Anchor institutions in the changing city: The university’s role in shaping the Future High Street

This paper contributes to debates on the role of universities within cities and develops a broader understanding of them as anchor institutions. As the UK high street faces a period of continued, challenging change, a case study approach is adopted in examining the role of universities as anchor institutions in shaping the future of urban centres. Following on from the House of Lords’ Built Environment Committee’s ‘High Streets: Life Beyond Retail’ 2024 report emphasising the importance of engaged local communities in the future of the high street, to which the authors contributed, this paper focuses on the UK Government’s Future High Streets initiative through a case examination of one university’s role in shaping a successful Future High Streets project from conception to the early stages of delivery. Taking Sheffield as a case study, the paper highlights the university’s multifaceted role as a key city stakeholder and reveals the benefits of the institution’s involvement through knowledge exchange and enhanced capacity, before tentatively suggesting future directions in university–city regeneration projects.