Derby City Lab is celebrating three years of engaging, informing and inspiring the public about the city’s exciting regeneration story.
July 2025 sees the lab toasting its third birthday in its third location – the beautifully restored Derby Market Hall.
Founded in 2022, the lab was previously located first in a Clowes Developments unit on St James’s Street and then in a unit inside the Derbion shopping centre.
Since its inception, over 30,000 people have flocked through its doors, while hundreds have given their feedback on key schemes.
The lab has also hosted numerous events, exhibitions and consultations.
Adam Rodgers, inward investment executive at Marketing Derby and Derby City Lab lead, said: “It’s incredible to think that in just three short years, the city lab has made such a huge impact.
“We would like to think that during that time we have helped the people of Derby feel better informed about what is going on around them – and helped empower them to share their views on how Derby can be made better.”
The Derby City Lab is based on the concept of Urban Rooms in cities such as London, Amsterdam and Shanghai.
It is a hub for engaging the wider community in better understanding the evolution of the city and the investment pipeline.
Partners in the lab have included Marketing Derby, Derby City Council, University of Derby, Lathams, Derbion and Clowes – all of whom recognise it as a valuable tool in terms of engaging the wider public.
The centrepiece of the lab is the Derby City Model, which helps visitors visualise the city’s key schemes.
They can explore the City Living Room, which showcases Derby’s 300-year innovation history.
A new addition is a specially commissioned interactive touch screen kiosk, featuring an interactive development pipeline.
The kiosk allows users to access further information on pipeline projects visible in the 3D Derby City Model. It provides details on city developments, including images, drone footage, and CGI content in an intuitive and engaging way.
It has also grown to become a valuable community asset, in some cases acting as an educational resource for students or simply acting as a collection point for Derby Book Festival’s regular book appeals.
It is also an award winner. Back in 2023, the team behind the concept collected the Public/Private Partnership Award at the Estates Gazette Awards – regarded as the most prestigious awards in real estate – beating off entries from London, Liverpool and Manchester.
Since its first iteration in St James’s Street, the impact of the city lab has been hugely significant.
Tens of thousands of people have walked through its doors – with many leaving feeling better informed about the future direction of the city.
Not only that, but hundreds of people have also shared their views on what they would like to see happen to make Derby better.
These views are recorded and then fed back to those at the coalface of the city’s regeneration, helping to shape future schemes and priorities.
To celebrate the third anniversary, a new edition of Engage, the lab’s very own newspaper will be published early next month.
To plan your visit to the Derby City Lab, visit derbycitylab.com
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