Reimagining Croydon

As part of The Croydon Project’s ongoing programme of community engagement, Publica led a Women, Girls and Non-Binary People’s Safety Walk and Workshop exploring experiences of Croydon town centre during the day and after dark. NextGen Panel member Zahra Kamran joined the session and shares her reflections below on how Croydon’s public spaces could become safer and more welcoming.

Building Spaces for Safety, Community and Connection

What makes a public space feel welcoming and inviting? This was the question at the heart of Publica’s workshop on public safety for The Croydon Project.

Publica is a research and urban design practice. The workshop explored how thoughtful changes could make public spaces safer, more welcoming and accessible to more people.

We began by discussing our initial perceptions of the area, making me realise how small design choices can dramatically shape how a place feels.

Green spaces, good lighting and well-maintained planting were seen as welcoming features, provided they did not obstruct visibility. One phrase from the discussion stayed with me throughout the evening: people need to “see and be seen.” That simple principle reappeared repeatedly during the walk.

Armed with red and green tags, we documented positive and negative aspects of North End and Wellesley Road.  Examining familiar streets so closely made me notice subtle details that had always influenced my experience without me consciously recognising them

Before the workshop, I had rarely noticed details such as the stained paving, despite their impact on the atmosphere.  It also made me realise that poorly maintained public spaces can discourage people from taking pride in them. As someone in the group remarked, once litter has accumulated, “what’s one more cigarette butt?”

Another aspect that stood out to me and others was the balance between open and enclosed spaces. Leading off the high street were small, nondescript alleyways with restricted views and no indication of where they led, creating a sense of unease through uncertainty. At the other extreme, the large, unutilised spaces along Wellesley Road felt equally uncomfortable, leaving you feeling exposed. The experience showed that both overly enclosed and overly open spaces can make people feel unsafe when they lack a clear purpose or visibility.

We concluded there is no universal balance. Factors such as lighting, purpose and expected footfall all influence what feels safe and welcoming.

What stayed with me most was Croydon’s architecture. Above the shop fronts were intricate historic buildings that tell the town’s story; one participant even remarked that parts felt almost Parisian. It seemed a missed opportunity that this heritage remains hidden when it could make the high street a destination in itself.

Ultimately, the workshop highlighted that creating welcoming public spaces is not about a single intervention, but about carefully combining many small decisions: visibility, maintenance, heritage, greenery and opportunities for people to gather. These details shape not only how a place looks, but how people feel within it.

To learn more about the NextGen Panel click here.