Waltham Forest High Streets

We acted as the lead consultant to Waltham Forest for an extensive programme of public realm, shopfront and play space improvements in several streets and spaces in the Borough over several years. In order to deal sensitively with the variety of shopkeepers and their visual identities, we invented a program called ‘shopportunity’ — pairing each shop with a graphic designer or artist to develop the shop’s presence and identity, from budgets ranging from only £1,000–3,000 per establishment. East acted as a single point of contact for the client. At Wood Street Plaza, we tested ideas for new uses using 1:1 consultation activities to see what people liked. The outcome included play spaces for younger and older children located at the edges of the new piazza. The skyline of the city was replicated in play facades that helped improve the relationship between residential back gardens and the public space.