Client: Stratford Regeneration Partnership 

Project: Stratford Olympic Legacy Night-Time Economy Study

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What were MAKE asked to do?

Stratford (not the Shakespearean one in Warwickshire, the Cockney one), was host to the 2012 Olympic Games. Albeit you’d hardly know it from the town centre which was almost completely bypassed when it came to the investment. MAKE and our associates were asked to create an after dark masterplan that would help the town centre capture the renewed interest in the area and attract a more diverse crowd.

How did MAKE do it?

  • We analysed the after dark raw ingredients (they were not promising, but the town is busy and there’s not a vacant daytime unit in the shopping centre). Footfall is good, at least before nightfall.

  • We analysed the ‘after dark’ land uses and built a picture of what could possibly be brought into use.

  • MAKE pulled in the contributions of our economics and town centre management gurus to measure the night-time economy, assess the town’s competitors and identify the opportunities that the huge investment nearby might offer Stratford.

  • We put on our urbanist hats and appraised the physical realm, wayfinding and lighting. It needed work!

  • We engaged with local organisations that might be the catalyst to bridging the gap between day and night. We included some great ideas for twilight animation from the legendary Theatre Royal and Stratford Circus (London’s only circus school). 

What happened next?

We identified that the council had the greatest opportunities to affect change. We made recommendations for a business improvement district, to extend the ‘Legible London’ wayfinding strategy further into the town centre. The flagship projects were to create a multi-use arts centre in a huge old nightclub and to bring a world-class museum to one of the opportunity sites in the town. The V&A, Smithsonian and Sadlers Wells have all committed to Stratford. Unfortunately, they are in the Olympic Park not the town centre. We think this was a missed opportunity for Newham.

What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?

Given our involvement in live music, arts and the London street food scene we identified low cost, low barrier evening ‘animation’ projects that could act as quick wins to build support for the medium and long-term recommendations.