The Other Side of Parma

the

o t h esr i d e of

parma

a study in urban design & architecture

Acknowledgements Daniel Mallo & Armelle Tardiveau

The Other Side of Parma is the culmination of a field study project undertaken by senior urban design and architecture students from the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University.

The field study to Parma was under-pinned with a theoretical framework developed through a seminar series and symposium entitled “What We Share” held at Newcastle University. This symposium was made possible through close partnership with Northern Architecture, and in particular we would like to thank Andrew Guest andAndrea Macdonald whose support, enthusiasm and intellectual rigour facilitated three days of rich discussion. We are indebted to all the symposium participants: Cynthia Games of Living Streets, Jules Brown of North of England Civic Trust, Catherine Butcher and Ross Mowbray of PEANuT and Kevin Lillie of Planning Aid North. Further, we owe special thanks to Doina Petrescu of the Atelier d’Architecture Autogérée

(aaa) in Paris who chaired the symposium and whose experience in participative processes was highly inspirational to the students.

The field trip to Parma was made possible with the generous support of the Parma Council. In particular we would like to thank Franceso Manfredi, Chief advisor of Urban Planning in Parma. Franceso, who showed a true interest in the methodology and ideology of the course, welcomed us warmly and offered us space for our workshop.

Paolo Conforti and Dario Naddeo, of the Agency for Urban and Architectural Quality, also provided a valuable contribution with their knowledge and comments on our work in Parma.

A key element to success of the study visit was the generous contribution of Paolo Montanari.

We owe him special thanks for his invaluable help in the preparation of the project. He introduced us to the local community of the Oltretorrente and was our enthusiastic guide and facilitator during the whole trip. We

i

ii

would like to thank the people living and working in the Oltretorrente who gave generously their time in a series of interviews: Laura, Daniela, Valentina, Luana, Francesca, Roberto, Carlo and Claudio. Their lives, experiences and desires emerged as a remarkable inspiration for the projects. We are also indebted to Giampaolo, our translator who made all these interviews possible!

contents August 2009 - Vol. 1 - No. 1

Acknowledgements The legacy & the challenge

Daniel Mallo and Armelle Tardiveau

Oltretorrente: laboratory

Paolo Mantanari

i-ii 1-6

7-12

What we share: people, place & participation

14-20

Urban design: cities and culture Tim Townshend & Georgia Giannopoulou

21-23

Andrew Guest & Andrea Macdonald

contents 25-28

Claudio Cavazzini

29-34

Un festivale verde in Parma

Bardia Afshin, Mishari Ali, Ben Andrews Tom, Armfield, Michael Chevasco, & Shangzi Wang Tom Armfield, Michael Chevasco, & Shangzi Wang

35-40

41-44

45-50 51-56

Un Incontro di Menti

Bardia Afshin, Mishari Ali & Ben Andrews

Carlo

Edward Bailey, Andrew Clarey & Danielle Cole, Amey Dahanukar, Allan Jones & Stu Kent

Oltretorrente : a provocative idea

Edward Bailey, Andrew Clarey & Danielle Cole

Community pods: creating space for social interaction Allan Jones, Stu Kent & Amey Dahanukar

contents Laura

57-60

Piazza G. Picelli: creating community

61-66

Breaking barriers

67-72

Tristan Clarys, Jian Jianke, Andrew Mindham, Lucia Nogaledo Tous, Greg Shaw, Ami Snowdon & Ninad Patil Jian Jianke, Andrew Mindham, Lucia Nogaledo Tous & Greg Shaw

Tristan Clarys, Ami Snowdon & Ninad Patil

Scuola Communale dell’Infanzia

Kristina Horokova, Anoop Menon, Jonathan Potts, Stefan Rust, Phil Storey & David Stokoe

Turning the page

Kristina Horokova, Anoop Menon & Jonathan Potts

Oltretorrente: growing community

Stefan Rust, Phil Storey & David Stokoe

73-77

78-83 84-89

contents 90-93

Forum Solidarieta

94-99

Idle to opportunity

Caroline Cowan, Carrie Edwards, Huw Friar, Miriam Lopez, Neil Woodhouse & Qi Zhang

Miriam Lopez, Neil Woodhouse & Qi Zhang 100-105

106-107

Grow your own

Caroline Cowan, Carrie Edwards & Huw Friar

Concluding thoughts Tim Townshend

The legacy & the challenge Daniel Mallo & Armelle Tardiveau

T

he Oltretorrente neighbourhood in Parma (Italy) embodies a complex maze of social struggles and decaying urban fabric, which only sensitive and measured political and economical initiatives may attempt to unlock. Looking at this part of the City of Parma, located on the other side of the local river, one can imagine architect Cedric Price thinking that, “it is unlikely that architecture and planning will match the contribution Hush Puppies [1] have made to society” [2]. Clearly Price was not advocating for a particular brand of casual foot-wear but showing little faith in traditional master-planning practices.

MEANTIME Price advocates beginning a process before undertaking any design which consists of assessing whether a project is needed at all. Price addressed problems as opportunities and saw a lack of resources and

political stagnation as a fruitful time. Cedric Price based his projects in the meantime, or the time between the now and then, between the present and the longterm strategic planning. The InterAction Centre in Kentish Town [3], a temporary community resource centre designed to last only twenty years, clearly illustrates Price’s meaning of the meantime.

The construction took a very long time due to the bankruptcy of the Inter-Action Trust but Price took advantage of the building while being unfinished: “For a long time there was just a concrete plinth and a space frame structure. That way, they could have performances or a circus on the site, even before the building was fully constructed. In fact, it was always unfinished” [4].

This time in limbo is the time for getting familiar with the unknown; when uncertainty can give rise to dialogue and opportunities. Here, the role of the architect is not that of

1

2

the author, or hero and the architecture is not that of a final solution. On the contrary, what is proposed is a process that emerges from a variety of encounters with the physical, the social and the economic.

The spaces considered are a series of interstices defined

by Pascal Nicolas-le Strat as “undecided, open, heterogeneous, plural and dynamic” [5]. The political and economic inaction, the social aspirations of the community and the disused condition collide in these interstices and provide the ideal ground for re-appropriation and direct community action.

The Oltretorrente area is rich with large disused infrastructural buildings (such as former hospitals) that have been lying empty for many years. The scale of these buildings starkly contrasts with the tight housing fabric offering very limited living and public space. The search

for these interstices marks the onset of the project.

INFORMAL DYNAMICS The social and the natural work similarly. Gilles Clément, the French landscape architect, has been developing what he defines as, ‘the Garden moving’.

His approach with species is based on finding where they are and enable them to turn to their best use without deteriorating their richness: “To make as much as possible with, the least possible against” [6]. The urban approach in Parma is similar.

“

The political and economic inaction, the social aspirations of the community and the disused condition collide

”

The social dynamics observed in a space can inform spatial proposals. In Parma students talked to people who practise in the area of Oltretorrente in different ways for different purposes. They all mentioned particular spaces that had meaning to them, or to one of the communities living in the area.

Students observed these areas and selected one or several for intervention. Their observation of the chosen space was already loaded with the affect of history with a capital and lower case letter ‘h’. Giving meaning to a space can be achieved by emphasising and developing an element, an activity that is already there.

Daily users, dwellers and people in the area, already have their landmarks, their way of living.

Students were encouraged to celebrate the small scale, as well as, “value what is there, nurture the possible, define what is missing” [7]. Traditional mechanisms to

beautify, clean and gentrify the Oltretorrente were left behind.

ENABLING Another of Price’s key concepts that guides our design approach is that of enabling.

Price’s propositions are mostly infrastructural and aim at sparking or supporting activities, enabling the user’s appetites and ultimately creating joy and delight. Price’s projects retreated from the front line of iconic formal aspirations: his interventions were the background of an open ended process focusing mostly on how to adapt the spaces to evolving social needs.

The practice of curating events in an urban environment is used as an infrastructural and design tool. The event implies direct actions, sharing one or several activities which can turn into micro-test beds for renewed democratic practices. The event can affect both at very local

3

4

level and further away. The scale of its intensity is not what matters but its sheer existence and possibility of taking place.

Those who are able to participate and engage with the event act as unofficial ambassadors of the Oltretorrente, disseminating the information of the experience via word of mouth; they generate a rumour about their experience that potentially can alter the perception of the area. The rumour constitutes a very soft way to possibly change the stigma of this neighbourhood full of hidden, quiet potentials.

The event can also act as a diversion that enables us to look at something familiar in a new way. The familiar can be perceived as unappealing because it is part of everyday life. But brought under a different light, it can be experienced anew.

Fun and enjoyment allow for a renewed relation to spaces that lied unnoticed, or meaningless.

“

The scale of its intensity is not what matters but its sheer existence and possibility of taking place

�

Events and their related activities propose urban processes rather than urban plans that can enliven and deal with the now with which the community or communities can engage with.

Furthermore, they shape the space in which they are involved.

While such events emerge from certain opportunism, trust in their potential is what can give a chance to such projects. Their temporary nature is potentially non-threatening, although local authorities often fear losing control of these spaces.

Such small scale interventions can generate a process such as engaging with communities that have no voices as well as those who do have one. In other words, they act as a mean to enable dialogue. The proposed projects by students are highly ingenious and necessitate low investments.

The fun aspect that lies under most of them is essential to the success of place, of a community.

ASSEMBLING The expert involved, be it an architect, a planner, urban designer undertakes the role of mediator assembling the social, physical and economic at a specific moment in time. It will be relevant for a moment to a group but can be just as easily dismantled for a new assemblage to take place.

As Cedric Price stated, architecture is too slow, so what can be done in the Meantime?

The spaces available, the desires

“

Events and their related activities propose urban processes [...] they shape the space in which they are involved

�

that have not taken form yet represent a potential for change that is too often undermined.

The lack of trust and belief in the collective is what is holding these opportunities to unfold.

Oltretorrente has the spaces for offering a pool of activities to the whole of Parma and turn this area loaded with a stigma into a beating heart for the city. The legacy of Cedric Price’s design philosophy is underpinning most of the projects in this book; our challenge as architects, urban designers and educators is to find contemporary tools and

5

design spatial propositions to enable urban actions that emerge from the civil society. __________________________

6

[1] Hush Puppies is an international brand of contemporary footwear. The brand was instantly recognised as a casual leisure shoe and was a staple of the late 1950s and 1960s. (2009) Wikipedia.

Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Hush_Puppies. (Accessed: 10 October).

[2] Price, Cedric. The Square Book.

Wiley-Academy, London: 2003.

[3] London, 1971.

