YOU&ME were appointed by Croydon Council to work on extensive improvement works in Thornton Heath Town Centre. Works included 30 high street shop improvements, high level building frontage refurbishments, welcome graphics and mural artworks. The project was delivered in parallel with public realm improvements and is one of Croydon Council’s 16 places Regeneration Initiatives. YOU&ME acted as lead consultants on the project working alongside community engagement experts Daisy Froud (formerly AOC Participation) and Public Archeologist James Dixon to develop a cohesive design strategy which reflects the area’s social and built heritage, the special characteristics of Thornton Heath’s suburban form and its ‘hidden’ heritage as well as its diverse ethnic mix. Local artists were appointed to develop designs inspired by community engagement creative workshop outputs. YOU&ME’s initial audit and scoping report identified the arrival experience as a key area of focus, with welcome graphics and station shop improvements. A strategy of clustering of shops and focusing on parades of architectural merit has been adopted to maximise impact.