Stitching Spaces Making Places
Stage
Package
Masterplanning
2B Masterplan
Prepared by Martin Fleischmann, Taina Lund-Ricard, Poppea Daniel Urban Design Studies Unit, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Jan-May 2017
Stitching Spaces Making Places
Masterplan
Contents 01 PRELIMINARIES 02A MASTERPLAN 02B MASTERPLAN Services and amenities
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Special Places
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03 THE TIME DIMENSION 04 APPENDIX HOW TO NAVIGATE THESE BOOKLETS Where we refer to other parts of our work, we use the booklet number and page number. For example, b01;p6 refers to page 6 in the booklet 01 Preliminaries
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Services and amenities Having a good variety of shops and services in walkable distances of homes is a key component in the creation of healthy, sustainable, living neighbourhoods. Fig. 1 shows the desirable and maximum walking distances urban residents can expect to different services and amenities. Sufficient density around neighbourhood centres makes access on foot to these services possible, by taking in a greater number of people in a given area. The following pages compare in detail services and amenities and the densities and population needed to support them. It’s easy to draw conceptual pedestrian catchments around clusters of shops and services on masterplans, but these are ‘as the crow flies’ catchments. Humans, lacking the freedom of birds, are generally confined to a network of streets and paths to make journeys.
From a current figure of around 2,700 people (1,300 units), we increase population in the design area to around 5,500 - slightly more than doubling the population. Glasgow’s population is forecast to grow by around 2,000 households (around 4,000 people) each year to 2039. That’s a little under 100,000 people over a 25 year period. Milton’s current population is around 6,500.
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If we apply our masterplanning principles to the vacant land in the wider area, that figure would be more or less doubled - absorbing just over 5% of the projected increase in population. The population of Ruchill and Possilpark,
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Just under half of Milton’s current population live within the boundaries of the masterplan design area, and a significant proportion of the wider area’s vacant and derelict land falls in it too.
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We have therefore used GIS to map real walkable catchments along the existing and proposed street networks, to get a more accurate picture of whether sufficient people are served within desirable pedsheds.
POPULATION GROWTH AND CHANGE
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Fig. 1 :Desirable and maximum walkable catchments for different shops and services aces paces nity ssp unity o mm u C C o mm
Health Health centre centre and and pool pool
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Desirable Maximum 800m 800m
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just south of Milton, is currently 10,000. To support a vibrant district centre, the population of this area would need to grow by around 15,000 people - another 15% of the projected city growth.
Fig. 3 :Households are ageing and shrinking
POSSILPARK
MILTON
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GLASGOW
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While the city grows, demographics are changing. Glasgow’s current average household size is just over 2 people. But households are shrinking and ageing: by 2040, household size will be closer to 1.8 people, and many more will be headed by people over 60. Smaller, older households will have implications for the type of housing and services needed. The flexibility built in to this masterplanning approach is therefore vital.
1,000 households
Fig. 2 :Glasgow’s current population, now and projected to 2014 (NRS Demographic Factsheet, 2017), and necessary growth in Possilpark and Milton to support services and amenities
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NEIGHBOURHOODS AND PEOPLE 5,000-10,000 people within 400m (around a 5 minute walk) provides the critical mass of people necessary for a diverse centre (UTF, 1999). By increasing density and connectivity around the new St Monica Square, we create a viable neighbourhood centre which can support a variety of shops and services and a frequent bus service - approximately 2,700 people will be within a 200m radius (around a 2 minute walk). Of course, it will take time for the centre to develop and densify. Public authorities will need to subsidise certain services, like transport, in the meantime. Figures 5 and 6 show how density has been increased around new neighbourhood nodes by building on vacant, derelict and undeveloped land. Gross built density around Local hub @ 200m
St Monica square is around 80-100 u/ha. At an an average household size of around 2 people, that’s 160-200 people/ ha. Even with a much improved street network and better connectivity, Milton is on the edge of the city and likely to stay that way. Liddesdale Road is the northernmost eastwest through-route, and so the northernmost line along which neighbourhood centres might grow. Not all areas north of it will therefore be within a 5-minute walk of a neighbourhood centre. However, the vast majority are within a 10-minute walk, and planned density is sufficient in quieter residential areas that small local hubs should be supported, providing for basic everyday needs.
