# from the ground up
mark david flynn catherine traynor robbie gibson
#contents philosophy _01 strategy_02 context_04 historic analysis_05 site analysis_06 derive analysis_10 vacant space analysis_15 interventions_19 phasing_25 timeline_29 canal reinvigoration_36 house retrofitting_37 community interaction_39 C.I.C._45 online legacy_47 timebank_48 zooming in_49 proxy-mark david flynn_51 events-mark david flynn_55 leisure interventions-catherine traynor_57 recycling initiative-catherine traynor_66 residential retrofit-robbie gibson_67 costing_81 online links_86
an architectural study into community-led design on vacant and under-used spaces
#design philosophy
+ ‘The Right to the City’ - Henri Lefebvre, 1967. In ‘La Droit à la Ville’, published in 1967, French philosopher and sociologist Henri Lefebvre (1901-1991) introduced his theory of ‘The Right to the City’ - in which the city was perceived as an ‘oeuvre’ - a collective artwork; envisaging an urban environment collectively shaped by its community, inhabitants and users - through active participation and inhabitation of the public space. Rooted in Marxist philosophical thought, Lefabvre’s ‘The Right to the City’ (and subsequent theories published by members of the Situationist International - such as Guy Debord - who Lefabvre was later affiliated with) proposed an urban dynamic no longer driven by capital and bureaucracy, but by user-participation and social interaction. + S E LF - G E N E RAT I N G U R BAN I S M +
Adopting Lefabvre’s ‘The Right to the City’ as a philosophical narrative, and taking precedence from emerging architectural and urban trends - in particular those currently exhibited at the Venice Biennale, characterized by their interest in collaboration and serving the collective needs of a community - we propose an alternative direction of design thinking and urban planning; offering an adaptable response to economic restraints in the current crisis, in which traditional large-scale rigid city urban planning projects are no longer viable. Our solution is an urban proposal at a grassroots level; shaped by its occupants, in a continuous process of transformation, growth and adaptation. By implementing small-scale tactical interventions that act as urban catalysts for incremental growth, we propose an urban dynamic that explores architecture as an evolving process; an endogenous, self-generating urbanism.
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+ #1 URBAN ACUPUNCTURE
+ #3 COLLECTIVE VALUES
Identifying specific targets on site
Community involvement will be at the heart of
which would benefit greatly from
the changes in the area. Mass recycling and
intervention. These ‘micro’ targets
donation of materials will help to fundthe new
will act as catalysts; generating the
builds. Merging of businesses will create mixed
most amount of positive change with
use areas and community spaces. General dona-
the minimum impact to the exisitng
tion of time and community contribution will
fabric of the area.
be encouraged.
+ #2 ENDOGENOUS GROWTH Using existing industries and cultural strengths within the town tocapitalise and expand on. These existing strengths
will
generate
growth,
revenue, audience and the need for architecture.
+ #4 TACTICAL URBANISM Architecture is a constantly changing, ever evolving response to the inhabitants of its community, and therefore the occupants of that community should be able to shape the architecture themselves. Our architectural legacy to the community will be to provide the means for them to build spontaneously.
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#site analysis
+ ECCLES, GREATER MANCHESTER. ECCLES +
+ MANCHESTER + salford
irlam +
LIVERPOOL +
warrington + widnes +
+ eastham locks
+ runcorn
+ ellesmere port
+ population #36,610
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+ From 1850 to 1860 Friedrich Engels resided in Manchester and worked in Victoria Mills, which was owned by the other half of his father’s partnership. Whilst working here he was visited numerous times by his friend Karl Marx. They discussed philosophy and politics and after Engels had completed his book, “The condition of the working class in England”, whilst staying in Manchester, he began “The Communist Manifesto” along with Marx. This book is perhaps one of the most influential books ever written influencing revolutions across the world and inspiring countless people including members of the group, “Situationist International”.
+ Eccles was originally an agricultural settlement dating back to pre-historic times. Through the nineteenth century the industrial revolution swept across the town giving rise to the establishment of many mills and factories. Eccles became renowned for its silk production and later in the century, it’s production of cotton.
