What should a regenerated New Town look and feel like? How do you preserve its unique character at the same time as making it fit for 21st century businesses, visitors and residents? And how do you guide a diverse group of investors, residents, councillors and businesses through the turbulence caused by the global financial crisis?
As regeneration lead, these were the pressing questions that I grappled with over the 17-year period of the development of Bracknell town centre. But short of making a grand tour of regeneration schemes across Europe (and at a busy local authority there just wasn't the resource) – there were few places to turn for guidance.
