Derby City Centre Public Realm Strategy

The University of Derby and Designing Dialogue CIC worked in collaboration with Derby City Council and Planit to develop a new Public Realm Strategy to reimagine the city centre’s public spaces. The project ran from May 2025 to February 2026.

Derby City Council, in collaboration with Planit and the University of Derby, developed a new Public Realm Strategy to reimagine the city centre’s public spaces. The initiative aimed to create a vibrant, inclusive, and connected urban environment that reflects the needs and aspirations of Derby’s residents, businesses, and visitors.

A series of workshops were hosted at venues which explored people’s experiences of Derby City Centre, how they moved through it, and how they felt about its spaces. Each session includes key questions, visual presentations, and mapping activities.

Five workshops were held across Derby:

Artcore Gallery - 17 October, 2025
Cavendish Building - 10 November,2025
The County Ground - 18 November, 2025
Sinfin Community Centre - 18 November, 2025
Pride Park Corolla Lounge - 25 November,2025

Through the workshops 236 members of the public were engaged, sharing recommendations that strongly support a greener, safer, more connected, and more humane city centre.

This helped to introduce a framework of thematic routes designed to stitch together the city’s existing urban fabric. These routes build on Derby’s strengths, address its current challenges, and highlight opportunities for improvement. Inspired by the city’s heritage of making and innovation, the strategy uses SILK threads: connectivity, inclusivity, biodiversity, and cultural celebration to guide future design thinking.

The strategy design culminated in a public installation on Saturday 10 January 2026 at Derbion. The installation brought the strategy to life in an accessible, interactive format for the public.

The installation showcased:

Key priority locations identified through earlier consultation
The SILK threads that underpin the strategy.
Previous examples of work by Planit.
A dedicated feedback station, allowing visitors to share insights, concerns, and aspirations for Derby’s public spaces.

To make the experience family‑friendly and hands‑on, children and adults were invited to build their own LEGO pieces representing Derby and place them onto a giant map of the city. This playful activity encouraged people of all ages to think about how they move through Derby, what they value, and what they would like to see improved.

Five people stand in front of a wooden structure with a

Find out more:
S.H.E.D pop up: Help shape the future of Derby city centre’s public spaces – Derby City Council

Public Consultation: Have your say on how the city’s public spaces could look in the future – Derby City Council