+ECCLES---
+ 1800
+ 1818
+ 1820
+ 1850-1860
+ 1858
+ 1901
+MARXI ST THEORY--+ Karl Heinrich Marx, born.
+ 1938
+ Guy Debord, born. + Marx’s Communist Manifesto published.
+ 1957
+ 1967
+ 1968
+ Situationist International influences 1968 Paris uprising.
+ Situationist International formed.
+ Friedrich Engels, born. + Henri Lefebvre’s ‘The Right to the City’ published
+ Henri Lefebvre, born.
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+ Vacant Spaces Across Eccles there are many underutilised spaces without activity; in some cases due to inaccessibility.
+ Green Spaces There are numerous green spaces both used and unused by the public and private institutions.
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++ Pedestrian PedestrianFlow Flow
+ Po
The most concentrated areas of pedestrian movement are in the town centre around the retail areas as well as both the train station and tram line vicinities.
++ Local Traffic Traffic Flow Flow The main roads that consist of heavier traffic flow are Liverpool road and Barton Lane. Barton road, which runs beside Bridgewater canal, also has heavy traffic flow. Church Street, which links to Liverpool road and runs through the town centre, completes a triangle of busier traffic routes around the residential areas.
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+ Lo
otential Flood Areas
ocal Topography
+ + Pedestrian Flow Potential Flood Areas
+ Poten
The lowest lying areas along the Manchester ship canal have a danger of flooding with the danger spreading in areas beyond Bridgewater aqueduct and Centenary Way.
+ + Local Traffic Flow Local Topography
+ Local
Eccles has fairly level landscape with a measurable height level change of 20m across the whole studied area.
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+ Derive
ntial Flood Areas
#1 #3
+ +
+
#2
+ Transport Links
al Topography
+
+ +
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+ U R BAN ANALYS I S
The main transport links to wider areas are the Eccles train station and the Manchester and Eccles tram line. Patricroft station lies within the Eccles area and the main bus routes run along Liverpool road, Barton Lane, Trafford road, Church Street and Regent Street.
+ + Vacant Spaces Vacant Spaces
+ In a study conducted by Situationist International member Guy Debord entitled, Paris et l’agglomeration parisienne, he analysed a student’s movement around the city in the space of a year. The girl’s itinerary of movement, he discovered, waslimited to a single triangle with no significant deviations. The apexes of her journey were her school,her resisence and her piano teacher’s house. Debord beleived that this illustrated “the narrowness of the real Paris in which each individual lives”. From this research, Debord developed his philosophy for his Derive, a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiences quite different from the notion of a journey or a stroll. They involve playful constructive behaviour and awareness of psychogeographical effects.
+ + Green Spaces To conduct a derive, one must, for a certain period, droptheir relations, work, Green Spaces and leisure activities and all other motives for movement and action and allow themselvesto be drawn and led by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they experience there. The belief of Debord and the Situationists was that cities have psychogeographical contours, with constant currents, fixed points and vortexes that strongly discourage entry into or exit from certain zones. Chanceis not a factor of the Derive.
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+ECCLES DÉRIVE EXPLORATION + 8/10/2012
+ Dérive #1 Infrastructure
hr
41
mi
ns
+
+0
+0 hr 36 mi
+
ns
+
+ 0 hr 47 mins
+ Dérive #3 Vacant Space
+ Dérive #2
Community Space
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+ Derive 1 + Eccles train station held rushed activity as people exited carriages and entered the town centre. Rising onto the street level, the option of crossing the motorway through a bridge of compressing space gave too much tension, compared to the lighter choice of the gentle slope down into the town. The ring of the St Mary’s Church Bell attracted the senses and curiosity, leading to the structures surrounding green space. The surrounding high rise flats provided an unusual, enclosing and surreal contrast to the silence of the church space. Allowing the topography to influence led to a vacant space in the shadows of refurbished flats. The flats held unused semi-public space which made direct contact to the church green. These small pockets of raised concrete platforms were cordoned off and sealed, even to the users of the flats. Continuing under the shade of the flats the sounds of activity from the town centre drew the senses. The trams, cars and pedestrians travelled by, creating currents of movement along the main road. A node appeared in the form of the distant clock tower. Approaching this tower lead to a public space outside the library. Entrenched in busy roads and exposed on all sides but for the structure of the library.
