Unit A
Young Clapton
Carsten Jungfer, Fernanda Palmieri
Henri Lefebvre understands the formation of space as the outcome of collective action and therefore as “social product” itself. Unit A is interested in collaborative processes that support the production of space in urban contexts. Our agenda is to promote learning through engagement in live project sites and to create opportunities for knowledge exchange with external partners and communities. Through a research-led design approach Unit A methodology proposes to use architecture as a tool to investigate and think critically, by challenging students to engage with live urban conditions to respond with meaningful contextual spatial proposals with a focus on social sustainability. This year, as result of the coronavirus pandemic, our relationship with the built environment and our understanding of city radically changed. Dense urban neighbourhoods, such as East London, where we live, work and play have been disproportionally impacted by this shift. We started to embrace new routines and with reduced desire to travel long distances, spent more time at home and engaged more at local scale. Local Authorities responded to this quickly, too, by taking temporary measures, that accelerated adoption of innovative policies to rebuild healthier, fairer and more sustainable neighbourhoods. This includes the introduction of low traffic zones, the improvement of infrastructure for cycling and walking, and improvements to the public realm with a more child & youth friendly approach. The London Borough of Hackney introduced a new Child-friendly planning policy this year. This innovative move, places the needs of young people at the centre
CLAPTON PARK, HACKNEY, LONDON
of future development, which is a first in the UK. We took this opportunity as subject for this years investigation and continued our long-standing collaboration with the Hackney Council planning department. Ingrid Gehl (wife of urban designer Jan Gehl) proclaimed in the 1970-ties in Bo-miljø, that the need for play in the city was not necessarily restricted to formal situations for young people only, but for everybody, including informal opportunities for play. As a trained psychologist, Ingrid Gehl understood the importance of play as a form of freedom of expression and something that gives people choices of how to behave. This of course is strongly linked to happiness, satisfaction and well-being. Alongside Gehl’s and Lefebvre’s points of reference, we continued our ongoing research into civic spaces, investigating opportunities to improve the quality of local life and well-being in East London by focusing on spaces for the Youth across a range of scales: inclusive spaces for Playing, Meeting, Learning, Exchanging and Caring. Working across disciplines and institutions, we collaborated on this topic with the Hackney Council’s planning department, Hackney Quest (a local youth club) and multiple community stakeholders. The understanding that emerged from this this public engagement process, opened up a new spectrum of opportunities. The design proposals are informed by the idea of neighbourhood as a shared and collective place to live, work and play. The students’ responses embed critical, sustainable and strategic thinking into their spatial designs, that explore new and innovative forms of an architecture rooted in social sustainability.
