Publica
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Click on the image carousel below to view 12 key projects of the year.

MARBLE ARCH

Our vision for Marble Arch is to create a new civic space at the scale of Trafalgar Square. Working closely with The Portman Estate, and key partners to reposition the Inner Ring Road, reunite Oxford Street with Hyde Park and restore the Arch’s historic position as the Park’s grand entrance.

(Image credit: Historic England)

RIGHT TO THE CITY

Right to the City is a major Publica CIC initiative that empowered 328 women, girls, and non-binary people to reimagine the City of London as a more inclusive, accessible and joyful place through a series artist-led workshops and a Youth Design Challenge.  

The project established a network of 41 partnerships across the Square Mile, bringing together organisations including the City of London Police, the City of London Crime Prevention Association, the NLA, the Eastern City BID and the Barbican. 

(Image credit: Anna-Rose McChesney)

DRAYCOTT AVENUE

Draycott Avenue has been completely redesigned. Formerly a vehicular carriageway, it is now fully pedestrianised, providing a lively and inviting setting for the neighbourhood and its local businesses with new Yorkstone paving, tree planting, and flexible places to rest. 

(Image credit: Edward Bishop) 

SOHO HERITAGE AUDIT

The Soho Heritage Audit is now freely accessible through an online interactive map. Publica and urban design professor Bahar Durmaz-Drinkwater documented the locations and historic details of almost 700 unique heritage assets across Soho.

OXFORD STREET

City Hall has appointed Publica as part of an innovative design team led by East, to design and deliver the Mayor of London’s transformative and ambitious plans to regenerate Oxford Street.  

Quote by Virginia Woolf from Virginia Woolf in the City: Oxford Street Tide featured in Publica’s report A Vision for the Oxford Street District, 2016.  

(Image credit: Getty Images) 

DESIGNING SAFETY, BUILDING BELONGING

Publica and CHANGE (City Hub and Network for Gender Equity) addressed gender-based urban design and infrastructure in Bogotá, Louisville and Stockholm – part of CHANGE’s network of 17 cities advancing the rights of women, girls and non-binary people. Our work enabled city leaders and built environment professionals in designing places where everyone feels they belong. 

 

In 2026, Publica CIC will continue this work in the UK and internationally, starting with Manchester.  

COVENTRY EVENING AND NIGHTTIME STRATEGY

Publica is developing an evening and night time strategy with Coventry City Council to reinvigorate the city centre’s night time economy and cultural life.  

(The Locarno, 1966. Image credit: Coventry Telegraph)

HARLEY STREET BID AREA MASTERPLAN

The Harley Street BID Area Masterplan is a key milestone in realising a vision for the future of the Harley Street district. It sets a long-term vision to shape a more characterful, climate-resilient and active environment through four area-wide strategies and a series of public realm proposals to celebrate the inherent elegance and character of the neighbourhood.

BANKSIDE HOUSE REDEVELOPMENT

Publica, led by Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson, have helped shape the design of the ambitious Bankside House redevelopment for the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).  

Publica developed extensive landscape and public realm proposals that contribute to the urban life of Bankside and complement LSE’s ambition to create a best-in-class student residence, as part of a female-led design team. 

(Image credit: Jeudi Wang)

ELIZABETH STREET

Publica is revitalising 8 streets across Mayfair and Belgravia, supporting Grosvenor in developing a long-term vision for the future of its historic London estate.  

On Elizabeth Street, we have introduced widened footways, pollinator-friendly planting, integrated lighting, and bespoke planters, transforming the area into a greener and more pedestrian-focused civic space.

CUSTOM HOUSE

Plans to restore and convert Custom House into a new hotel have been unanimously approved the City of London Corporation. Our public realm and cultural placemaking strategy will facilitate the site’s redevelopment into an inviting and cultural visitor destination, unlocking 160m of previously inaccessible stretch of the Thames Path.

WALTHAMSTOW CENTRAL CULTURAL QUARTER

This year, we installed new theatrical lighting interventions in Walthamstow to create a welcoming and intuitive journey through the area’s cultural venues by day and after dark, supporting cultural wayfinding and collaboration.

Publica

Places we’ve been working: Barcelona, Bogotá, Dublin, Coventry, Clacton, London, Louisville, Manchester, Paris, Stockholm, UN Vienna.