Higher density
Within 200m / 2 min Within 400m / 5 min
100m
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Lower density
Fig. 4 :200m and 400m walkable catchment areas around proposed neighbourhood centres, plus 200m walkable catchments around small local hubs
Masterplan
Fig. 5 :(top) Gross density represented in units per hectare in the existing urban fabric. Fig. 6 :(bottom) Gross density represented in units per hectare in the proposed urban fabric.
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100m
Fig. 7 :300m (around 3 minute) walkable catchment areas around existing equipped play areas
SPACES TO PLAY AND BE Adults and children alike need recreational open space, as part of functioning healthy neighbourhoods. Milton already benefits from access to natural green space at Possil Marsh and into the countryside and the Glasgow Club playing fields provide formal sports space. The environmental and use quality of green spaces within Milton is currently poor, though. We propose equipped children’s play areas that are less than a 5 minute walk of every home (Fig 14), and open green spaces within a minute’s walk of the vast majority of homes (Fig 15), where traffic is calmed or absent and toddlers can play. Additional spaces to play and be are provided in the form
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of paved or semi-paved open public spaces built into the street-scape. Parks of varying sizes and characters are well within the 5 minute walk for all homes advocated by English Nature, even without accounting for the countryside beyond. A sizeable allotment patch is located on the city edge, bucket-carrying distance from the tower blocks, and some green spaces have the potential to support a model of raised bed provision in ‘home zones’, particularly in the neighbourhood centre.
Masterplan
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Fig. 8 :300m (around 3 minute) walkable catchment areas around proposed equipped play areas Existing
Proposed
Within 300m / 3 min
Possible
Fig. 9 :Equipped play park in Milton Park - one of only two in Milton at the moment, both in the north east
Fig. 10 :The masterplan has more children’s play areas, more evenly spread across the area
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Fig. 13 :150m (<2 minute) and 300m (3 minute) walkable catchment areas for existing green space (of varying quality and acessibility) 100m
Fig. 12 :(facing left) The existing quality of open green space is poor Fig. 11 :(facing right) Proposed green spaces interact with the existing green network and create value for biodiversity and humans where it was lacking
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Masterplan
Fig. 14 :150m (<2 minute) and 300m (3 minute) walkable catchment areas for proposed green space, all accessible of value for humans and nature 100m Within 150m / <2 min Within 300m / 3 min
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Fig. 15 :400m (5 minute) and 800m (10 minute) walkable catchments around existing primary schools 100m
PLACES TO LEARN Primary school provision will become inadequate when densities increase across Milton. The new provision should prioritise making walking and cycling the most dominant method of getting to school for primary age children. Less than 10% of 7-8 year olds are allowed by their parents to walk to school, compared with 75% in 1970, and only 2% of kids ride their bikes to school (compared to 60% in Denmark). More walking and cycling is facilitated by a more connected street network, and smaller but more schools. Street design and traffic calming emphasises the priority of pedestrians, which should give a feeling of safety and go some way to
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improving these figures. Less car journeys made purely for the primary school run will reduce congestion and pollution, and free up time for parents and carers. Gross residential densities (see b01;p48) in the masterplanned residential area are between around 80 and 120pph, making a 2-class entry school within a 5-minute walking catchment â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thoroughly achievableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The catchment map shows existing schools, the new Malacleit Community Primary (Fig 23) and possible locations for further primary schools as the rest of Milton densifies over time, creating an even distribution of schools across the area, all within easy walking distance for children.