[4] Price, C., Isozaki, A., Keiller, P. & Obrist H. RE: CP, Birkhäuser, Basel: 2003.

[5] (2009) Pascal Nicolas-Le Start.

Available at: http://www.le-commun. fr/index.php?page=interstitialmultiplicity (Accessed: 10 October).

[6] (2009) Gilles Clément. Available at: http://www.gillesclement.com/ cat-mouvement-tit-le-Jardin-enMouvement (Accessed: 10 October).

[7] Fior, Liza. “What We Share: people, place and participation.”

Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne. Feb 2009.

Oltretorrente: laboratory Paolo Montanari

U

ntil fifty years ago, the Parmesan historical quarter of the Oltretorrente was the popular and revolutionary heart of the city. Riots against Emperor Federico II or against Mussolini illustrate this epic spirit. Today, however, this historic part of the centre of Parma, located on the left bank of the Parma River, has lost its popular and revolutionary heart.

Shops are closing down and the population changes relentlessly.

PAST AND PRESENT Historically, the Oltretorrente grew from a small settlement of houses by a bridge to the main part of the city, surrounded by small workshops and orchards servicing the whole city population. This area was known as the orchards ‘inside the walls’. Outside, lay a large plateau with fields, canals, forest and a few dispersed buildings. In the roman and high mediaeval

times, the Oltretorrente was mostly for agricultural production which fed the city. There were two main roads: one running from the stone bridge to Milan and the other one leading to La Spezia.

Urban plots and orchards were placed orthogonally to these two main roads. When these ‘narrow Gothic plots’, i.e. a deep plot with a narrow frontage [1] were built, it was common to find two main structures, one at the front and one at the back, leaving a garden or a courtyard in between. This neighbourhood grew attracting new waves of population, mainly from rural areas. At the end of the mediaeval period, the Oltretorrente offered the city of Parma plenty of vacant spaces where new infrastructures and provision for services, as well as small workshops, could be built.

The Oltretorrente became a productive area as well as a local source of raw materials. Sand and limestone were extracted

7

8

from open air pits to produce burnt lime for the construction of a significant part of the city of Parma, as well as for large public buildings in the Oltretorrente. One example of this is the hospital which became the largest in the area and one of the largest in Italy. At the same time the urban fabric of the Oltretorrente became a dense maze of housing for the working class. For meshed within this were workshops, taverns, large public buildings serving the whole city, spaces for royal amusement and gatherings, convents and charities of Parma.

The growth of both the population and built environment was the true driving force for Italian cities during the mediaeval period.

During the Renaissance, noble and aristocratic families ruled the city. The Farnese family was responsible for the creation of the Parma State and the transformation of the orchards and gardens of Oltretorrente

into a large park (Parco Ducale) which would open for citizens’ enjoyment on special festivities.

The following centuries affirmed the role of the Oltretorrente. It was enhanced as open spaces were built over with new and higher buildings. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the first social housing was built (Via della Salute) as well as schools, more hospital facilities and a theatre.

Oltretorrente always exuded a special neighbourhood atmosphere, with a sense of community and solidarity.

This manifested itself in an extreme way on certain notable occasions. In 1922 there were riots and resistance barricades set up against the fascist Benito Mussolini. Mussolini and his supporters, however, took revenge and destroyed a large part of the historic urban fabric.

New and perfectly rectilinear avenues were imposed, new squares built and most of the

orchards and gardens were replaced with large fascist buildings. Further, inhabitants were forced to leave their neighbourhood and were expelled to a forced exile and relocated in the suburbs into poorly built ghettos, known as “capannoni”.

The Oltretorrente shrank and the popular area became a bourgeois neighbourhood.

Real estate speculation and high rents completely changed the atmosphere of the area.

While progress was declared in the eradication of poverty, present in the city of Parma until World War II, most of Oltretorrente’s current troubles have arisen during a period of Modernity and welfare. Between 1951 and 1971, the Parma population rose by 52,000 reaching a total of 175,000 inhabitants. In the Oltretorrente, families abandoned the old houses in poor conditions to move to larger and more modern housing located in the

“

the Oltretorrente neighbourhood has become something of a laboratory

”

suburbs. As a consequence, a new population moved into the city centre. They came from rural areas, often from the South of Italy, but also from abroad. Most of them were unmarried and the typical one bedroom flat that they were offered was most suited to them. This provoked an ethnic, demographic and linguistic shock.

As waves of immigration have come to the area, the remaining indigenous population has aged.

The main groups that characterise the Oltretorrente population are people over 65 (22.6% of the population) and foreigners (15.8%); an unprecedented situation in Parma. In the two local nurseries, the percentage

9

10

of foreign children in 2006-07 was 24% and 33%. For the Cocconi Primary School on Piazzale Picelli, this percentage was 57.5%. In 2006, 16,000 foreigners, 9.1% of the overall population (while it was less than 1% in 1980) were living in Parma.

Despite the scale of this increase it should be noted that other areas in Parma have a larger proportion of immigrants. Nearly one third of the immigrants in the Oltretorrente (29.2%) are aged between 20-24 years old - a much greater figure than is present in the population at large (16% of the population is between 0 and 39). In addition, a large number of elderly people live in poor conditions. Finally, another phenomenon is the number of single people at 57.8% in the Oltretorrente while for Parma as a whole this is 40%.

Although tourism is the economic driver of most Italian historic centres, Oltretorrente is not marketed as a tourist

destination. Furthermore, few people want to have their professional activity based in the Oltretorrente. The ground floors of buildings have turned into shabby flats for students and immigrants, or garages. The streets are empty, children play at home, small businesses and markets cannot hold the premises they use to have. There is a clear tension between plans to make pedestrian friendly streets and adapting the housing to contemporary health and safety regulations, with the dense historic urban fabric born from the needs of a society with large families and informal neighbourhood relationships.

HOW CAN WE GIVE A NEW MEANING TO THIS URBAN FABRIC? Today architects, planners, sociologists and communication experts are required to work together with residents towards a new way, a new mapping, for this neighbourhood. All proposals

have to take into account the desires of the residents of the Oltretorrente. A few issues whcih should be addressed both in the short term and the long term: • the ring road currently defining the edge of the area; • the boundaries of the Park; • the embankment of the river bank (which is dry for almost eight months of the year); • new uses for large vacant public buildings such as the former hospital facilities and trade fair pavilions which require a careful balance between new buildings and restoration schemes; as well as • the need for supermarket facilities.

The network of public spaces also represents an important challenge to respond to. The improvement of the currently poor relations between historic squares and the twentieth century ones and the creation of new type of relationships between semi-public and semi-private spaces are two examples of this unresolved

condition. All of this has to be part of an overall policy of accessibility that takes into consideration the historic routes, the access routes to the neighbourhood and the links with the new headquarters of the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) to the North of the area. A careful feasibility study of traffic flows is needed, looking at re-opening closed paths, providing new means of accessibility, perhaps even new bridges and establishing underground car parks.

Because of all of these open questions, the Oltretorrente neighbourhood has become a laboratory. Sociologists refer to the area as “Global Oltretorrente”.

Home of many immigrants and used daily by almost five thousand students of the university. “Global Oltretorrente” excels in its primary education facilities such as the nurseries and the schools.

These institutions have become real forums of exchange and

11

12

social relationships, “the parents of my son’s friends have become my friends.” This might seem a simple equation, but in most cases it proves successful.

These informal relationships generate informal associations.

However how do we give a voice, space and acknowledge to the existence of these associations?

Today more than 50% of Parma’s associations with social, cultural, leisure and charitable objectives are based and develop activities in the Oltretorrente. These include shelters for homeless people, soup kitchens, hospitals and health centres, drug-abusers’ centres and charities. These organisations are often the first place of arrival for foreigners.

It is necessary to pursue individual actions in key places of the Oltretorrente in order to enable ‘spontaneous’ regeneration processes. These projects should listen to communities and stimulate the re-appropriation

of urban spaces. Therefore, for the ‘Global Oltretorrente’ a new vision is necessary in order to generate an advanced and soft laboratory for the contemporary city and citizens. __________________________ [1] In the UK these are known as ‘burgess plots’.

What we share: people, place & participation Andrew Guest & Andrea Macdonald

A

s an architecture centre Northern Architecture believes that high-quality architecture is about making good places to live in [1]. Our philosophy is that ‘place-making needs to be a truly shared endeavour’ where the process of architecture has to create opportunities for meaningful participation by nonprofessionals (e.g. residents) in the work of design professionals (e.g. architects). Our partnership with the School of Architecture Planning and Landscape (SAPL), Newcastle University, began with the idea of utilising their invitation to Doina Petrescu [2] to contribute to the “What We Share” lecture series to provoke an open dialogue about architecture and participation in the regional context [3].

In the essay, ‘Losing Control, Keeping Desire’, Doina Petrescu states, “Participation is performative, it is ‘to collage one’s collage onto another collage’, it cannot work through

preconceived models” [4]. For a variety of reasons the practice and process of architecture has become dramatically separate from many people, and separate from civic life and public culture.

It has become a specialised procedure carried out by a distinct group of professionals, of whom the architect is only one player and increasingly a minor one.

The UK Government recognises it is important in its Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1) [5] which calls for “more effective community involvement” in planning.

But that statement only confirms that there is a lot of ineffective community involvement, largely because it is conducted in the form of ‘consultation’ usually contracted out to yet another professional or private group and usually seen by all participants as another hurdle to surmount.

Petrescu challenges the architect to take on the role of mediator, and demonstrates this

15

“ 16

the process of architecture has to create opportunities for meaningful participation by nonprofessionals

”

within her own practice, atelier d’architecture autogérée (Studio of self-managed architecture).

Founded in 2001, aaa is a research-based practice with a focus on alternative strategies of urban regeneration across Paris. It is a horizontal, nonhierarchic organisation including students, architects, artists, urban planners, landscape designers, sociologists and residents living in the area. Our interests lie in exploring the regional picture alongside SAPL to see how the concept of participation within this sector is defined and if decision-

makers deemed alternative practice a valuable process.

Through former partnership work and conversations, we recognised that there were other regional organisations that shared our concerns and were working along similar lines, including Planning Aid North, Living Streets, PEANuT [6] and the North of England Civic Trust. We wanted to see if their combined expertise in design, planning, pedestrian provision, community engagement and conservation could contribute to a greater critical focus on participation, in a regional context.

We invited Petrescu to act as mediator at the proposed symposium, “What We Share: People, Place and Participation.”

