City of York Council is asking residents for their views on the city’s open spaces.

The authority is carrying out a year-long programme -called People Changing Places- to find out what people think of York’s outdoor spaces as they are now, and how they could look in the future. The results of the consultation will help to create a Public Realm Strategy for the city centre area.

The programme is a partnership initiative between the council, the Commission of Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and BEAM – an Arts Architecture and Learning Centre based in West Yorkshire.

The first event in the consultation will be held on Saturday 4 July in Exhibition Square.. Residents are invited to come along anytime between 11am and 3pm and take a few moments to explore the public space around York City Art Gallery and links through to the Yorkshire Museum Gardens. Everyone is welcome and there will be fun activities for the young and not so young.  Look out for event staff who will be on hand to help you take part.

Robert Beardsworth, from the council’s City Development team, said:  “Public spaces are vital parts of our city centre and are widely used by residents and visitors. We hope that the consultation process will help us find out what people like and don’t like about these open spaces, and how they can be improved in the future.