In a critical look at town planning, cpmg’s Matt Greenhalgh argues the need to transform ‘spaces’ into ‘places’.
In studying and practising architecture in Nottingham for 16 years, I’ve seen the cityscape change dramatically. Urban planning, the opening of city spaces to facilitate the flow of footfall and the “human element” being considered in terms of the city’s architecture, have all had an impact on the quality of the public realm.
Successful projects redefine the way buildings respond to the city context and provide a springboard to encourage public power in shaping a city and reimagining what it means to inhabit and live through a public space.
Within Nottingham, a number of innovative schemes have offered the potential to transform, or have transformed, areas – Cobden Chambers and the Market Square are two of the more high-profile examples.
New York’s High Line is probably the most notable example of a city regenerating space with the public at its core. It did so by converting the city’s unused rail tracks to create a publicly inhabited space above the streets and a new perspective to the city has been achieved.
This is the right approach to urban regeneration and one which should be emulated across cityscapes in the UK, transforming an area to create a usable space. Not just a cosmetic facelift but giving a practical dimension, one which is a “place” for the public to appreciate and experience. What’s so fantastic about transforming the public realm in this way is that it is community-driven being changed by, or for, the people it will directly have impact upon.
An example of this is the redevelopment of Trinity Square in Nottingham’s city centre. This was an area which had been designed in such a way that it did not interact or connect with its environment. The public did not engage with, or inhabit, the space – preferring to skirt around the edges of the square.
The Nottingham and Derby Society of Architects (NDSA) championed are-imagining of the square and proposed its redevelopment as an architectural project for students at Nottingham Trent University. The resulting ideas were presented to the public through student-run public consultations and the groundswell of support for these innovative and creative planning solutions were discussed in a public forum.
Acknowledging the need for improved public spaces, the city commissioned the redevelopment of the square which now, due to consultation’s success, is a site in which markets, events and a thriving restaurant scene now flourish – proving that grassroots change is possible.
Town planning, in this community driven sense, has historically not been high on the agenda when considering the long term view of how the city is shaped but the sheer number of new high profile public realm projects planned, or now underway, is testament to how the city is starting to readdress this. People vehemently want public spaces improved and it is great to see that this is beginning to filter through into action.
Importantly, with the recession not hampering development and with confidence high, there is the scope to curate high-quality urban landscapes and give new purpose to spaces with a real human scale.
In this sense, architectural societies have a real chance to build on the momentum being gathered and create a positive change – shaking the dated idea of ‘old boys clubs’ and bringing grass roots projects to the national stage.
The “Hidden Spaces” project in the West Midlands received national acclaim for opening up disused or lost spaces and buildings and showcasing the city’s forgotten history and untold stories. The NDSA decided that it was time for the East Midlands to celebrate its own heritage and for people to make a physical mark on their city.
The “Nott Forgotten” competition in Nottingham, set to launch in April 2016, will focus around the idea of “improving the public realm”. Sites in need of regeneration have been pinpointed and budding architects, students and members of the public will have the opportunity to submit designs to envisage how these forgotten spaces could be improved. The winning plans will come to life, thanks to RIBA’s national and regional funding and generous local sponsorship.
It has the potential to open the city up to new audiences and to those who may not have engaged with its architecture before. Nottingham Trent University has used the competition as a second-year degree module and it will be interesting to see how younger entrants’ submissions differ from those of the industry’s professionals. We hope that those free from commercial aspects or pressures will challenge what we see as usable – bypassing the constraints facing established architects.
It’s not just societies who have the potential to transform spaces. Local, council-funded initiatives are becoming more common, creating environments for local businesses to thrive and grow. Nottingham’s Creative Quarter is looking to host a festival centred on “creative place making” – drawing together the world’s leading planners to challenge what the city is and what it has the potential to be.
In terms of redesigning the city in a meaningful way, sympathetic to the flow of people and traffic, Nottingham has struggled for years with the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre creating a physical barrier to the city’s flow. Between the station and the city’s retail and commercial heart stands the 1975 barrier, which is finally on course to be redeveloped.
What excites me most, however, is the pedestrianisation of Collin Street, directly to the south of Broadmarsh, to create an urban park on what is currently the busiest arterial route for vehicles through the city. This represents a fine ambition and the park’s relationship with the adjacent shopping centre and bus station is critical. Creating active frontages to the buildings bordering this new park will be central to the success of this place – transforming it into an integral part of the wider urban fabric, bustling with people and enriching the wider city context.
So, the future looks bright for tactical urbanism, placing social value on architecture and architectural landscapes and the potential for community-driven change in terms of city landscapes. The increasing “cafe culture”, which has stemmed from the growing cosmopolitan living, has increased the need for meaningful places, increased pedestrianisation and the flow of retail and human interactions.
Matt Greenhalgh is an architect at East Midlands based cpmg and the current NDSA president, heading up the Nott Forgotten project (@Nott_Forgotten or visit the NDSA’s Facebook page).