Britain’s high streets are in crisis. This year alone has seen a number of retailers falling casualty to the perfect storm of business rates, wage inflation, and a change in consumer trends.

With the government recently launching its inquiry into “High streets and town centres in 2030,” Gensler London kicked off this season’s Off Base event series with “Hacking the High Street,” which examined how we give our high streets a purpose, making them the center of the community again.

In this video, “Hacking the Department Store,” Owain Roberts, a Gensler Design Director based in London, explains what changes need to be made to ensure high street department stores contribute to the local economy and the health, well-being, cohesion, and cultural life of communities. “The ambition is to fill these large, empty spaces with activation and engagement that is itself a microcosm of the high street, and one that can become a vibrant center of community in its own right,” Roberts says.

Owain Roberts is a Design Director and Senior Associate in Gensler’s London office.