Peter Heath, Atkins Public Realm Design Director, an architect and town planner, has identified the importance of transforming the quality of public and publicly accessible private spaces, landscapes, townscapes and a focus on public highways (footways and carriageways), throughout a 30 year career.

At the start of the pandemic, he was invited to join a team contributing to the formal design guidance and ideas to aid social distancing and related means of optimising a better balance of space allocation between vehicles and walking in urban areas, parks and gardens. His past experience on delivered landmark London projects, such as the World Squares For All Masterplan and its 3 phases of implementation from Trafalgar Square southwards, as well as the need to integrate crowded place security measures, with public realm improvements. This has helped and expanded the design scope of future London initiatives with successful public realm partnership public and private clients and funding of projects as demonstrated by The Atkins implemented 2020 Vision work for the Crown Estate, from Oxford Circus and Victoria Street Diagonal Crossings, the length of Regent Street and its side streets, to Waterloo Place and the restoration of two way traffic system with improved footway widths and crossing benefits, across the whole of historic St. James’s. 

The challenges post pandemic remain across the route networks and the fabric of much of historic and suburban London. Raised priority has been recognised for more increases in quality open space, for safe use, health and well-being, better air quality, sustainable drainage and solutions to flood risks. Trials of E-Scooters and Bikes, together with active travel walking and cycling, are also in a race for limited public highway space which, has seen the growth of on-street equipment and hubs, for electric vehicle, residential, commercial and ever more rapid charging needs. Home to office travel and working, balance has changed, but now highlights the limitations of the growth of reliable digital infrastructure, again a competitor in the allocation of public highways spaces as quality public realm places, at ground level, below and above.