Abstract

Given the economic shocks of the 1980s Sheffield’s resilience has been heroic, particularly its approach towards the public realm and creative industries. The Gold Route, Peace Gardens, Sheaf Square, Devonshire Place and Winter Gardens are together the greatest public space improvements of any city in the country. However this has not been without setback and mistake, such as the building of Meadowhall Shopping Centre and the demolitions of Don Valley Stadium and Castle Market. Part of the city’s success and problems are the result of historical circumstances, such as a distinctively hilly topography, its development from a socially mobile city of workshops, a relatively small commercial centre and its impressive postwar modernist achievements.