Premise: The thesis will investigate ideas from the past in combination with those of the present to ask whether being retrospective can contribute to being progressive in designing within the city. It proposes the importance of time as part of place. The study will be sited in Deal, in Kent on the south coast of England, Scope: The design investigation will address a variety of physical scales: On the scale of the building, the thesis will explore the outmoded typology of the market hall and the reviving trend of local food sourcing. On the scale of the urban streets and public spaces, it will examine recreating old urban patterns in the town center and the renewed public interest in unique context. On the scale of the town it will take a broader look - with an eye to the past as well as to the present - in order to speculate on the future of the town and how it might look. Objectives: The overall design aim is to uncover innovative ideas and new design expressions that have specificity to culture and context.