How might designing for hope inform decisions about the way we plan, develop and manage towns and cities? And what might the impact be for the people living in these places?

A dispatch from the 2025 Liberal Democrat Conference

From the award-winning riverside park to the smalls acts of tactical urbanism like street art, pedestrianised streets and public spaces, support for small businesses to ambitious investments in spaces for innovation, Detroit's local government, private sector and communities are building a new shared narrative which gathers the best bits of the past and tells a hopeful, inclusive story about the city's future.

Following more than a decade of top-down policies, austerity and underinvestment by the centre, a simple truth is dawning on local leaders: Whitehall is not coming to save them.

In a period of profound change nationally and globally, where can place leaders turn for guidance on how to navigate the new landscape and deliver for their communities?

Getting started is about agility and working around obstacles. Scaling is about facing those obstacles head-on.

Reflections on catalysing change in complex environments

The transformative power of collaborative governance, strategic public procurement, and place-based impact investment to drive local renewal and prosperity amidst economic and social challenges.