Yidi He

This project explores how overlooked alleys along Forres High Street can be reactivated as small-scale spaces for everyday public life.

Although the High Street remains an important centre of the town, much of its activity is still closely connected to shopping and essential daily tasks. After many shops close in the late afternoon, opportunities to stay, meet, exchange and participate in non-commercial activities become limited. Through site observation, interviews and community research, I found that the main issue is not simply a lack of people, but a lack of spaces and opportunities that support everyday public life.

Rather than introducing a large-scale intervention, the project focuses on the existing alleys as underdetermined spaces with unrealised social potential. Their small scale, close relationship with the High Street and existing pedestrian movement allow them to become a network of informal community spaces.

The final proposal, Living Tree, is a wall-based public installation that combines seating, lighting, display, exchange and community participation. It invites local people not only to pass through the alley, but also to stop, sit, leave objects or stories, and gradually contribute to the space over time.

Through this intervention, the project aims to reconnect the overlooked alleys with the everyday life of the High Street and explore how small, participatory design can create more opportunities for staying, interaction and community connection.