The aim of the symposium was to open a dialogue between Northern Architecture, SAPL, the identified regional organisations and an invited audience. We aspired to connect students, academics, built environment

professionals, local authority officers, creative practitioners and communities and, through this multitude of perspectives, see if we could identify the shortfalls in current engagement in place-making and even “enable us to think the unthinkable” [7].

SETTING THE SCENE To provide a context for the symposium, we allowed the five regional organisations to orientate to each other, and the postgraduate students in Urban Design to gain an overall picture of their work, we arranged a series of lunchtime talks that took place in SAPL. Each organisation interpreted the brief in different ways; from the conventional (focussing on the organisational structure, long-term vision and illustrated case studies), to the theoretical (taking S.Armstein’s 1969 model ‘The Ladder of Citizen Participation’ down to its application in regional projects)

and finally the interactive (where everyone engaged in participatory appraisal approaches loaded with post-it notes and felt-tip pens). The talks were met with bemusement by the students, but proved an interesting startingpoint for laying out the roles of these bodies in the fractured ecology of the built environment sector and also mapped out several methodologies (various, and equally mutually complimentary and conflicting) for how we re-connect architecture and place making to people.

THE SYMPOSIUM Petrescu introduced the symposium through the practice

“

the definition of participation that we share is still unweildly

”

17

18

of atelier d’architecture autogérée.

Her reflections brought to light questions about how we [8] negotiate space in the public realm and where the ownership for that space lies (whether in a legitimate, psychological or communal sense), the creation of the social act that can lead to empowerment and the evolution of community self-management [9].

The following lines of enquiry were then opened out to the floor: • Why is ‘participation’ important for you?; • Participation in what and with whom?; • What role have you played?; • What problems have you encountered?; as well as • What experience have you had that has made you reflect, change or challenge your process?

The audience represented a range of individuals potentially representing key players in the process including students

and academics, resident group members (from Gateshead Community Reference Group, FISH (Folk Interested in Shields Harbour) and Friends of Blyth Battery), architects, planners, local authority representatives, regeneration specialists and creative funding bodies.

The conversation began with the political perspective - participation (is important because) it is a natural part of democracy [10] where roles are identifiable and partnerships formed. Yet, the dichotomy between the public and professional face of place-making was quickly revealed. The longstanding alienation between the professions and those in the community were identified in factors such as language, communication, negotiation, time, decision-making, control, power and one-way processes.

Radical approaches were proposed as being required, as

part of an ambitious move to promote a flexible approach to conducting both neighbourhood and regional strategies in order to engage the silent majority. This underlined the continued need to see design and planning as more of a process than an outcome.

This even resulted in one panellist questioning the format of the symposium itself as being the antithesis of participation. This echoes Petrescu’s published ideas relating to the notion of liberation and control [11].

One person asked, “Does ‘participation’ as we practice it simply validate professionals’ practice rather than challenge it?” Also stressed was the need to consider every individual as a participant within the process, regardless of role and status as much as the facilitation and allocation of skills and knowledge across the board.

It was felt that more qualitative evaluation was needed - such as visual mapping for participatory

projects – in order to overcome embedded cultural standards, identified by the audience as chaos and isolation, cause and effect and over-promise and under-delivery, symptomatic of the misallocation of time, resources and opportunities.

Proposed suggestions included the need to revive collective action and in turn allowing time for micro-experiments to evolve. The aspirations and training within the architectural academe were also called into question, with the need for more live projects to enable students to become the enablers and communicators that are required.

The situation is described here: “The last decades have been marked with a genuine lack of collective culture and a glorification of the individual. Yet, times of crises, times of needs, may offer us the opportunity to revive the collective action. After years of topdown policies, it will take time to trust oneself again and trust ourselves even

19

20

more. Experiments and experiences such as that led by aaa or fatima in Dublin need to be communicated” [12].

One conclusion to the symposium is that Petrescu’s lines of enquiry are necessary constants within our regional context, but too often these ideas exist in moments of reflection rather than as critical questions.

The definition of participation that we share is still unwieldy, yet a collective appreciation and sharing of alternative practice and methodologies requires a consistent public presence in order to develop a clearer regional picture and understanding of what we might do. Underneath all this is the question, ‘can the experimental genuinely exist in the mainstream?’ Northern Architecture is working towards the long-term development of participation projects that utilise a number of different methodologies. These include visioning age-friendly neighbourhoods, mapping the

complex relationship between young people and the public realm, and design training in the context of regeneration. The opportunity to bring together the range of disciplines and approaches that we share – critical, reflective, responsive, creative, experimental and considered – presents a great opportunity to draw the region closer to a culture that is more open to alternative and participatory practice. It is embedding and disseminating this practice which will lead to tackling Petrescu’s final question, “What is the role of participative processes in addressing the challenges of the future?” __________________________ [1] An architecture centre works to create higher quality neighbourhoods, buildings and public spaces across the UK. [2] Doina Petrescu is a Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Sheffield, UK. [3] “What We Share: people, place and participation.” Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne. Feb 2009.

[4] Blundell Jones, P., Petrescu, D., & Till, J. “Losing Control, Keeping Desire.” Architecture and Participation.

Abingdon: Spon Press, 2005.

[5] Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1) sets out the government’s overarching planning policies on the delivery of sustainable development.

[6] Participatory Evaluation and Appraisal Newcastle upon Tyne.

[7] Mathews, Stanley. From Agit-prop to Free Space: The Architecture of Cedric Price. London: Black Dog, 2007.

[8] ‘We’ is meant in the collective sense of both, professional and public participation.

[9] Petrescu used the eco-urban strategy, developed by aaa, by way of illustration.

This strategy encourages the reappropriation of land and the reinvention of public space through activities of everyday life (e.g. gardening, cooking, chatting, reading, debating, etc) and understood as creative urban practices.

[10] Jules Brown, Planning Co-ordinator with the North of England Civic Trust.

[11] See Blundell Jones, P., Petrescu, D., & Till, J. 2005.

[12] Tardiveau, Armelle. “What We Share: people, place and participation.” Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne. Feb 2009.

21

Urban design: cities and culture Tim Townshend & Georgia Giannopoulou

F

22

rom the 1960s, as the certainties in the Modernist project in Architecture and Town Planning seemed to evaporate, a crisis in confidence loomed large in the psyche of built environment professionals. In the criticism and dissatisfaction with the environments that were created, the ability for built environment professions to create satisfactory places was questioned. Planners were criticised for being too concerned with well-intentioned, but ill-conceived regulation and policy and lacking in vision.

Architects were accused of being obsessed with the visualaesthetic of individual projects, of ignoring context and the social consequence of the projects they designed [1]. The built environment disciplines evolved their own culture and language and thrived on specialisation and differentiation.

These tightly defined professional boundaries,

which became increasingly institutionalised, created fragmented responses to places, resulting in fragmented and unsatisfactory environments [2]. In particular the interstices of our towns and cities (the places between set piece intervention) were overlooked, forgotten and left to rot.

Urban design as a field of interest emerged in response to these two dynamics and sought to: i) encourage a breaking down of professional barriers and to encourage new ways of understanding our towns and cities; ii) re-establish the ‘cohesiveness’ of the urban experience [3].

A concern for public space naturally became a focus and the main driving force behind the development of urban design theory and debate over the past two decades. Much attention was paid to the dual problems of neglect and privatisation of space.

The economic contingencies of the 1970s and 80s caused public authorities in many countries to reign back on their spending on the public domain and in the vacuum created, private developers preferred gated and exclusive enclaves to protect their investments.

However, the emergence of urban design in response to these issues and the greater investment in public spaces since the 1990s, have not been without their own problems. The lack of confidence in the design professions to produce solutions which address the needs of users coupled with a desire to be realistic and pragmatic has lead to an over emphasis on tried and test ‘safe’ solutions when it comes to (re)designing public spaces.

Precedents which are widely acclaimed become endlessly repeated so that places begin to look the same and local diversity and variety eroded. Moreover

“

Planners were criticised with being too concerned with well-intentioned, but illconceived regulation and policy

”

urban design has become dominated by guidelines and codes which add to homogeneity when applied unthinkingly.

Globalisation processes have speeded up the circulation of ideas around the world. Expertise is no longer a locally-rooted phenomenon, it is footloose and can be learnt and applied almost anywhere [4]. Small numbers of high profile designers and consultants operate at a global scale and competition between cities encourages copy cat reproductions of schemes from one place to another.

23

24

The well-intentioned endeavour to rid our towns and cities of unlovely and unloved spaces, may as an unintentional result, remove all sense of identity and character too.

How as designers do we address this issue? How do we operate within today’s global context without falling into the ‘acceptable anywhere’ solution?

CITIES AND CULTURE The current MA Urban design course at Newcastle has been continually changing and has evolved since its inception in 1993, however, one element that has remained integral to the course has been a teaching module entitled ‘Cities and Culture’ which has incorporated a field study visit to another European country. Working within the context of a foreign city and in multi-disciplinary teams of students, the course has attempted to reflect the

reality of work in practice where tight deadlines and unfamiliar locales are common.

Working in teams from different disciplinary backgrounds, there is a further aim to encourage the students towards ‘radical’ inter-disciplinarity [5] working, i.e. the interrogation of the different research approaches from the disciplines involved, to question the assumptions and cultures of those disciplines and to generate new collective ways of working.

In doing so, they are encouraged to develop common conceptual frameworks that bridge the disciplines and serve as basis for generating new approaches defined directly by the research questions in hand. The focus of the academic endeavour is outside traditional disciplinary boundaries and has the potential for fostering innovation and to create novel interventions.

A second key element to the module is to encourage

innovative ways of engagement with the places they study. To map both the physicality of the places they study and the social tissue of area. Students are encouraged to communicate with the local population, even when language is a barrier, to get an understanding of what its like to live in these places; to understand that ‘hanging around’ in coffee shops and street corners is as much of the design process for them as getting out their sketch pads, or surveying maps and plans.

OLTRETORRENTE: NEW PUBLIC DOMAIN The Oltretorrente project ran in spring of 2009. The module involved students drawn from urban design, architecture and planning courses.

In the weeks preceding the field study visit to Parma the students were asked to prepare seminars based on the various

chapters of Hajer and Reijndorps In Search of New Public Domain [6], as well as other texts. The key element from this was to develop a tool kit of ideas for use during the Oltretorrente project. Through a series of individual commentaries these texts challenge the notions of ‘good’ public space and question whether good spaces can be artificially ‘created’.

The students were then set a brief which challenged them to propose innovative ways to encourage social integration, community empowerment and socio-economic renaissance. In doing so, they had to address the social tissues of the area as well as the physicality of the interstitial, misused and abused spaces in the neighbourhood. The aim of these interventions would be to act as catalysts to create a spatial and social network, a new public domain that would engage and empower the various

23

groups of the neighbourhood.

