Navigating the City

Following discussions at last nights ‘Navigating the Future City’ – the fourth installment from the Urban Research Unit, a project by Futurecity and Grimshaw Architects, i got to thinking about the idea of placemaking in a city like London. A few different ideas were discussed but an underlying theme was centred around developing and creating spaces for people – let’s call it active placemaking versus enabling a space or open area to be experienced and enjoyed at the discretion of the user i.e. passive placemaking. Whilst discussing the development plans for Earls Court featuring 4 villages and a high street the panel digressed into what is key in forming a successful high street which offers more than a bookies, a pound shop and a hairdresser. Kingsland Road in Dalston and Hackney were mentioned as places where the high street has managed to retain its independence in terms of small shops, cafes and local businesses and developed creative outlets without the need for chain stores lacking in personality. When posing the question of how this seemingly organic growth can be reflected in other developments it is hard to compare the two. On the one hand you have a place with a strong history of community and a rising number of socially minded artists in contrast to a developer who has a given site to develop and a brief to be followed. When looking at Earls Court the developments focus is and has to be on the transport hub. It has been seen across London that transport centres are now being regenerated around the city with a large emphasis on creating generous public realm – Kings Cross is one example – the importance still has to be focused on getting people from A to B as efficiently as possible. The public space is an add on. It is also a finite project with a start, an end, and a criteria to fill and a service – in this case transport – to be provided. Therefore, there is not the opportunity for it to grow, develop and be reinvented in the same way that pockets, niches and corners of the city have been regenerated in boroughs like Hackney. So when returning to the question of how new planned developments can mirror the successes of others that have just happened an element of trust has to be given to the end users in dictating how a space can be used. Successful placemaking which is best suited to its end user is achieved by slowly creating spaces which can adapt over time when and as is needed. So in looking at how these new transport hubs can contribute to diverse public areas for the people of the city, perhaps the developer can concentrate on the main transport and infrastructure of the site  and then create a blank canvas for local communities to develop over time. This will encourage local businesses to occupy retail units giving individuality to the site and might encourage people to use the space in a different way. And if you put something there that isn’t as sterile and uninspiring as your average Starbucks and M&S  maybe we can change the ‘get in and get out’ attitude that we have towards travelling in the city.

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