Public Realm Innovation Initiative

High-quality public spaces have the potential to support economic growth, wellbeing and climate resilience. They attract investment, increase property values and deliver social benefits. However, more work is needed to unlock the full potential of public realm schemes; understand what interventions are most effective; and support the development of new solutions.   

Preliminary research conducted by the Catapult identified three key challenges faced by public realm schemes:  

• An insufficient evidence base to understand social and environmental outcomes, and inform investment decisions   

• Fragmented policies leading to delays and inconsistent outcomes across the country  

• A lack of meaningful community engagement that allows real influence and builds trust with communities  

Ultimately, these challenges contribute to uncertainty around investments and represent a significant barrier to the delivery of high-impact public realm schemes.    

The research revealed that these barriers extend beyond technology. However, technology remains a critical enabler. Digital tools can enhance engagement, data platforms can support evidence-based design and collaborative technologies can strengthen partnerships.  

The Catapult wants to establish a built environment ‘test and learn intervention’ that supports innovators with new ideas that could address these challenges and unlock the value of public spaces.   

From using data-driven tools to inform investment decisions, to leveraging digital platforms to enhance community engagement; and from developing adaptive infrastructure that responds to changing urban needs, to trailing greening strategies that make policy ambitions such as biodiversity net gain and climate resilience practical and deliverable. 

The Catapult is planning to make Innovate UK grant funding available to innovators as part of this initiative over the next twelve months and will be seeking an element of match funding from the partner(s) selected.   

What is a Test & Learn intervention? 

A Test & Learn intervention is a structured, evidence-based approach that enables organisations and end-users to trial innovative solutions in real-world settings. This process allows stakeholders to explore, refine, and validate new ideas before wider implementation, ensuring they are practical and scalable. 

To learn more about how the Catapult can collaborate with you and explore past innovation interventions case studies, please view our Test & Learn Innovation Interventions for Places deck.

Programme Opportunities 

The intention for the first year of the programme is to focus on the three challenges identified through the lens of health and wellbeing – which was found by researchers to be a key topic area for stakeholders in the built environment. Key lines of investigation could include:    

• How might we use evidence-based approaches to design, evaluate, and improve public spaces for measurable and investable health and wellbeing outcomes?  

• How might we foster collaboration among local stakeholders to balance competing priorities, fund, and co-create high-quality public spaces that deliver health and wellbeing benefits?  

• How might we create inclusive community engagement strategies that empower diverse voices, build trust in development, and ensure the sustainable maintenance of public spaces that support health and wellbeing?  

These opportunities stem from in-depth stakeholder interviews and market engagement to identify areas for innovation and highlight where current approaches are falling short. To learn more about our stakeholder research, please view our Market Research Summary deck. 

What to Expect 

The initiative will enable selected partners to work closely with Connected Places Catapult, local stakeholders and communities to design and implement a tailored Test & Learn intervention addressing local place-based challenges. 

We begin by helping partners define and assess their challenges, particularly those related to health and wellbeing, through research and stakeholder engagement. 

In parallel, we evaluate partners’ innovation ambitions and deployment capabilities to design a bespoke Test & Learn intervention. This includes scoping the intervention, defining governance, and establishing processes and ways of working. Next, the Catapult will support partners in co-designing solutions with local innovators and communities or connecting them with existing, innovative solutions that best address the identified challenges. 

We then support partners and local stakeholders in creating a safe space to trial new approaches, products and services while gathering evidence on their real-world impact. Finally, we assist in analysing the impact of trials and the overall Test & Learn intervention, identifying pathways for scaling solutions and sustaining innovation efforts.