Masterplan
Fig. 16 :400m (5 minute) and 800m (10 minute) walkable catchments around proposed / possible primary schools 100m
Existing
Fig. 17 :Existing schools are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fortressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; schools, which need reintegrating into the everyday fabric of Milton
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Within 400m / 5 min
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Fig. 18 :The new Malacleit Community Primary is well integrated into the urban fabric, supported by a walkable street network
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Fig. 19 :200m (2 minute) and 400m (5 minute) walkable catchment areas around existing nursery schools 100m
Nursery school provision is already inadequate within Milton. By building in flexibility and adaptability in use into what were previously entirely mono-functional housing areas, we open up potential for the provision of sufficient nursery places within home areas (around a 2 minute walk, or 200m). The catchment areas of existing nursery schools is also significantly expanded by a more connected street network.
Fig. 20 :(facing left) Scaraway Nursery School is one of two state-funded nurseries in Milton Fig. 21 :(facing right) Flexibility in use built into the masterplan allows accessible nurseries to develop where there is a need
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Masterplan
Fig. 22 :200m (2 minute) and 400m (5 minute) walkable catchment areas around proposed / possible nursery schools 100m Existing
Proposed
Within 200m / 2 min
Possible
Within 400m / 5 min
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Fig. 23 :200m (2 minute) and 400m (5 minute) walkable catchment area around existing doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surgery. The vast majority of surrounding land is vacant or awaiting demolition, so population served within these distances is very small 100m Existing
Proposed
Within 200m / 2 min
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Within 400m / 5 min
ACCESS TO HEALTH GPs surgeries and health centres should be spread evenly across the urban area to maximise pedestrian accessibility (everyone should be within 10 minutesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; walk of a health facility).
of healthy environments, with good community facilities, access to green for its physical health, pleasure and therapeutic qualities, support for local shops and fresh produce, and well-connected walkable places.
With more people concentrated around the neighbourhood centre, even with lower densities in the existing fabric around 6,000 people are served within a 10-minute walk. With good access to regular bus services from St Monica Square, widening the catchment population beyond Milton, a practice with at least 4 doctors and associated health workers is made viable. Access to other health services, including dentists and opticians is facilitated by the flexibility in use regulations over the masterplan area.
The swimming pool, also part of this holistic view of health and mentioned by surveyed young people as something which is desired but currently not accessible, shares a building and facilities with the health centre and is supported by a similar walkable catchment. The combination of good transport, good parking and a lack of alternatives in north Glasgow should attract the critical mass of people needed to make a small pool viable.
Holistically, health is also promoted through the creation
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Masterplan
Fig. 24 :200m (2 minute) and 400m (5 minute) walkable catchment area around proposed and possible GP practices (legend on left page) 100m
Fig. 25 :800m (10 minute) walkable catchment area around the proposed health centre and swimming pool at St Monica Square 100m
Within 800m / 10 min Within 1km
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Fig. 26 :300m (3 minute) and 600m (< 7 minute) walkable catchments around existing community facilities, including churches 100m
Fig. 27 :Milton needs to get back the community space it once had
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Fig. 28 :A new community hub around the doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surgery in the residential area
Masterplan
Fig. 29 :300m (3 minute) and 600m (< 7 minute) walkable catchments around proposed community spaces, including shared spaces wtihin existing and new schools 100m Existing
Proposed
Within 300m / 3 min
Possible
Within 600m / <7 min
PLACES TO GATHER Places where people can gather are hugely important to sustain communities. Churches, community centres, and multipurpose spaces in school buildings provide such space. Density provides the critical mass needed to support collective spaces, and private spaces such as cafes and pubs which can serve a less formal community function. Existing and proposed community spaces are mapped showing very good coverage at a 300m (around 3 minute’s walk) and 600m (around 6 minute’s walk) catchment.
allows the community to enjoy the economic benefits of shared use of spaces, making good use of resources and bringing schools back into the centre of community life. Community workshop space near the canal in the regenerated industrial area provides another space for people to meet both socially and to work. The existing doctor’s surgery along Egilsay Street provides the basis for a small community hub, with a community space and cafe integrated into a new purposebuilt building across the street.
