Extending the insightful conversations from our new podcast for urbanists, The Blueprint by Ballymore: Celebrating Mill Harbour, a new urban village, the Design Cube welcomed chair, Becky Sunshine, and prominent broadcaster and true advocate of the high street, Mary Portas, to explore why we need to put connection, creativity and collaboration at the heart of our community – and how to build these into our neighbourhoods, new and old.

Together, they explored the rise of consumerism and how we’ve lost sight of the community and connection vital to the way we live – yet how the last few months has shown many the importance of true connection, whether it’s with other people, brands or a wider neighbourhood network. 
 
Looking ahead, Mary highlights the need to focus on what feeds the needs of people living, working or visiting a neighbourhood. Restaurants, shops and councils are now rethinking how they use their spaces – so expect to see people experimenting, experiencing and playing, with places becoming more multifunctional, focused around connection and genuine wellbeing.