The results of their endeavours, along with information collated during the trip, form the major part of this text. __________________________

24

[1] See for example Hayward, R & McGlynn, S. Making Better Places: Urban Design Now. Oxford: Architectural Press, 1993.

[2] Bentley, I. “Urban Design as an anti-profession.” Urban Design Quarterly, 1998: 65, p15.

[3] Sternberg, E. “An Integrative Theory of Urban Design.” Journal of the American Planning Association, 2000: 66, 265-78.

[4] Townshend, T.G. & Madanipour A. “Public space and local diversity: the case of Northeast England.” Journal of Urban Design. 2008: 13 (3) 317-329.

[5] Evans R, Marvin S. “Researching the sustainable city: three modes of interdisciplinarity.” Environment and Planning A. 2006; 38:1009-28.

[6] Hajer, M. & Reijndorp, A. In Search of New Public Domain.

Rotterdam, NAi: 2001.

an interview with

Claudio Cavazzini Mishari Ali, Ben Andrews, Tom Armfield, Bardhia Afshin, Michael Chevasco & Shangzi Wang

M

26

r. Cavazzini grew up in Oltretorrente and has always been involved with politics in the area. He is the representative of the Oltretorrente district of Parma.

There are thirteen districts in Parma, represented by thirteen politicians. Oltretorrente is the largest district in Parma, with the highest population and one of the lowest crime rates. Claudio is a right wing politician serving under a mainly left wing council. He was sworn in to office after obtaining the highest number of votes within the thirteen districts. He maintains a personal relationship with the locals and insists that to govern an area correctly one must have personal rapport.

Oltretorrente’s social makeup is made up of three main groups.

Foreign immigrants make up 80% of Oltretorrente, 10% are southern Italians and the remaining 10% are Parmesan. The majority of the Parmesan population is

elderly people and the area has few young families. This leads to a traditional view as to what Oltretorrente should be. When asked to identify social networks within the area there was no real zoning for different cultures, meaning no one area belongs to one social group. There seems to be a larger very mixed community within Oltretorrente and this has led to a lack of communication and interaction between residents.

Housing within Oltretorrente belongs to locals but is rented out to immigrants and these are seen as destroying the originality and sense of the area. Due to an old law taxing bigger facades most housing is has a deep and/or narrow plan with multiple stories. Due to the compact shape it is mainly students and couples who are interested in renting. Furthermore, these houses are split to serve as housing for multiple single user occupancy. Homeowners

take advantage of this by renting out these properties to immigrants and charge high rates. These homeowners are locals to the area and are described, by Claudio, as the enemies of Oltretorrente.

By this stage of the interview we could gauge that the number of immigrants was a concern and the measures used to house them was of equal concern.

There is clearly unrest within Oltretorrente between the locals and the immigrants. The fear is directed mainly towards Eastern Europeans who are perceived as more aggressive and imposing their culture onto Parma.

However, Claudio believes that the unrest or fear towards immigrants is purely a perceived danger and not an actual danger.

Oltretorrente is in fact, statistically, one of the safest districts within Parma. Due to the traditional intentions of Claudio when commercial, foreign activities

become popular there is a need to move them out of the district to reduce overcrowding. This happened with the old mosque within the area which was moved out of Oltretorrente to provide a bigger space for its facilities.

We wonder if this ‘moving out’ philosophy is creating problems within the surrounding districts.

Moving away from the immigration situations we asked what other key problems were within the district. He believed there were two major concerns regarding public and private transport. One, that Oltretorrente was being used as a parking lot for the city centre across the river. There are eight thousand inhabitants in Oltrtorrente and only seven hundred parking spaces. These parking spaces are known as ZTL or Zona trafico limitato spaces. These only allow permit holders to park during the day. Secondly, there are far too many buses passing

27

28

through the area which are not necessary. He insists that these two elements are detracting from one of the most attractive parts of Oltretorrente: the Passegio Maritimo or ‘River Walk’.

An example he used was for a small pizzeria opening up the restaurant on the riverside to give it a stronger connection to Parma. Unfortunately the river walk is dominated by a very regular bus route. Currently there are approximately sixty buses passing through Strada Massimo D’Azeglio every hour. To solve these problems the Parma Council is looking at a scheme which introduces smaller buses.

A second solution is to build an underground metro line with two stations located in Oltretorrente.

This will reduce the number of buses that pass through the area and reduce general congestion in the surrounding area. Claudio openly discussed the money that was going to be

used for these improvements and that the local council were not afraid of investing large sums of money to solve key issues.

However, there was concern regarding when the council would invest in a project of this size.

In the interview with Claudio Cavazzini we covered a number of key themes. We discovered three main issues in the area. These were housing, a fragmented social fabric and traffic and congestion. Some of the approaches to rectify these problems we believe can create bigger issues within and around Oltretorrente. We understand the need to uphold traditional and cultural identity. However, as the demographics of the area reflect a strong foreign body there is also a need to consider their needs and cultures and ultimately integrate them into Parma’s social fabric. These cultures are not allowed to establish an area of identity and instead they are

being dissolved and diluted and creating a new mixed identity.

Claudio believes that this problem between mixed cultures has started to correct itself within the younger generations of Parmesans. This would mainly occur in the classroom where cultures are mixed and have learn to lessen their prejudices.

Maybe the solution to the problem lies with the younger generations. Hopefully they can spark a coming together of these different social groups which will ultimately assist in solving

the adversity through diversity that exists in Oltretorrente.

He also plans on helping small businesses to open up their establishments towards the river.

29

Un festivale verde in Parma Tom Armfield, Michael Chevasco & Shangzi Wang

A

30

tree took a journey through Oltretorrente, offering residents a place to voice their opinions about the area.

The tree discovered that residents feel there is nothing to encourage people to visit Oltretorrente; no events, no monuments, no landmarks.

Parco Ducale was described as ‘over-monumental’ and ‘regal’ since its refurbishment.

Residents think of the park as disconnected from Oltretorrente.

Many residents also do not feel part of a community and as a result, not part of Parma.

Analysing the opinions of residents, the concept which forms the basis of our intervention is a ‘blurring’ of the boundaries of the park and a creation of new links between the park and Oltretorrente via community participation. It is hoped the intervention will ‘bring the park’ into Oltretorrente. Blurring the boundaries will help the flow

of pedestrian traffic out of the park and into the Oltretorrente.

The intervention will be of a two week long festival that will focus on sustainable issues and ecourage people to adopt a greener way of living. Two carparks will be taken over, encouraging the use of self powered transport to and around the festival. Activities will range from picnic areas to local food stalls to tree planting schemes and will take place on four sites.

The sites will vary in size and feel.

Drawing from the inspiration of Doina Petrescu and her ‘Eco Box’ concept, residents of Oltretorrente will be involved in the organisation of the festival from an early stage, including the planning and setting up of the festival, and deciding what events and acts that will be involved. It is hoped involving the community will empower residents and give them a sense of identity, making them a part of Parma.

4. University Carpark 5. Old Fayre Building

1. Entrance to Parco Ducale 2. Parco Ducale

5

3. Carpark at V. Dei Farnese

Our

site Festival

31

5

2

1

4 3 Original plan of Parco Ducale showing routes of interest and strong existing site-boundary surrounding the park.

1. Entrance: unchanged; acts as a gateway and direct link to information point 2. Parco Ducale central route: route will serve as ‘spine’ of the festival as vistors will be redirected to event space from information point.

3. Car park at Via John Fitzgerald Kennedy: performance space will act as threshold from park into the Oltretorrente.

4. University car park: leading from the information point, car park will serve as an events square.

5. Abandoned Fayre Building: serve as an internal alternative, with bike hire and learning zone.

5

32

2

4

2

1

3

33

1

5

3

Information point with retractable partitions. The partitions will act as a way of circulating pedestrians around the festival.

View of proposed stage area with grass car seating and picnic areas at foreground. The existing university building will serve as a lovely backdrop to the performance stage.

4

34

What Via John Fitzgerald Kennedy will look like when turf is rolled out over the highway and part of the wall is removed, creating a visual connection between the centre of the park and the immediate outskirts of the Oltretorrente. Festivale Verde realised: The main component of the festival at the

Picnopolis takes over Baltic Square, Gateshead. A section of grass is moved from a local park and placed in an urban area.

Grass cars are used as seating, giving the illusion that the park is bursting out and into the surrounding neighbourhood, engulfing the existing cars.

35

Car park on Via John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The car park is grassed over, allowing it to be used in an unconventional manor, bringing the community together.

Un Incontro Di Menti Bardia Afshin, Mishari Ali & Ben Andrews

A

t the heart of an historic and culturally diverse city quarter, a vision of togetherness and community spirit has become our primary focus.

The children of Oltorrente play freely in the playground, and at the end of the day spill out into the streets, where they are greeted by parents and friends. Different cultures meet, integrate and take pleasure in one another’s company. It is a showcase of together-ness.

The Scuola Comunale dell’Infanzia sits at the point where Borgo Parente and Via Della Constituente meet. Here there is little space for parents and children to meet and interact at the beginning and end of the day.

The solution: a space which fits specific needs of the area, as well as allowing for informal and impromptu use by all. A space allowing two main formal functions to take place.

Firstly, a performance area will enable the schools and nursery to showcase their work in public, whilst attracting passers-by.

Secondly, a market space will be created which uses the existing structures for market stalls. Sellers from the local area will have an opportunity to buy and sell, barter and converse, as well as freely exhibit their individuality and culture.

The space will be carefully designed in order to allow for informal use, through interactive wooden structures, fixed and unfixed elements.

As the scheme leaks out into the streets of Oltretorrente, it becomes a stage for larger events and a platform from which similar schemes can grow.

37

38

39

an interview with

Carlo Edward Bailey, Andrew Clarey, Danielle Cole, Amey Dahanukar, Allan Jones & Stu Kent

C

42

arlo is originally from Capri near Naples where he owned a hotel in an area popular with tourists. He moved to Parma because his family is originally from Parma, but also due to a change in the music industry which his hotel business also catered for. He opened his restaurant two years ago with the concept of providing Neapolitan style food with a Neapolitan atmosphere. Opening such a business in Oltertorrente was a risky venture, given that there were no other similar business’ in the area. Whilst Carlo works in the west side of Parma he lives in the east side. His working life has lead to a limited social life due to the business being so new.

His business style is similar to how he ran his business in Capri.