The integration of the new primary school into the urban fabric (and the movement away from ‘fortress schools’)
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Masterplan
SPECIAL PLACES 21
Stitching Spaces Making Places
Special Places
Milton’s exiting urban form is monotonous and illegible. Undifferentiated housing gives little definition to never ending and winding street corridors and formal quality public space is no where to be found.
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St Monica Square p26
The Green Strip Block p38
Allotments on the city edge p40
Good urban form should span from the very private to the very public, offering opportunities to all from civic expression to private people watching. We have created a series of spaces we call special places - we design these spaces to enhance the urban form, encourage a diversity of activity and feelings, and create an interconnected, legible and diverse environment. Special places have been defined as such when the urban fabric breaks from established rules to: Enhance the relationship between existing and proposed development.
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The Canal p42 The Wedge p44
Kick-about Place p46
The Doctor’s Corner p48 8
The Crescent p50 9
Milton Park p52
10 Ashgill Road p54
Create unique opportunities for activities, both formal and informal. Act as landmarks to enhance the character of the area and facilitate way-finding. Relate to natural and man-made landscapes.
In this section we discuss each of these places in turn - how their form, function and feeling contribute to the creation of a real sense of place in Milton.
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Fig. 30 : Transforming Milton’s urban fabric from endless corridors to a connected series of framed public spaces
Fig. 31 :Figure ground of Masterplan showing the public realm
Masterplan
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Fig. 32 : Special Places Location Plan
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ST MONICA SQUARE St Monica Square is the largest proposed public space in the masterplan and plays a crucial role in connecting the new node to the existing public infrastructure (library, primary and nursery) of which it takes the name. It is a formal space in which a vast array of activities can take place.
TOPOGRAPHY Liddesdale Road runs along Miltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest point. For that reason, St Monica Square is in the unique situation of dealing with significant topographical changes. We create a series of platforms over part of it, connected by stairs and ramps, offering informal sitting perches and flat land for those activities that require it. The rest of the land slopes down continuously. We looked at other slopped public squares to ensure we were creating a use-able space. The Pompidou Centre in Paris for example looks onto a square which is sloped at an 8 degree angle. This encourages informal sitting on the ground. St Monica Square slopes at a 6 degree angle.
MATERIALS
Fig. 33 : Pompidou Square slope, Paris, France. Sloped space works to create informal seating and useable space
Davies specifies that high quality materials and refined details are a crucial element of any quality space. For the square, we specify tilling that extends throughout the square and onto the road to highlight the pedestrian priority and continuity of the space. The pavement gently drops down to the road to ease transversal movement. Whilst cars are slowed down, through movement is in no way inhibited.
DEFINING THE SQUARE We used different sources to inform the sizing of the square. The scale of it had to be important enough to allow for a variety of activities and act as Miltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s civic heart whilst also relating to its residential and peripheral location. SOURCES William Whyte, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces Jan Gehl, Life Between Buildings Christopher Alexander, A Pattern Language Carmona, Heath, Oc and Tiesdell, Public Spaces, Urban Spaces: the Dimensions of Urban Design Llewelyn Davies, Urban Design Compendium Fig. 34 : St Monica Square - we work with the topography, not against it
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Project for Public Spaces - website organisation founded by Whyte
Masterplan
PEOPLE
ACTIVITIES
Space feels dead if pedestrian density is too low. The amount of people likely to use the space must be high enough at all times to create some form of liveliness. Alexander gives as a rule of thumb that no more than 30m2 should be allocated per person.
Squares are less about dimensions and more about activities. For that reason activities and amenities should aim to run throughout the day and design should start with off peak use in mind. Active frontages in a square are essential. Davies specifies more than fifteen premises every 100m with a large range of functions, more than 25 doors and windows every 100m, no blind/blank faรงades and few passives one.
