Urban Grain

Figure 4: Historic Map Overlay, Show the change in urban grain from before the development (1930) in orange with the current (2019) in purple Source: Authors Own adapted from maps obtained from EDINA Historic Digimap Service

Gibbered reconfigured the urban grain of the site in line with modernist thinking of the era, aiming to prioritise pedestrian movement and provide more public green space. A new street pattern was devised so that traffic is no longer tempted to cut through the estate, by paving over the eastern end of the site, blocking the direct connection to Kingsland High street.15

However, unlike most modernist, Gibberd was against a 'tabula rasa' approach saying "It is more than vandalism to fell a tree that has taken years to grow, or to demolish a building of fine architectural qualities; it is a destruction of the spirit of the place."16 Having the opportunity to clear the bomb-damaged 9-acre site he instead retained existing services, paths, trees (fig .6) and buildings of interest, referring to them as 'pegs on which the new design hung'.17 This continuity between the new and the old means the estate blends well into the existing context with no clear point to where the estate begins or ends, unlike most other modernist developments that had a clear estate boundary.

Although Gibberd referred to the previous arrangement as "dull Victorian dwellings built to a dull street pattern”18 he didn’t have the same hatred for the street as Le Corbusier who in his earlier career, wrote That the street is “a relic of the centuries, a dislocated organ that can no longer function".19 As although the road pattern was modified the axial nature of the site was still retained. With the street transferring to

Figure 5: Axial route transitioning from street to pedestrian path. Source: Authors Own

Figure 6: Gibberd architecture Retention of existing Trees Source: Authors Own Figure 7: Fenced of under-croft, severs connection to high street. Source: Authors Own

a path at the pedestrianised precinct (fig. 5), then connecting to the high street through an undercroft in the eastern block, preserving a direct connection through the site.

Sadly the undercroft has since been fenced off by the council (fig. 7) most likely in a bid to reduce anti-social behaviour. Know as 'secured by design' measures introduced in 1989 aimed to reduce loitering, antisocial behaviour and crime on housing estates, with unwatched sheltered spaces such as this undercroft believed to create a haven for unwanted activities.20 This is a real shame as Closing off the estate in this manner does change the pedestrian movement around the site reduceing through traffic giving the space a culde-sac like quality something Gibberd specifically set out to avoid (discussed on-page 9).

Despite this, the adjustments made to the urban grain by Gibbered has lead to an estate that is still fully accessible to vehicles yet residents feel comfortable walking on the street, showing Gibbered aim of prioritising the pedestrian succeeded. The reconfigured street patter also allowed Gibbered to create an interesting spatial composition of differing housing typologies and amenity spaces previously not seen in the UK.