It is based on the ‘open table concept’, which also follows an old Italian tradition. This is where people come and eat together on ‘one table’ who don’t necessarily know each other. He has set up a Facebook group to help promote this interaction within the

community for people who would normally dine alone. Most of his clients are from Oltretorrente but the restaurant is now developing a wider client base with a solid base of regular clients.

Carlo finds the Parmesan people very friendly. Many of the local shops will have regular customers and the people will know each other’s names. This reflects the strong community, strong identity and sense of belonging here.

He pointed to the elderly population as being a big issue within Oltretorrente. The elderly use local shops as landmarks but due to the influx of immigrants who have set up shops, cafes, restaurants, and take-aways, these landmarks have disappeared. Despite this, many of the immigrants are also care workers for the elderly, so there appears to be a love/ hate relationship between these two parts of the community.

The community has also been broken down by the high

proportion of apartments rented by students; a fluid population.

Carlo went on to state that the Oltretorrente area needs more investment. His business started very well as there was nothing in the area that provided the same style food or experience. However, given the economic climate, shops are closing down (three shops and two bars in the last two months).

This has caused Carlo concern and Oltretorrente is beginning to lose its function. Carlo presented the example of a book shop that closed down, resulting in the loss of an important meeting point for the local community. Oltretorrente has become quiet during the night and not much better during the day. Carlo wants the activity back: activity is good, even kebab shops bring more activity, activity is wanted and required.

Carlo feels there has been no progress in the last two years despite promises. Which has led to a feeling of abandonment by the state.It seems that the

politicians want change but have not done anything to kick start or intiate it. There are many existing opportunities within Oltretorrente but instead the politicians choose to hide behind regulations and not exploit these opportunities.

Carlo explains this saying: The state wants new ideas but are unprepared to demolish or make the big change required.

Instead they are too conservative, hanging onto the existing with a belief that change is bad. The problems are obvious and a local university paper reinforced this.

What is unclear is the politicians’ intent. As a result the people of Oltretorrente feel estranged.

Carlo pointed out that despite there only being a population of 200,000 an underground train system was going to be built with two stops in Oltretorrente and questioned whether this was necessary. Instead money should be focused elsewhere, where

43

44

it is needed and not on train station and seat for EU safety.

Carlo also pointed out that Oltretorrente suffers from a poor image and says that this not helped by a near abandonment by the rest of Parma. The street signs don’t point to Oltretorrente but instead they all point to the eastside. Even guidebooks don’t mention Oltretorrente and instead focus in on the ‘historic centre’. This has made the area lose its identity and become a kind of non-place. Activities are then forced to move due to out of town shopping centres.

Carlo tried to build a terrace to rear of restaurant to face the river. It was a long and hard process which resulted in his application being turned down.

Carlo emphasised the state’s unwillingness to change the facade of Oltretorrente as this was a key image of Parma.

He stated that Oltretorrente is the true heart of the town

but this is now forgotten. He gave indepth explanations of the key problems that face Oltretorrente on a local level: • no parking in the area and so people get fined for parking in convenient locations, • bikes are stolen, and walking by foot has become undesirable.

• ground floor garages have replaced shops and cafes, resulting in adverse impacts on businesses and street activity • uninteresting streets have been left behind by the problems mentioned.

Yet Carlo identified the river, and the facade that fronts as one of Oltretorrente key issues and opportunities. The river is a big divide, both physical and social, and the shopping is located in the more affluent eastside of Parma. Consequently Carlo feels that ‘life’ is leaving Oltretorrente.

However, he believes that the river is also key in turning around Oltretorrente problems. The river is not currently recognised

or connected with the physical or social environments; the river is only viewed. Fifty years ago Oltretorrente was a popular neighbourhood within Parma.

People used the river to find materials from which to construct houses, but now it is strange for people to be seen down by the riverside. The dam now controls the river to some extent and the river does dry-out. But the river is still uncontrollable as well as remaining vulnerable to flood.

Carlo believes that long term solutions are needed, the state has tried small things, (making reference to a scheme that offered six licences for cafes, bars and restaurants to investors but none of these were taken). These forms of activity are not sustainable in the longer term, and more radical solutions are required. Many schools and universities are in the area with eight to ten thousand students and nothing for them to do. There is a need to advertise

and promote Oltretorrente, put it on the map, and reintegrate the area within the ‘Parma Image’.

45

Oltretorrente: a provocative idea Andrew Clarey, Danielle Cole & Edward Bailey

T

his scheme bridges the social, physical, and visual assets of Parma based around four key principles: • reconnecting the river; • adaptable spaces that change with the seasons; • reconnecting the east and west; • celebrating the existing.

Delving into the history of Parma, we have used the river as source of inspiration to develop an intervention set that reconnects Parma with itself.

Existing ecological value lines the riverside with a broad range of species both in terms of vegetation and animals. By employing sensitive planting and landscaping and flood mitigation measures, this will introduce a stable environment that will sustain the existing and encourage use of the space for leisure, learning and appreciation.

Piers will reach out from either side and a continuous platform will run along the Oltretorrente side of the river for a set section of the river. This will provide a

sensitive addition to the historical frontage and offer new alternatives for commerce, community interaction, and leisure. It will also provide a visual connection between both sides of the river, the river’s source and a physical connection down to the riverside.

The volatile and changeable character of the river presents an exciting opportunity to interact with it through the introduction of floating and fixed art installations.

The structures will provide new visual attractions that evolve each time the river levels change.

The above will be complimented by a wide variety of temporary and permanent interventions spreading through Parma, providing connections back to the river and another opportunity for the community to integrate themselves with Parma and its people.

Our vision is a chance to propel design beyond the typical and lay the foundation for a future of sustainable and social development which we all hope is inevitable.

Public (land) art, respond to the context.

Piers and viewpoints explore new territory.

47

Reaching out to the ‘otherside’.

large temp structure temporary structure floating park/garden enhanced river corridor river art new tree planting urban beach urban pier wetland planting improvements development site floating walkway formal park landscape

The river is biodiverse with a high ecological value, which is compromised by poor access and inconsistent river levels. With sensitive approaches the river can be explored and used once again adding to the Parma experience for all its visitors and users.

48

Interventions such as walkways, and introduction of managed weltland habits, public art etc. can crate an exciting and accesible environment.

The river environment should be able to function regardless of fluctuating river levels, with floating walkways, structures etc. along with flood mittigation measures.

Raised public walkways can provide access to the river regardless of river levels.

When levels are extremly high floating strcutures (or islands) linked to the land can ensure that the river can still be experienced and interacted with.

11 11 1 12 7 2

3

5 5 4

Raised or floating walkways.

7 10

11

49

11 1 Adaptable land art.

9 3

4

1 floating boardwalk 1.

2 proposed public 2.

7

9 10

7 6

8

10

8 9

11

11

entertainment space 3 floating park/garden 3.

4 urban beach 4.

5 develpment site 5.

6 proposed riverside 6. park 7 pier/observation 7. platform 8 wetlands/biodiverse 8. planting 9 temporary/moveable 9. structure 10 proposed art 11 proposed river access 12 proposed formal landscape

The river creates an East/West barrier, with little to enagage the community or encourage interaction with this cultural and physical asset

50

Piers + other interventions being the community into and across the river corridor and encourage interaction

linking the existing uses with the new ensures the interventions will be welcomed by all and used by all.

Breaking through building facades into the river corridor create a visual and phsyical link with the river and the wider area.

1 pier/observation platform 1.

2 wetlands/biodiverse 2. planting 3 temporary/moveable 3. structure 4 proposed art 4.

5 5. proposed river access 6 proposed formal 6. landscape

1 4

4 2

2 5

5

3

3

Creative access to the river, which is adaptable to changing river levels and conditions.

1 6

51

4

4 2

1

Striking contemporary design can create a local identity.

3

2

5

5

4

2

2

6

Pier structures can be varied, with different uses like this wildlife observatory

Community pods: creating space & place for social interaction Amey Dahanukar, Allan Jones & Stu Kent

O

ur social and spatial exploration of Oltretorrente provided a rich insight of how the area functions. When investigating these functions, we interviewed a local businessman who gave us his thoughts and feelings how the area operates, we also sought the views of the wider population of Oltretorrente.

Creating balloon-boards, we asked people to ‘draw their Oltretorrente.’ Our greatest observation from this exercise was what happened when boards placed in particular spaces; we noticed that people who had previously populated space in an incoherent way were drawn together towards the balloons to find out what was happening in that space.

These exercises highlighted that the social fabric of the area consists of a range of different communities which co-exist with little interaction. In addition to this lack of social cohesion, the physical environment of

Oltretorrente fails to meet the needs and desires of the current population of the area.

Upon reflection, we explored ways to create an intervention which would re-stitch together the physical and social fabric of Oltretorrente. The concept of the balloon-boards provided our inspiration, we wanted to create a structure which brought about a similar reaction to the balloons to entice the community to interact together.

Community pods are spaces which can be utilised and adapted for a variety of different uses.

These spaces serve to knit together the physical environment to meet the desires of the current population. Whilst each pod has a different function, the overall form, shape and materials of the pods will be fundamentally the same in order to create a shared identity between the social and physical fabric of Oltretorrente.

There are few public spaces within Oltretorrente where groups can gather as nearly all public areas are bare and left open. Consequently, many groups seem to hide within buildings. By creating an opportunity for groups to have their own exterior spaces the intent is to improve the perception of public spaces throughout Oltretorrente.

Making the offer The option to create a community pod will be offered to a variety of groups throughout Oltretorrente.

Creating the form and function

54

Groups have an active role in the creation of their pod and ultimately decide upon its form and function.

Community construction Pods are created from kits of parts which can create an infinite number of shapes.

Potential form and function of community pods

Enclosed Space

55

Exposed Space

Interactive Space

57

an interview with

Laura Greg Shaw, Andrew Mindham, Jiang Jianke & Lucia Nogaledo Tous

T

58

hree years ago Laura decided to leave her native Ukraine in search of better life and a new challenge away from economic depression. In leaving the Ukraine Laura left behind her family, including a daughter, and her long-standing job as a tailor.

Laura chose to move to Parma as she had always been interested in Italian culture and was attracted to the country through the stereotypical images of Italy she had seen in the media, such as the sun, good food and nice countryside.

On arrival in Parma, Laura was unable to speak any Italian as she originally had planned to move to Germany. Despite not speaking the local language she felt very welcome and quickly found a home. Laura lives alone in a small terraced house on Borgo Pier Antonio Bernabei which runs south off Strada Massimo D’Azeglio, a major east to west

route running through the heart of Oltretorrente. Living in close proximity to such a key strategic route gives Laura excellent access to shops, public transport and employment opportunities.

