Elephant & Castle

"Our first project was to famously paint it pink"

The Elephant and Castle is a 1960's shopping centre which was struggling to make an impact following the recession of the 1980's. In 1992 Urban Space Management was asked to add life back to the UK's first shopping centre and our first project was to famously paint it pink. The changes were not just cosmetic; smart new entrances, cleaner and safer walkways, new signage, coupled with new low-budget community based promotion was initiated; and in the unprepossessing lower “moat” a vibrant street market transformed the scene.

The centre rapidly filled with traders, and USM achieved 100% occupation for the first time; customers were up by 25% in the first year alone. Now, nearly 40 years on, the centre is at last the busy local resource its designers intended. To ensure that the most is made of this situation, USM redesigned and reorganised the market space and improved the general look by implementing a new signage scheme and stair access, installing manufactured covered canopies and walkways and provided a new food court area and storage too. USM continue to manage the market