Hoxton Street is a key neighbourhood centre surrounded by mostly Council owned housing estates. Its identity is closely linked with the presence of London’s oldest street market and the many third sector and cultural organisations that call the area their home.

Root And Erect were appointed to lead an engagement and co- design process to establish a shared vision and project pipeline for the future of Hoxton’s public realm and social infrastructure. Working closely with the London Borough of Hackney, local residents, businesses and cultural organisations, the project identified six guiding principles that underpinned a successful funding bid to the Mayor of London’s Civic Partnership Programme, to transform Hoxton’s public spaces, green areas and cultural frontages. The strategy was shaped through focus groups and workshops hosted at Hoxton Hall and Ivy Street Family Centre, where participants collectively imagined how they’d like Hoxton to be described in the future. The outcomes directly informed a framework for near-term improvements and long-term change, aiming to foster wellbeing, improve connectivity and reduce social isolation. One of the key ambitions is to enhance East-West movement across the neighbourhood, particularly between Hoxton Street and key community hubs such as Shoreditch Library, Hoxton Hall, and The Hoxton Trust.

The Hoxton Mini-Fair in April 2024 offered an important moment to test ideas with the wider public and celebrate local identity. Organised as part of the regular Saturday market, the event featured a showcase of co-designed project proposals, public voting, and a tote bag screen-printing workshop led by students from New City College.

Over the coming months, a series of Phase 1 projects will be delivered to trial small-scale improvements to public spaces around Hoxton Street Market and within local estates. These early interventions will inform the development of larger capital works and include new green infrastructure, increased biodiversity, and enhanced public realm adjacent to key cultural landmarks. The process remains deeply collaborative, with a new programme of community design sessions planned for autumn 2025. ‘Connecting Hoxton’ represents a long-term investment in place, process and people - bringing together physical improvements with a strengthened sense of belonging, identity and civic life.