EMPLOYMENT Laura’s first job lasted two years, during which she worked as a healthcare worker, looking after the elderly and the disabled.

This allowed Laura to meet a variety of people including immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa as well as local Italians. Two years later Laura decided to look for other work and she promptly found a job working as a cleaner and a house-keeper in a number of private properties across Parma. The majority of properties Laura cleans and maintains are located outside of Oltretorrente either near the train station or the Parco Cittadella.

And so Laura is reliant on public transport to access these

properties. In order to supplement her earnings, Laura also manages to hold down a job working as an assistant in a fruit and vegetable shop on Via Langirano in Oltretorrente SOCIAL INTEGRATION After three years living in Parma, Laura feels that she has fully integrated into life in Oltretorrente and Parma as whole.

This is not surprising considering the amount and variety of jobs she has had in a relatively small space of time. Laura also has two different social circles one of which made up of other immigrants from Eastern Europe and the other is made up of local Italians. According to Laura it is very rare that the two groups of friends mix.

In the winter months a temporary ice rink and a number of market stalls are erected in the Piazza Picelli in Oltretorrente.

As well as enjoying using the

ice skating facilities Laura believes that the ice skating rink temporarily brings the local community together and the snobbery that exists in the local community between different social classes is temporarily pushed aside.

Although Laura is happy living in Oltretorrente she hopes to live in a larger house like those which surround the Parco Cittadella on the opposite side of the Parma River. This area of housing is situated in a more affluent area of Parma and is of high quality in terms of maintenance, materials and access to public and private amenity space. Access to open space was an issue raised by Laura as she finds the streets of Oltretorrente crowded and congested.

SOCIAL LIFE Laura has a set daily routine, most of which revolves around going to work, however in her in

59

60

going to work, however in her spare time Laura enjoys going jogging at the Parco Cittadella and going to the gym in the centre of Parma. Although the Parco Ducale is closer to her home than the Parco Cittadella Laura rarely uses it as she claims this park is more for tourists. When socialising with other friends Laura usually goes out to restaurants or nightclubs in the centre of Parma and on rare occasions she travels around the countryside surrounding Parma.

To do her weekly food shopping Laura chooses to travel to the northern outskirts of Parma to a large shopping complex on Via San Leonardo. Laura chooses to do the majority of her shopping here because of the cheap price of the food and the excellent bus service which runs between Oltretorrente and the shopping complex.

Laura only uses local shops and

Borgo Pier Antonio Bernabei, Laura’s home

street markets in Oltretorrente for clothes shopping and general day to day convenience goods.

WHAT CHANGES WOULD LAURA MAKE TO LIFE IN OLTRETORRENTE? Laura believes that the public transport serving Oltretorrente and the rest of Parma is excellent, though she would like to see more buses running later into the night so it is easier for her to travel too and from work. She would also

like to see higher levels of social integration in Oltretorrente as at present she believes that there is a social divide in the community. In order to combat this problem Laura would like to build on the success of the ice rink at the Piazza Picelli.

Laura expressed a wish for the ice rink to stay all year round as the rink makes efficient use of an open space that at the moment is underused and undervalued by the community. Laura believes that the success of the ice rink indicates that the Piazza Picelli has the potential to become the centre of the community.

61

Piazza G. Picelli: bringing the community together Jiang Jianke, Andrew Mindham, Greg Shaw & Lucia Nogaledo Tous

T

he inspiration for our intervention comes from two sources, Doina Petrescu’s paper entitled “Losing Control, Keeping Desire” and interviews with a number of Italians and immigrants living in Oltetorrente.

An interview with Ukrainian immigrant Laura revealed the positive aspects of living in Oltetorrente. Laura made reference to how a temporary ice rink erected in the Piazza G. Picelli during winter was successful in bringing the local community together. Following a visit to the piazza it became apparent that there was potential for the piazza to become a hub for the local community. This is due to its location at the intersection of a number of roads and its proximity to the local school and church.

In subsequent interviews with local business owners and residents around the piazza it became clear that the integration of the local Italian and immigrant community was a problem. The same interviews

also revealed that at present the piazza is a space which had no real role or function outside of the winter. Through adopting Petrescu’s basic principles revolving around making efficient use of spaces, public participation in neighbourhood schemes and community ownership, we propose to bring a new physical and social use to the Piazza G. Picelli.

In using the church and school which front the Piazza G. Picelli as a meeting place for a community group and storage facility it is proposed to turn the piazza into a multifunctional space for the local community to come together and enjoy all year. It is proposed that the piazza will have a regular day to day use involving the hiring out of the piazza’s floor space to local business and placing moveable street furniture in the piazza. In conjunction with this day-to-day use, a series events for the piazza are programmed. The full function is explained in the following pages.

Social Map

Social mapping of the residential area surrounding the Piazza G. Picelli

Day-to-day use of Piazza G.Picelli 63

1 2 4

1. Millenium Square, Leeds

2. fountains within paving construction

3. shared surface granite setts

4. lighting flush with street surface

3

Versatile space with movable trees, street furniture and a fountain that can be switched off and covered.

Seasonal Programme of Events Winter: Ice Skating Rink Ice skating rink with outdoor cafes and bars

64

Spring: 5-a-side Football Football to be played on a temporary surface with removable goal posts

65

Summer: Music Festival The multi-functional open space will allow for open air music events.

66

Autumn: Food Festival An ethnic food festival will allow residents to experience food from other cultures.

67

Breaking barriers Tristan Clarys, Ninad Patil, & Ami Snowdon

T

he inspiration for our proposal stems from the interventions at Palace der Republik in which temporary cultural and community uses caused regeneration and social cohesion. Involvement of the community throughout the development process was key to the proposals’ fruition.

Without this, the development would not have received political or financial support.

Our interview conducted with Laura, she had made it clear that there was a lack of facilities throughout the year for social interaction. It is also apparent that there is a lack of social integration between different ethnic communities in Oltretorrente.

Although Laura has friends from several ethnic communities she socialises with them separately.

We also interviewed several local residents and business owners.

These interviews reinforced the opinions expressed by Laura suggested a divide between different age groups and a lack of facilities for younger members of the community.

The proposal is focused on redeveloping the old hospital building and its grounds on Via Primo Maggio through both permanent and temporary uses.

The aim is to create a venue which will break barriers between different age groups and ethnicities whilst creating a vibrant area where a variety of activities will occur.

It is believed that by placing a variety of uses and events for different ethnic groups and age groups under one roof, barriers will be broken down, yet without forcing social cohesion. It will allow for a natural evolution. ‘Neutral’ areas such as food venues will also allow for ‘mixing’.

The proposal also includes an ‘Exhibit Box’; a transparent box for housing a digital information display about the various events, programmes and festivals which occur within the site. It would be strategically located at numerous public nodes throughout Oltretorrente. The box will allow for public participation, acting as a venue for local residents to express

69

70

71

72

73

an interview with

Scuola Communale dell’Infanzia Stefan Rust, David Stokoe & Phil Storey

An

interview was undertaken with workers from one of the major nursery schools within Oltretorrente. The hope was to discover the successes and failures of Oltretorrente from the point of view of workers, children and their families within the area.

THE SCHOOL School is for three to six-yearolds, with six classes of twenty eight per class. It caters for a total of one hundred eighty six children, and opens from 7:30am until 4:30pm, or 6:30pm for children with special needs. The school was built in 1946 on an empty space given by the municipality to use for educational purposes.

The school was renovated in 2000 and features courtyards with trees, a rare feature within the neighbourhood. The nursery is the only school for three to six-yearolds within Oltretorrente.

MAIN POINTS The Park Ducal was restored to its original design in 2000, and is noted as an important feature of the area. It features the theatre in the park, for use and performances by local children, and also features childrens’ play areas. Features near the park include the library (for use by adults and university students), a nursery for infants to three-yearolds, and a Franciscan church which is home to a scout group

75

76

for over eight year olds. Many secondary schools are based within Oltretorrente, for use by the entire city Few children travel a great distance to the nursery, although they do come from the whole district surrounding Oltretorrente.

This is enabled through close proximity to a range of transport facilities. The school has a good reputation passed by word of mouth throughout the communities it serves.

Immigration began with many African families, followed by Chinese, Indonesian, Albanian, and most recently a large influx of Eastern Europeans. Over the last ten years the number of children of ethnic minorities has increased from approximately four children in each class to approximately ten. As immigration has increased, two strong identities have emerged within Oltretorrente: the first is the local people. These people tend to

own their properties, have large houses which they renovate. The second group are the new-comers who rent narrower properties and tend to be more content with what they have.

Oltretorrente is popular because it offers lower rental rates, making it particularly attractive to new-comers, students, and first time buyers.

There is a difference between the education levels of those living within the area, depending on their backgrounds and cultural differences. For example, in African families the women tend

to stay at home to look after the family, while the men work to earn money; whereas the Eastern European men and women both tend to work. Immigrants tend to be proud people who try to find work, without relying on the welfare state. In the last four to five years, immigrants have begun to buy their own houses.

Banks are usually willing to give mortgages to immigrant families, as they are seen as more reliable than Italian families.

The school encourages exchange between parents, and see it as important to have social cohesion within the community.

When the children are together they do not see differences between themselves, regardless of skin, colour or cultural background. In turn, this has encouraged interaction between the parents of varied cultural backgrounds, such as visiting each other’s houses.

A library at the school was

created to facilitate exchange between parents and as an excuse for the staff to meet the families of the children. Free loans of books are available.

Actvities are undertaken between the children, their parents and teachers. For example, a book was created containing folklore songs from different cultures.

The school has approximately fifteen countries represented in its student body. This has often led to parents asking to stay in the garden areas with their children after the nursery has closed and possibly indicates the need for more intimate public space for families to use within Oltretorrente.

Depending on the age and cultural background, different people feel a different sense of belonging. For example, older people have strong ties but those of the ages of up to forty and fifty feel less of a sense of belonging. An example of this is

77

78

shown through the Parma dialect society. The society is dedicated to retaining the traditional Parma dialect, and is struggling to attract new members as well as finding it difficult to introduce the dialect to schools and young children.

Oltretorrente is considered a pleasant place to live and work, as there are many facilities and services compared to those in the suburbs, and its close proximity to the city centre. The lifestyle pattern remains very traditional and it is still seen as quite a prestigious place to live. If the population continues to grow as a result of immigration, it may be difficult to cope with the increased transport demands: e.g. parking spaces are limited and some streets require special permission for vehicles to enter. Services may also be difficult to maintain. For example, a mosque existed within Oltretorrente but was moved to another part of town as it was too small. A drug rehab centre was

also moved.

