century, they are still a significant part of urban everyday life across the world. However, even though they are valuable spaces, many of these streets have succumbed to generic and commercial urban regeneration. Some have been built upon, others privatised, and more generally their local, organic, gradual and piecemeal condition has been replaced by large franchised development, less diverse and less local. This paper intends to illustrate how the StreetSpace project aims to enhance and deepen the understanding of local mixed streets through an engaged practice of analysis and design.