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+ DĂŠrive #2 + The derive began in a quiet, secluded and secretive space. Surrounded by the overgrowth of trees and greenery, the space was protected from the busy road which overlooked. Contrasting the embrace of the garden, the space opened up dramatically to reveal the Manchester Ship Canal and Barton Swing Bridge. Traveling over the path constructed of timber, the hectic traffic began to appear and bombard. Crossing the busy intersection lead higher and gave a glimpse of a canal boat drifting by. Threading through a small gap gave access to the Bridgewater Canal. This tranquil and scenic stretch of water was juxtaposed with the harshness of a roads passing traffic; with no buffer between the two. Traveling up the canal gave rise to a visual connection with Bridgewater Mill. Dereliction and abandonment sprouted in numerous areas leading to the mill. Vacant lots and uninhabited houses passed by until the mill was reached. Bridgewater Mill displayed the signs of age but still housed various forms of life along with their activities.
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+ DĂŠrive #3 + A disused, derelict and abandoned building stood ready for demolition. Once a theatre; now a ruin. Tracing the peaceful side street, away from traffic, a prominent church appeared. This node provided a turning point upon which to return down the flat, residential promenade. The linear path proved satisfying enough that no need was felt to deviate. A building clad in warnings caught the attention. Structurally unsound, the dangerous and vibrant red brick building was stepped back and recessed more than the buildings in context. From this point the tall and towering Chimney of brick pierced the sky. Approaching this land marker through the countless brick buildings revealed the base of the tower connecting to a communal bath house.
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#vacant & under-used spaces
+
map
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+ U R BAN ANALYS I S
+ vacant spaces + vacant buildings
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#interventions
small-scale urban interventions provide a series of architectural situations; acting as catalysts for incremental, endogenous growth and offering a phased approach to instigating change
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_interventions #15 _multi-story car park
adapted for mixed use
#6 _proxy
_3d print pavilion
#2 _art intervention recycling_
#12 _market space #5 _depaving
#3
initiative
_guerilla bike lanes
#13_bike kitchen/workshop #11
_micro-mixing
_upcycling
#8 _green space occupied for community use
#9 _pocket park
promenade extended along bridgewater canal
#pocket park social
#10 _art space
#4 _space occupied for community event/exhibtion
#1
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_canal/green spaces occupied for community use
#14
#7
_pop-up box park/market _ car parking reduced
_ a ’situation’ _a complex network of artworks, projects, events, interventions, happenings, small gestures, and spectacular intrusions over time" _described by Situationist philosopher Guy Debord, who proposed to construct, or "actively create", situations in order to transform temporary settings of life into revolutionary, activist, actions.
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_phasing #6 #2
_tactical urbanism initiatives
#7 #5
#3
#4
#1
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_guerilla bike lanes
#1
#2 #12 #13 #11
#8
#9
#10
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#a #15
#3
_larger scale interventions & continuous spontaneous growth #14
#c #b
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A phased apporach to urban design creates a gradual and gathering momentum that can be managed and spread; stoping the community from numbing to the impact of intervention
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“The answer to the present alignment of political power with wealth is the restoration of the identity of community and economy� - wendell berry
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#community interaction
We arranged a meeting in the town hall with Neighbourhood Project officer Ann Godding to talk about existing community participatory schemes within Eccles and the wider area. There are 40 community groups registered with the Salford council in Eccles and 18 CityWest housing trust residents groups. These groups are all eligible to apply for funding from the council for community initiatives, although, in recent years the access to funding from the government has been dramatically cut. There was once a yearly summer festival on Eccles recreational ground which the council can now not afford to run. This lack of governmental funding is something we would like to address with our urban design scheme in the area. Where money is not available, creating a resource of materials and time from volunteers can be just as valuable.