In the last ten years attention has been paid to the above social issues of Oltretorrente, and it is hoped that the issues will be faced to create a better place to live. Unused spaces, including the former hospital, are opportunities for development.

The nursery workers noted that people should also take back possession of places, such as disused squares and buildings.

It is hoped that the area will be used more in the future by tourists and other residents of Parma, especially if the disused areas are

successfully reactivated.

There are several areas the nursery workers noted as requiring attention: • former hospital; • Strada D’Azeglio (main road): wonderful street but misused, and shops aren’t frequented as much as they should be; • university area: not used to its full potential; • city gates (marked on map): too traffic-dominated, an opportunity to make them more attractive. For example, undercroft parking with a park above. More importance should also be given to the monuments at the gates; • smaller former hospital: many small squares and areas with unused courtyards. For example, the area inside the hospital includes a park which can’t be accessed at present, which could be used.

79

Turning the page Kristina Horakova, Anoop Menon & Jonathon Potts

O

ltretorrente suffers from a lack of social integration between the Italian residents and the large immigrant populations.

Despite a wealth of cultures and traditions, the area lacks true character or sense of place.

By taking inspiration from Pascal Nicolas-le Strat’s “Interstitial Multiplicities” and the ideas and issues discussed during an interview with the staff of the ‘Scuola Comunale dell’Infanzia’ we have developed our idea which is aimed at establishing relationships and repairing the social tissue of the community.

Our proposition involves taking an interstice and creating a place where social empowerment, attachment to place and relationships between a divided community can begin to grow.

The interview at the school revealed the success of the small integral library they had set up in bringing the parents of the children together. Through the books and stories of the different cultures, the intimate, safe and comfortable space of the school and the nonjudgemental viewpoints of the children, the boundaries have begun to break down. However, the interview also revealed that this area was only available during school hours and that there is a

distinct lack of flexible community space available in Oltretorrente.

The interstice we selected is the inner courtyard and surrounding rooms of the Ospedale Vecchio.

Our reasons for choosing this area include the enclosed courtyard, its location on the main road through the area (Strada Massimo D’Azeglio), the link to the municipal library (located elsewhere in the building), the proximity to the park (Parco Ducale) and the link to the local community (it also houses the state archives).

The proposed uses for the space build upon the ideas introduced at the school and include a children’s and multicultural library, a second hand bookshop, a kitchen, workshops and flexible rooms for readings, teaching (including the local dialect) and exhibitions. There is also potential for including activities involving paper such as small scale recycling, print shops and craft activities, such as papier-mâché.

This intervention includes permanent and temporary activities which will provide an intimate space and promote social integration.

It will also help to establish a connected network of spaces throughout Oltretorrente involving the schools, the proposed children’s library space and the park.

Ospedale Vecchio

81

Network Location

82

A typical journey of a child: from school, to the library, to the park.

83

Proposed Intervention Activities

84

85

Oltretorrente: growing a community Stefan Rust, David Stokoe & Phil Storey

Reconnecting the river

As a capitol city it had to have a river. As a little capitol it received a

stream, which is often dry.

Attilio Bertolucci

A

lthough it may just be a stream, the physical barrier the water creates more than warrants its status as a river. It divides the city between the city centre to the east and Oltretorrente to the west.

The river is seen as the edge of the city centre – a barrier. By the same token, Oltretorrente’s residents perceive the river as a barrier between their own neighbourhood and the city centre’s attractions. Oltretorrente features very few attractions in its own right, and it is for this reason that the river can be transformed.

As a whole, the development proposed aims to improve the connections between Oltretorrente and the river, so that it is no longer

seen as a barrier. Opening up vistas such as that of the Palace Ducal, and access routes to Oltreterrente itself, will aim to make the river a complete part of Oltretorrente.

The lack of open green space within the area was a key concern of people interviewed at a local nursery, for children and families as a whole. A large part of the intervention will consist of providing allotments for children from local schools to cultivate, year after year.

The intervention will also provide green open space for public use, as well as private gardens and decked areas for the residents whose homes bound

87

A place for communities to grow

access point

access point temporary allotments 88

scuola communale dell’infanzia

permanent raised deck access point public green space

Spring

community prepares and plants the allotments

89

public green space

temporary allotments

permanent raised deck

Autumn

local people come to celebrate the harvest

90

Summer

temporary urban beach

Winter

permanent deck allows for continued access in times of flooding

91

an interview with

Forum Solidarieta Caroline Cowan, Carrie Edwards, Huw Friar, Miriam Sanchez Lopez, Neil Woodhouse & Qi Zhang

T

92

his is the ninth year that Forum Solidarieta has been based in Oltretorrente. Forum Solidarieta is a fifteen-year-old.

• non- government organisation (NGO) supporting over four hundred charitable causes in the greater Parma Region.

• around two hundred of these are located within Parma city limits, dealing with such areas as: child relations, healthcare, civic rights and environmental protection etc.

• There are over forty charities of this kind based within the heart of the Oltretorrente neighbourhood.

We interviewed a representative of the organisation and asked the following questions: “What types of groups are Forum Solidarieta involved with?”

Some of the charities based in Oltertorrente include: • Legambiente: an environmental protection group

• Centro de auto vita: assistance for single parents • Famiglia piu: counselling for distressed families • Centro anti violenza: a womans’ refuge • Noi per loro: respite care for families with ill children • Ciac: advice on services and immigrants’ rights Many people are aware of the work that Forum Solidarieta do and know that they can find support with this group. There are a number of support groups, and although many are aware of the group, they don’t make it known that they need help.

“What do you see as the largest problems within Oltretorrente?”

Ties within the community of Oltretorrente have become loose or even completely lost and the neighbourhood lacks community cohesion.

Often people come to Oltretorrente alone. They often miss their family and friends.

Coming to this new area they lack a social network and so there can be great difficulty with simple things like looking after their children. Immigrants usually work in jobs that involve working shifts and so this can cause problems with where to take the children when they go to work.

Communities vary according to ethnicity, age, income, background etc., and there is little opportunity to bring these different groups together.

There is a consistent lack of opportunities for communities to meet and integrate, with common facilities such as the school being restricted to regular business hours. This is often the place that parents from different countries have an opportunity to encounter different people and there is a desire to have more time to stay and speak to

one another. There needs to be more space and stronger areas that can ‘tie’ people together.

Oltretorrente is a nice place to walk through and it has a strong identity, which is particularly distinctive on this side of the river. It is stronger.

Schools are an important resource. Oltretorrente has many schools and university buildings.

Of particular note is one of the primary schools which has a good reputation for having what is seen as ‘too many foreign children’, with many local families preferring to place their children in other schools with mostly Italian children. In contrast to this, civil servants associated with the newly established EFSA tend to like living in Oltretorrente and send their children to this school for the same reason as locals avoid it. They like the fact that there is multi-cultural environment for their children as it allows them to feel connected since they do

93

not stand out as being different.

They are not ‘the only one’.

94

AGE The area is suffering from an aging population with housing and building types which are inappropriate for their needs (tall buildings with no lifts or steep stairs and no locally accessible amenities). The result is that elderly people living in these houses have care needs that need to be addressed through health care staff, who increasingly are from the growing immigrant community.

Unfortunately there is an environment of suspicion between elderly established communities and new immigrant cultures despite their being dependant on one another. The elderly depend on them for social care and the new immigrants are reliant on the elderly for employment. The outdated cultural stereotypes make this a fraught relationship.

RISING POVERTY RATES The number of people using services such as soup kitchens has increased significantly, with all communities appearing to suffer. The causes of this appear to be unknown but can be linked to unemployment and increased levels of immigration.

“What are the barriers to overcoming the issues you have highlighted?”

There appears to be a lack of ‘common ground’ between existing residents and new migrant communities, with the opportunities of bringing people together becoming harder to identify. There exists an apathy where some people and communities assume their interests are addressed by ‘higher people’ (i.e., politicians).

There is therefore little desire for certain groups of people to get themselves involved.

Resources are limited in terms of money. It’s not just about

the money however, it’s also about how to spend it. There is a tendency for politicians to address problems through the easiest method available to them that has an instant impact on voters (e.g., CCTV cameras in strategic locations in the area is a quick solution). It doesn’t necessarily make a place safer, but it can make some people feel like they are more integrated as they can see how the money has been spent on their area. A good result to many politicians is one that improves their public image. There is less desrie for an integrated solution as it costs more time and money.

“Would you like to tell us anything else about Oltretorrente that we haven’t already covered?”

The identity of Parma and Oltretorrente is not lost it is just changing it evolves with new people coming to the area.

Lifestyles have changed a lot so the identity has changed.

Parma is very proud of its history, particularly the stand that was made against Fascism in the 1920s by politician Guido Picelli. He would give speeches in locations that people would go for a common purpose such as bars. Today’s equivalent might be the butchers shop which is now run by foreigners, but the produce it has means that despite any prejudice people will still go there out of necessity.

95

Idle to opportunity

Miriam Lopez, Neil Woodhouse & Qi Zhang

I

dle to opportunity is the proposed use of idle space and infrastructure to deliver temporary and permanent opportunities to the residents and communities of Oltretorrente.

Based on the work of Teddy Cruz, Raumlabor Berlin and the atelier d’architecture autogérée, or ‘Idle to Opportunity’ aims to make best use of idle infrastructure and offer it to the community to use as they see fit. Proposals do not seek to build structures, but instead propose subtle sensitive interventions to allow communities access to safe and secure community spaces free of constraints and open to their own interpretation.

The focus of proposals will be towards inaccessible and disused space associated with redundant buildings and infrastructure to provide temporary community uses at minimal cost until redevelopment onsite becomes viable. The primary objective behind such action is to provide the community a sense of ownership of their space and offering a catalyst to bring together all sectors of the community - all races, all ages, all abilities.

On completion of remedial works to make spaces safe and accessible, spaces will be integrated into local infrastructure with management being offered to local institutions including schools and local charities. It would then be left to the community and their representatives to determine how spaces are to be used, who for and what their role should be within the community, enabling the character, role and appearance of the space to evolve and create its own true sense of identity.

Two example sites have been identified to demonstrate how such a proposal could be implemented.

Both sites have been chosen due to their vacant/under used appearance and large areas of idle space associated with them. One site on Via Primo Maggio is in close proximity to a number of schools.