Publica

The Public Realm and Green Infrastructure SPD, developed collaboratively with OPDC won multiple awards including the national RTPI Award for Excellence in Plan Making Practice and the Award for Plan-Making in the Planning Awards.

Our illustration, 24 Hours in Park Royal, designed as part of the SPD, was selected for the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition 2025. 

Our Public Realm Vision for the Eastern City was shortlisted in the Planning Awards 2025 in the Partnership Working category.  

Publica

From joining this year’s London Festival of Architecture, to presenting at the House of Lords, the Publica team have been sharing their expertise on urban design, research and inclusive cities on many incredible panels, summits, walks, talks and tours.

Publica

We are happy to welcome three new members to our team: Rose McCourt as Operations Director, Palak Mehta as Urban Designer, and Tunde Oyebode as Urban Designer.  

We were so lucky to have James Lee join us as Director of CIC: Access and Inclusion whilst Ellie was on parental leave.  

We’re delighted to welcome two new babies into the world – one to Ellie and her partner, and another to Irene and her partner.

Lucy launched Cartwheel for a Cure, a national campaign raising funding for vital research into kinder, more effective treatments for Leukaemia. She has so far raised £65,000. Join the movement and share your cartwheel #cartwheelforacure.

We’ve spent the last decade and a half walking the streets of all of London’s boroughs and many cities and regions across the UK and the world – listening, observing, documenting and transforming the public realm in all its complexity.

 

From our very first built project on Marylebone Lane to our recent work supporting the Mayor of London's Oxford Street regeneration plans, we've helped shape new landscapes, supported communities to thrive and learned endlessly from the neighbourhoods that make our cities.

 

As we look toward 2026, we’ve begun to reflect on where we’ve been – and where we’re going next. Early next year, we’ll be launching a brand-new website, drawing from our archives to share unseen images, rigorous research, and new stories from fifteen years of practice.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FRIENDS, COLLABORATORS AND SUPPORTERS WHO HAVE HELPED SHAPE PUBLICA'S WORK THIS YEAR.

 

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OUR NEW WEBSITE IN 2026!

Click on the image carousel below to view 12 key projects of the year.

MARBLE ARCH

Our vision for Marble Arch is to create a new civic space at the scale of Trafalgar Square. Working closely with The Portman Estate, and key partners to reposition the Inner Ring Road, reunite Oxford Street with Hyde Park and restore the Arch’s historic position as the Park’s grand entrance.

(Image credit: Historic England)

RIGHT TO THE CITY

Right to the City is a major Publica CIC initiative that empowered 328 women, girls, and non-binary people to reimagine the City of London as a more inclusive, accessible and joyful place through a series artist-led workshops and a Youth Design Challenge.  

The project established a network of 41 partnerships across the Square Mile, bringing together organisations including the City of London Police, the City of London Crime Prevention Association, the NLA, the Eastern City BID and the Barbican. 

(Image credit: Anna-Rose McChesney)

DRAYCOTT AVENUE

Draycott Avenue has been completely redesigned. Formerly a vehicular carriageway, it is now fully pedestrianised, providing a lively and inviting setting for the neighbourhood and its local businesses with new Yorkstone paving, tree planting, and flexible places to rest. 

(Image credit: Edward Bishop) 

SOHO HERITAGE AUDIT

The Soho Heritage Audit is now freely accessible through an online interactive map. Publica and urban design professor Bahar Durmaz-Drinkwater documented the locations and historic details of almost 700 unique heritage assets across Soho.

OXFORD STREET

City Hall has appointed Publica as part of an innovative design team led by East, to design and deliver the Mayor of London’s transformative and ambitious plans to regenerate Oxford Street.  

Quote by Virginia Woolf from Virginia Woolf in the City: Oxford Street Tide featured in Publica’s report A Vision for the Oxford Street District, 2016.  

(Image credit: Getty Images) 

DESIGNING SAFETY, BUILDING BELONGING

Publica and CHANGE (City Hub and Network for Gender Equity) addressed gender-based urban design and infrastructure in Bogotá, Louisville and Stockholm – part of CHANGE’s network of 17 cities advancing the rights of women, girls and non-binary people. Our work enabled city leaders and built environment professionals in designing places where everyone feels they belong. 

