ABSTRACT
Leicester Square and its surrounding side streets form one of the most intensely used urban spaces in Europe, with a weekly footfall of over two million people. Leicester Square is located within the heart of London’s West End and is the home of British cinema, staging over 50 film premieres every year as well as other major events such as Lumiere London and West End Live. The origins of Leicester Square and its connector streets can be traced back to the 1630s when the 2nd Earl of Leicester, Robert Sidney, built Leicester House on the north terrace of the square. The redesign of Leicester Square offered the opportunity to consider the garden, square and connector streets as one entity, to enable a coherent public realm to be achieved that captures and strengthens its identity within the West End. All nine streets leading to Leicester Square have been redesigned to achieve design consistency and uniformity throughout the city block.
