The largest amount of work is around clarifying the user experience of editing global concepts (styles, templates, navigation) from specific site content. To address some of these issues a few explorations are underway:

• Introduce "Browser" and surface main navigation UI #36667
• Add a shortcut for template browsing #37001 (Needs discussion.)
• Removing beta label from Site Editor tracking issue #39293

This is connected with the introduction of a view mode that allows the user to navigate around the site instead of selecting blocks:

• Site editor: Add Browse Mode #23328

Finally, we need to introduce a better loading flow for the site editor to avoid waterfall effects and the feeling of fragility.

• Refine the Site Editor loading state #35503 ⚠️

Creating Templates & Parts

Expanding the ability to create and manage templates is also a crucial component.

• [Site Editor]: Add fallback template content on creation #42520 ⚠️
• Expand the types of templates that can be added in the Site Editor #37407 ⚠️
• Creating a template: Present the user with initial block configuration options #41060
• Template Part replacement modal – make results searchable #40791 ⚠️
• Proposal: robust permissions system for FSE theme templates #27597
• When creating a template for a specific entry, ask the user if they'd like to apply the template immediately #42088
• When creating a template for a specific entry, load that entries data into edit template view #41947
• Consider not auto-publishing new templates #42130

Interface

• Details View → Template Part #50392
• Enhance Template Inspector #36951
• Double clicking on a pattern in zoomed out view should go into focus mode #44710
• Make it possible to edit template part properties in focus mode #37220
• Add "Clear customisations" template action to other views #36303
• Template part: Remove transform options #29296.
• Template part: Area selection UI #29295.
• Template Part: Swap 'Edit' and 'Replace' action placement #41437.
• Inconsistent text case when displaying template part names #34737.
• When creating a template for a specific entry, load that entries data into edit template view #41947.
• Colorise template parts and reusable blocks in the UI #32163
• Expose existing Template Parts in the Inserter #31748
• Template editing: List existing template parts in the Inserter Patterns tab #41399
• Inspector should display template part name #42154
• Canvas height in focus mode should wrap document contents #42226
• FSE: Most site building blocks need previews and placeholders #30029

Editing Flows

This includes the perspective of editing templates from the post-editor.

• Edit Site: Spinning up a variation on any given template #19259
• Post editor: Provide a way to view the template while editing a post #27847
• Site Editing: Restrict block editing capabilities based on editing context #27848
• Provide a more visual template selection process in the post editor #41258
• When creating a template in the post editor, ask the user whether it should be $custom or specific (page-$slug) #41257
• Post editor: Template panel should adapt when explicit template exists #41452
• Template panel: "Default template" can be a confusing option label #41449
• Template Editing: make content edit-ability consistent #42767
• Make focus mode accessible from the template editor #40184
• Site Editor: consider adding an option to clone an existing template when creating a new one #48377

wp-admin

We can begin to provide access to template editing from existing wp-admin management views

• Enabling Gutenberg in WP categories #17099
• When a block theme is active, provide a link to edit the post template from the posts list #41714
• When a block theme is active, provide a link to edit the category template from the category list #41715
• When a block theme is active, provide a link to edit the page template from the pages list #41716