 

In 2026, Publica CIC will continue this work in the UK and internationally, starting with Manchester.  

COVENTRY EVENING AND NIGHTTIME STRATEGY

Publica is developing an evening and night time strategy with Coventry City Council to reinvigorate the city centre’s night time economy and cultural life.  

(The Locarno, 1966. Image credit: Coventry Telegraph)

HARLEY STREET BID AREA MASTERPLAN

The Harley Street BID Area Masterplan is a key milestone in realising a vision for the future of the Harley Street district. It sets a long-term vision to shape a more characterful, climate-resilient and active environment through four area-wide strategies and a series of public realm proposals to celebrate the inherent elegance and character of the neighbourhood.

BANKSIDE HOUSE REDEVELOPMENT

Publica, led by Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson, have helped shape the design of the ambitious Bankside House redevelopment for the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).  

Publica developed extensive landscape and public realm proposals that contribute to the urban life of Bankside and complement LSE’s ambition to create a best-in-class student residence, as part of a female-led design team. 

(Image credit: Jeudi Wang)

ELIZABETH STREET

Publica is revitalising 8 streets across Mayfair and Belgravia, supporting Grosvenor in developing a long-term vision for the future of its historic London estate.  

On Elizabeth Street, we have introduced widened footways, pollinator-friendly planting, integrated lighting, and bespoke planters, transforming the area into a greener and more pedestrian-focused civic space.

CUSTOM HOUSE

Plans to restore and convert Custom House into a new hotel have been unanimously approved the City of London Corporation. Our public realm and cultural placemaking strategy will facilitate the site’s redevelopment into an inviting and cultural visitor destination, unlocking 160m of previously inaccessible stretch of the Thames Path.

WALTHAMSTOW CENTRAL CULTURAL QUARTER

This year, we installed new theatrical lighting interventions in Walthamstow to create a welcoming and intuitive journey through the area’s cultural venues by day and after dark, supporting cultural wayfinding and collaboration.

Publica

Places we’ve been working: Barcelona, Bogotá, Dublin, Coventry, Clacton, London, Louisville, Manchester, Paris, Stockholm, UN Vienna.

Publica

The Public Realm and Green Infrastructure SPD, developed collaboratively with OPDC, won numerous awards including the national RTPI Award for Excellence in Plan Making Practice and the Award for Plan-Making in the Planning Awards.  

Our illustration, 24 Hours in Park Royal, designed as part of the SPD, was selected for the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition 2025.

Our Public Realm Vision for the Eastern City was shortlisted in the Planning Awards 2025 in the Partnership Working category.  

Publica

From joining this year’s London Festival of Architecture, to presenting at the House of Lords, the Publica team have been sharing their expertise on urban design, research and inclusive cities on many incredible panels, summits, walks, talks and tours.

Publica

We are happy to welcome three new members to our team: Rose McCourt as Operations Director, Palak Mehta as Urban Designer, and Tunde Oyebode as Urban Designer.  

We were so lucky to have James Lee join us as Director of CIC: Access and Inclusion whilst Ellie was on parental leave.  

We’re delighted to welcome two new babies into the world – one to Ellie and her partner, and another to Irene and her partner.

Lucy launched Cartwheel for a Cure, a national campaign raising funding for vital research into kinder, more effective treatments for Leukaemia. She has so far raised £65,000. Join the movement and share your cartwheel #cartwheelforacure 

We’ve spent the last decade and a half walking the streets of 22 London boroughs and 14 cities across the UK and internationally – listening, observing, documenting and transforming the public realm in all its complexity. 

From our very first built project on Marylebone Lane to our recent work supporting the Mayor of London's Oxford Street regeneration plans, we've helped shape new landscapes, supported communities to thrive and learned endlessly from the neighbourhoods that make our cities.

As we look toward 2026, we’ve begun to reflect on where we’ve been – and where we’re going next. Early next year, we’ll be launching a brand-new website, drawing from our archives to share unseen images, rigorous research, and new stories from fifteen years of practice.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FRIENDS, COLLABORATORS AND SUPPORTERS WHO HAVE HELPED SHAPE PUBLICA'S WORK THIS YEAR.

 

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OUR NEW WEBSITE IN 2026!