_scan code with your smartphone to view video
Our research into community led initiatives in Eccles led us to a Salford Community group which focuses on tidying up underused green leisure spaces in Eccles. On the 23rd October we ventured to Eccles on the train to engage in one of their litter picking clean-ups in Barton Pocket Park. We met Jill Tyson, a Salford community ranger who organises the events. 8 members of the community came to volunteer whose ages ranged from 25 – 70. We interviewed four members of this volunteer group to find out why they volunteer, what they think of the underused spaces in Eccles and what they would want done with them. The overwhelming response was that the green and vacant spaces currently underused in Eccles should be used for more community events. They were opposed to the idea of corporations buying the vacant land as they firmly believed that these spaces belong to Eccles and should not be privatised.
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_scan code with your smartphone to view video
In order to create a ripple of interest within the Eccles community about regenerating the area, we designed and put on an event on the Barton Pocket Park. This event was a 3 hour exhibition on the 4th November 2012 showing our work to date on the Eccles Urban Design Project. The arrangement of the exhibit was made up using unwanted pallets from a local retail business. These were put up on a fence on the site using cable ties. This changed the fence from a barrier into an exhibition wall, a stopping place for people to look at our ideas for Eccles. The other pallets were stacked to create seating areas and a plinth for leaflets and other information. Sixteen people turned up to the event and gave their feedback on the work displayed. The response was overwhelmingly positive. People were enthused at the idea that the spaces around them could be revived into a state of constant activity with simple gestures.
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_community interest company a community interest compny or C.I.C. will be set up in Eccles as a method to regulate and democratisize the community led projects. The people within the C.I.C. will be well meaning members of the Eccles community who have creative ideas and professions. This large body of creatives will include; architects landscape architects enigneers artists philosophers building surveyors poets graphic designers The C.I.C. will employ a top down approach to organisiation that will encourage ground up growth.
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_online legacy + an important platform for members of the Eccles community to continue a discussion with many people about regeneration is the internet. We set up a twitter and tumblr site for the Pocket Park Social event in order to get people talking. A tumblr and twitter page for Eccles in general have also been set up and this will gather momentum over the next few months as we make contact with creative people and firms within Eccles and the wider area. Using a social media platform gives ordinary people a voice and a means to communicate with large numbers of people instantly.
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#zooming in
Situations and interventions create strands of opportunity and development. Carrying the threads into the future and sustaining their impact and importance to continue Eccles’ endogenous growth. _events Temporary gestures at intermittent times that re-invigorate and capture the attention and imagination of the people. _proxy A hub that will generate and export products to various locations throughout Eccles; promoting development in unused locations. _leisure and culture Spaces that would thrive and benefit through the use of leisure and culture, developing areas that were inaccessible before. _green space Potential spaces both private and public, used and unused which can harbour new activity. _recycling A community wide initiative that will incorporate the reuse and recycling of a wide variety of materials. These materials will be used in later developments and interventions such as house retrofitting, car park retrofitting, 3D printing materials and furniture up-cycling. _house retrofitting To sustainably retrofit and improve the housing of Eccles as part of a town wide project that will give people the skills to undertake their own interventions and improve their own neighbourhoods. _businesses Creating new businesses as well as connecting with the existing to encourage internal growth and support between the industries of Eccles.
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#PROXY
a temporary, phased development that activates a vacant site, until a permanent development is proposed
VACANT
animated booklet
...and funding is secured
COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY
through the CIC, negotiations with landlords, landowners, developers and local authorities allow temporary planning freedoM on site...
CREATIVE PIONEERS
LOCAL COMMUNITY
Mark David Flynn _51
CREATIVE BUSINESS VENTURES
CREATING a low-risk environment for new social enterprise...
allotments BICYCLE PAVILIONS
#PROXY INITIATIVES
POP-UP RETAIL a testbed for new ideas... that can be exported to other under-used sites...