It offers opportunities to young people and could be managed by the nearby schools. The second site on Borgo Parente is close to a number of charities and has more potential for family use. Both sites have the potential to link communities together and give a greater sense of community cohesion to Oltertorrente.

Site 1: Via Primo Maggio

Site 2: Borgo Parente Sites have been picked due to their proximity to local communities.

The map clearly shows how site 1 (Via Primo Maggio) benefits from its proximity to schools whilst site 2 (Borgo Parente) benefits from its proximity to a number of charities.

97

Site 2

Site 1

Uses: Example Sites Schools Local Interested Charities

98

Current Situation

Large areas of space lie idle, underused and inaccessible to the general public. The surrounding communities are fragmented and do not benefit from common space in which to interact and integrate with one and other. Spaces are instead poorly maintained and can be unsightly and intimidating to the passerby.

Proposed Situation

Spaces are opened up and made accessible to local communities. Local people have a common space in which to meet and integrate offering opportunities to cement community cohesion. Spaces can give a community a sense of ownership within the area and be open to interpretation. They can be used in whichever way the community sees fit.

activity

community

finding the right piece to bring communities together

Learning through play & fun

space

Meeting through activities

Interaction through common space

Bringing family and communities together

99

Site 1: Via Primo Maggio

Bringing communities together through education

The use of a large redundant space to to act as a meeting place and a place of learning.

Located on the edge of Oltretorrente and close to number of schools, this space is to act as an after-school space of learning, cementing communities together. A place of learning, a place of play, a place to bring young and old together.

100

Site 2: Borgo Parente Bringing families together through fun

The use of under-used internal courtyard to provide a meeting place for all families from all bachgrounds. Located adjacent to a number of charities, this space can act as a communities space allowing neighbours and families to interact through through varying events ranging from daily activities to seasonal events.

101

Pat Adionse Growsiyour own Dolver Sunsecte Caroline Cowan, Carrie Edwards & Huw Friar

A concept based upon: ‘The commingling of different worlds and their

This intervention responds to concerns raised by an Oltretorrente NGO coupled with liminal spaces’ (Hajer and Reijndorp 2001).

Damon Albam, Graham Coxon, James, Dave Rowntree lessons learnt from theAlex text, ‘In and Search of New Public Domain’(2001).

This intervention responds to concerns raised by an Oltretorrente NGO coupled with lessons learnt from the text, ‘In Search of New Public Domain’(2001).

105

The aim:

THE AIM: To odio odiam et velendre magna acincin utpate facing et dignibh promote integration and opportunities for experiences, promote integration and opportunity for experience facilitTolortion velisis sequis nibh eros exerate dolore vero do diat aut dit encourage community cohesion, Encourage community cohesion nonsed min hendipisim vullan wisl et autatin cillaortio odolumsan linkin both social and cultural services.

Link both social and & cultural services henibh eumsandit ut wisit laorper elenibh ent vulla am, commoluptat sum del digna core dolore eum vel et ea conse enit aliquissequi ex do cor ipit wis nulla facinit veniam et pratumsandio essendiam, veros xamining the locations of both ranging from vegetables to plants and non ullaortincip prat, quat alistheetsocial lum care ipis and el iustrud cultural tat. flowers means that theent product can venis nismodipit lutpat.

Duisisci tate Utassociations ullum ea facilis autpatum it was evident that adui et be saleable, creating opportunities number ofwisis journeys andexero paths crossed commerce.

Sale events will be at mincipit nibh. deliquipit nibh eugiam for at common points. An dui regular intervalseuissenibh in different locations Oluptatisl elent ing acipit lut at geographical amconse consecte opportunity therefore exists to harness according to seasons. These events ea feuguer sustissed digna aut ea con vel diat. Accum nonsed these nodes as places of encounter will be marked by the provision of a magniscidunt adio thateugiat. can encourage interaction. modular, moveablepratue structure duiscil that will ipis ea conullandre nonsequi Ut wissisisim Oltretorrentenonsectet, lacks green quipsum become the central vel hub iliquis for events space. Visual reliefdolortio is needed from community-based that exeriureet volorer activities iur. sandipis enim odolobo and the dominant hard landscape, promote learning and interaction. rperilit vulla feu faciliquis euis Ecte estio elessenis eumsandre creating a potentially unique By activating currently underdio essit Duis eu feugait doenvironment odit lutpatet autatie del iure used within Parma. spacesdoluptat. and bringing soft-green lortismodit at aliquisl ing exer ad tionsequisim vel irit in ex ercil This scheme creates mobile, surroundings to the hard landscape run allotments in areas Oltretorrente creates ent ipit the at. scheme Atie veratet acilism excommunity ea corpera estincin hendit ofming of Oltretorrente that are located in aodolenim ‘common ground’ shared duntand augue dolore nonsequam nullaorercin vulluptat areas of frequent encounter. The from faccumsan encouraging henibh eu people facilit in erat. atuer si blandreros nis nis dit ulla responsibility, allotments come in the form of old different groups and backgrounds to Lorting eugiam, adio eros boxes nulputpat.

Ut alit ut lut meet vegetable or recycling boxes and work togethercorpercing to experienceeuis et ute feum quat. aute that facilisi. can be transported via a push anibh unique, shared environment. bike trailer. allotments activate Nim ex These et, quismodit luptat, Nim ex et, quismodit luptat, and enliven currently underdolor used ing el vullam veliquat accum dolor ing el vullam veliquat accum spaces while encouraging interaction, ute consecte velis nulputat, susto ute consecte velis nulputat, susto providing an opportunity to develop exero dolum et nismodignibh euisl exero dolum et nismodignibh euisl skills, knowledge, independence and producing contrast to suscilit a inci el iure velis dolorper suscilit inci el iurea positive velis dolorper hard edged area.

Planting produce accumsan hent luptat. Ut lor accumsan hent luptat.

E

Ex soc wa an gra for pla inte

Olt rel lan en

Th mu Olt of com bo tra Th cur cou po ind con

SPACE SYNTAX

xamining the locations of both the cial care and cultural associations it as evident that a number of journeys nd paths crossed at common geoaphical points. An opportunity therere exists to harness these nodes as aces of encounter that can encourage eraction.

PRIMARY ROUTES SECONDARY ROUTES SITE 1 SITE 2 3 it to The flexible designSITE allows be transformed into a stage, a screen, a reception desk, a dinANTI-VIOLENCE ner table, a shop, an exhibition board, a workshop, a billboard, FAMILY CENTRE a hang-out‌ the possibilities are endless.

FATHER’S CENTRE COMMUNITY

tretorrente lacks green space. Visual lief is needed from the dominant hard ndscape, creating a potentially unique nvironment within Parma.

FAMILIY DISTRESS

his scheme creates mobile, comunity run allotments in areas of tretorrente that are located in areas frequent encounter. The allotments me in the form of old vegetable oxes or recycling boxes that can be ansported via a push bike trailer. hese allotments activate and enliven rrently underused spaces while enuraging interaction, providing an oportunity to develop skills, knowledge, dependence and producing a positive 1 SITE 2 ntrast to aSITE hard edged area.

SALVATION ARMY

SINGLE PARENTS

SITE 3

103

104

VISIONS

transportation 105

sales & learning

storage

GROWTH LEARNING INTERACTION

resposne EXCHANGE

109

The flexible design allows it to be transfo

The flexible design allows it to a reception desk,aa dinner table, a bescreen, transformed into a stage, screen, a reception dinThe flexible designdesk, allows it to be board, a workshop, a abillboard, a hang-o ner table, a shop, anstage, exhibition transformed into a a screen, a endless. board, a workshop, a billboard, reception desk, a dinner table, a shop, an aexhibition hang-out‌ theapossibilities board, workshop, aare billboard, endless. a hangout‌

the possibilities are endless.

INSPIRATION COMMERCE

CYCLE

110

response

ACTIVITY

MOTIVATIONAL

EMPOWERMENT

ormed into a stage, a a shop, an exhibition out… the possibilities are

Concluding thoughts

Tim Townshend

In Chloe, a great city, the people who move through the streets are all strangers. At each encounter, they imagine a thousand things about one another, meetings which could take place between them, conversations, surprises, caresses, bites. But no one greets anyone; eyes lock for a second, then dart away...

Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

P

ity Chloe, all those strangers desperate to make contact with one another!

Of course no city is entirely like that and Oltretorrente is certainly not; as strangers we felt warmly welcomed. However, in his seminal work, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, William Whyte said while there were many principal factors that made those spaces work (to which he was referring to mostly practical issues of comfort, shelter, etc.) there was also a

factor he called ‘triangulation’ [1].

He defined this as the external stimulus that provides a, “linkage between people and prompts strangers to talk to each other as if they were not.” There are many spaces in Oltretorrente which have this potential!

Places and spaces, however, evolve over time, moments, days, decades, as they are used, accepted, adapted, or rejected by the people who use them. This use by people over time in turn creates a unique identity which can not easily be predicted, or controlled. Thus any proposed intervention is a fleeting vision of a reality which may never exist. We recognise this in our own work.

We hope the visions contained in this book at least stimulate interest and debate.

Taken together could the ideas stimulate a new public domain for Oltretorrente?

Perhaps only the residents themselves can answer this.

109

__________________________ [1] Whyte, William H (1980) The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, The Conservation Foundation, Washington D.C.

110

Contributors

M

ishari Ali, Ben Andrews, Tom Armfield, Bardia Afshin, Edward Bailey, Michael Chevasco, Andrew Clarey, Tristan Clarys, Danielle Cole, Caroline Cowan, Amey Dahanukar, Carrie Edwards, Carolyn Fahey, Huw Friar, Georgia Giannopoulou, Andrew Guest, Kristina Horokova, Jiang Jianke, Allan Jones, Stu Kent, Andrea Macdonald, Paolo Mantanari, Miriam Lopez, Daniel Mallo, Francesco Manfredi, Anoop Menon, Andrew Mindham, Lucia Nogaledo Tous, Ninad Patil, Jonathan Potts, Stefan Rust, Miriam Sanchez Lopez, Greg Shaw, Ami Snowdon, David Stokoe, Phil Storey, Armelle Tardiveau, Tim Townshend, Shangzi Wang, Neil Woodhouse & Qi Zhang.

N

orthern Architecture, Living Streets, North of England Trust, PEANuT, Planning Aid North, Atelier d’Architecture Autogérée, Parma Coucil, Agency for Urban and Architectural Quality & Newcastle University.

School of Architecture, Planning, & Landscape Armstrong Building Newcaslte University Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU United Kingdom http://research.ncl.ac.uk/aplgallery Š 2009 Newcastle University designed by Carolyn Fahey photography by Stefan Rust