The Our City Centre York project (previously named the My City Centre York project) aims to create a vision to sustain a thriving city centre that appeals to residents, businesses and visitors alike.
Creating an open community brief
We've undertaken a wide range of engagement with a wide range of residents, local businesses and advocacy groups using a comprehensive survey, social media engagement and targeted workshops, which began before the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, and restarted in May 2021, in line with government guidance.
The varied perspectives and results gathered will help us meet the social, economic and environmental needs of York and its communities.
My City Centre follows the successful approach to engagement developed through the My Castle Gateway; the ‘My’ approach places the public and other important voices at the heart of the process to answer some of the biggest challenges faces the city.
My City Centre York is an open conversation with a range of voices, including:
- businesses
- residents
- visitors
We'll use the conversation to shape a preferred 'strategic vision', which will be taken to the council’s Executive for approval.
This will follow 3 key principles:
- Build a brief (that’s what you are reading now)
- Use a variety of engagement tools to gain an understanding of a diverse range of people’s needs and ideas
- Make these ideas and differing perspectives visible
- Explore Challenges
- Cultivate an open public debate about complex issues
- Share and explain challenges, decisions and compromises throughout
- Make change together
- Build ongoing networks to retain involvement, as well as long term community influence in decision-making, design and delivery
The My City Centre York vision takes into account the impacts of COVID-19, which has increased the pace of change in some areas of our city, like the huge increase in online spending. The coronavirus pandemic also presented new challenges, including ongoing home or hybrid working, and the impact that has on daily footfall, as well as presenting exciting new opportunities.
This community brief summarises the varied views of York’s residents, communities of interest and local businesses.
Also see
Our City Centre York
Delivering a new vision for York’s city centre