Over the last few months, covid-19 has had unparalleled effects on nearly all aspects of how we carry out our lives. Day-to-day routines have been upended, resulting in new emerging patterns of how we work, occupy public space, and live in our homes. There is no doubt that the pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the once thriving UK retail and hospitality sector, and the daily news of stores closing and of jobs lost makes for sobering reading.

Whilst many aspects of life have moved online, in my own neighbourhood I have seen somewhat of the opposite effect: a noticeable shift to people using the local spaces and shops on their doorsteps more than ever. With online food delivery slots saturated and large chain shops requiring hour-long queues, many are resorting to small high street and town centre shops, in contrast to the previously dominant narrative that local shopping has faded into obscurity.

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