Dulwich Village

The Challenge

Dulwich Village was once traffic clogged with four lanes of traffic passing through an historical village environment. The area faced growing pressures related to safety, traffic, and the overall quality of its public realm. Rising congestion and increasing concerns around pedestrian safety revealed the need for a substantial redesign of the junction and streetscape areas.

The village also required better public spaces to support the high number of school pupils and increasing demand for active travel. Ageing streetscape features, such as narrow pavements, limited seating, and restricted planting areas, further underscored the need for modernisation. Community consultation highlighted strong public support for cleaner air, safer crossings, more greenery, and improved accessibility.

Together, these challenges signalled the need for a redesign that thoughtfully integrates transport safety, environmental enhancement, and sensitivity to the area’s heritage.

The Solution

NRP provided traffic modelling as well as undertaking the feasibility and preliminary design stages of the permanent design solution, working in line with the Streets for People strategy and collaborating with partners such as Metis and FM Conway.

The design introduced wider pavements and improved crossings to enhance safety, reallocated road space to encourage walking and cycling, and incorporated extensive stakeholder engagement to ensure community priorities were reflected. Sustainable features, including rain gardens, integrated tree pits, and natural paving, were used to improve drainage, biodiversity, and alignment with Dulwich Village’s historic character.

Overall, the scheme balanced placemaking ambitions with safety, environmental performance, and local identity.

The Results

The redesign has transformed what was once a busy four lane approach to a welcoming space, with improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Sustainable measures, such as material reuse and rain gardens, improved carbon footprint efficiency and drainage, alongside expanded urban greening with new trees, biodiversity‑supporting planting, and upgraded tree pit systems that promote long‑term resilience. Together, these interventions show how thoughtful public realm design can simultaneously improve transport function and create a vibrant, community‑centred environment.

The scheme was also presented by NRP at an Urban Design Learning Event as an exemplar scheme delivering active travel and greening improvements in an extremely challenging environment.