ART
CAR PARK RETRO-FIT
PERMANENT DEVELOPMENT
NEW PRODUCTS
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_scan code with your smartphone to view video
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The whole life of those societies in which modern conditions of production prevail presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. All that once was directly lived has become mere representation.
...situationistacts acts ...situationist introducedtotogenerate generategrowth growthfrom fromthe theground groundup... up... introduced
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#photopoints _typically reserved for picturesque landscapes, or buildings of significant historical context, a photopoint art intervention will encourage the community to reflect upon their aesthetic surroundings; drawing attention to the towns vacant and underused spaces. A resource pack, produced by the CIC, invites the community to explore 18 locations through a camera lens in their own creative and individual way. Advances in smartphone technology and readily-available open-source applications allow for new vacant spaces to be explored, geotagged and documented by the community - utilizing local knowledge. Photographs, urban derives, and forms of site analysis are contributed to an exhibition by the community at the #proxy site, prompting discussion, reflection and debate. Through this, a situationist art intervention could involve into a grassroots mapping project across the town, subverting the power dynamics associated with cartography, and providing local, low-cost environmental site analysis and open-source data sharing to inform later interventions.
#rooftop guerrilla drive-in #underground movies outdoors _the rooftop of an under-used multi-story car park is occupied by the community as a guerrilla drive-in cinema, utilizing the existing vehicle infrastructure on site. independent films, or those created by the CIC or local community can be shown, becoming a space for spontaneous debate and providing a unique forum for creative work.through the occupation of under-used space by a creative community, a programme of adaptive re-use is implemented on site; through community effort, the car park is re-clad using a bespoke facade system created and manufactured on-site using the 3D print pavilion, and the remaining floors are converted to arts, cafe, exhibition and leisure spaces. #nuit blanches _building projections as an art form gained traction in the late 1970s with artists such as Krzysztof Wodiczko and Jenny Holzer creating seminal works that brought the idea of public art to a massive urban scale. New technology has reinvigorated the potential of enlivening a public space by projecting moving images onto static buildings. For example, an uninspiring wall is electrified by a dazzling light display triggered by passing car traffic, or passersby’s text messages replace a classical façade’s carved inscription with community proclamations. Nuit Blanches - an all-night festival featuring a range of illuminating public interventions, are held - eccles under-used and aging high rise developments become the backdrop.
#guerrilla bike lanes/bicycle pavilion design competition _guerrilla bike lanes are introduced; organized by the CIC, utilizing community feedback for possible locations to encourage bicycle travel throughout the town. through use of the 3D print pavilion on the proxy site, a community design competition is held by the CIC, for a series of small-scale bicycle pavilion’s to be located across the town; actively involving the local community in the creative design process.
#temporary removal of advertisements & signage _a large-scale art intervention that temporarily covers all advertisements in the retail area, places the neglected space in the spotlight, and informs the permanent removal of unnecessary signage that obstructs the use of public space by the community.
showing the community ‘above the parapet’
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Catherine Traynor
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Robbie Gibson
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#costing
#1 - padlock removal
#4 - pocketparksocial
5 minutes
1 day
£30 - equipment
£75 van hire, reclaimed pallets free
1 organisers 1 volunteer
3 organisers 10+ volunteers
#2 - street signage removal
#5 - depaving initiative
1 day
5-8 days per project
£500/ expenses for volunteers/ equipment hire/materials
£190 per day/expenses for volunteers/equipment hire
2 organisers 20+ volunteers
2-4 organisers 10+ volunteers
#3 - guerilla bike lanes
#5 - proxy
3 x 2 hours of low traffic
4 phases over 5 years
£100 tools and materials
£30,000 for phase 1 infrastructure + £10,000 per phase
2 organisers 2+ volunteers
10 organisers 20+ volunteers _82
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#online links
youtube - youtube.com/pocketparksocial twitter - twitter.com/pocketparkevent tumblr - pocketparksocial.tumblr.com
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