The square finds itself along Liddesdale Road which has been reinstated as the main west/east transversal road for the North of Glasgow, bringing in visitors from far away. It acts as a connecting space for the primary and nursery, for the library, the health centre and community pool and shops, ensuring a high flow of visiting users of all types and ages throughout the day and evening. The high density of housing surrounding the square will also ensure a high amount of daily users stretching into the night with a pub finally able to sustain itself.
SIZE & SHAPE Gehl defines small squares as around 40-60 m wide and Alexander highlights width as the more important enclosing dimension (rather than length). Gehl also points out that small scale spaces have visual and auditory coherence. If a space is too long or too wide, experiencing what is going on at either end of the space simultaneously becomes tricky. Spaces longer than 100m become problematic in that respect.
Active frontages have been specified on the built up northern and eastern edges of the square with plenty room in front of them for activities to spill out onto the pavement. A health centre and pool frame the north western edge bringing year long activity to the square. One of the expressed concerns of the community was the lack of activities for youth during the summer months, they deplored the loss of their pool. School, play and civic life are now united in one location. Alexander specifies that if the edges fail, the space fails, indeed the edge is a zone in itself, not just a line. For that reason, we should provide formal and informal seating, partly protected from the weather and if possible, placed slightly higher than its surroundings to allow good views over the space. The southern edge of the square is poorly defined by the existing free standing library and school and a tall fence lines the pavement. We place a sculptural stair-cased platform along the fence, looking onto the square. Protected by a tree line which further frames the space, the area offers opportunities to sit and play. All great squares have smaller places within them. And so, we have broken the square into a series of smaller spaces. Platforms create variation to the east and a tree surrounded by a small wall that blends into the slope breaks the west into smaller parts.
For those reasons, we gave St Monica Square the dimensions of 100 x 45 m. Its importance and central location requires a grand gesture but its dimensions remain restrained to create a flexible and legible space. The ratio of approaching street to the square is also extremely important to enhance spatial contrast. We use trees, an overhanging public building and a narrowing of streets to implement this.
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Masterplan
Fig. 35 : St Monica Square Plan, showing active ground floor uses and how they relate to the public realm
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Fig. 36 : St Monica Square axonometric
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Fig. 37 : St Monica Square sections showing how the topography influences the shape of the square and how the public buildings interact with the public space
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Fig. 38 :Sketch of Liddesdale Rd
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Fig. 39 :Sketch of Liddesdale Rd approaching St. Monica Sq
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Fig. 40 :Sketch of St. Monica Square
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MOVING THROUGH SPACE Moving east along Liddesdale Road towards St Monica Square, the pavements are generous and biking made easy. Trees line the street and create a pleasant feel year long. As one gets closer to the square, the buildings draw nearer, squeezing the space in anticipation of the square,
which then seems to widen more. As the street narrows, on-street parking is removed, making sure the trees, buildings, and pedestrian space define the landscape rather than cars.
Fig. 41 :Extract from masterplan approaching and arrival views of St Monica Square
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STEPPING PLATFORMS We used the topography to our advantage, working with it and not against it (as can be seen in the topography map facing right) to design a site specific square, broken to the north east into platforms. The resulting stepped public space provide natural places to linger, sit, eat, and play. The remainder of the space is gently sloped without steps, making sure the space is accessible to all.
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Fig. 42 :Location plan showing sketch position
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Fig. 43 :Zoomed axonometric showing detail of stepping platforms
Masterplan
Fig. 44 :Topography represented by contour lines (0,5m)
Fig. 45 :Sketch of stepping platforms
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GREEN STRIP BLOCK A historical green corridor has been preserved since the 1860s. Today, however it is just grass littered with trash. It is of ecological value however as it connects an undeveloped ecological node with the countryside. For that reason, we retain it in principle and much in reality, redirecting it through a cut perimeter block so that we are able to use land close to St Monica Square to build up necessary population density.
SIZE & SHAPE The block has been severed in such a way to create two spaces facing the streets they open onto. This is a passage, as well as a two small squares. The space is inviting, public and creates a continuous sightline from one edge to another.
PEOPLE AND ACTIVITY This block is unique in that it must activate both its interior and exterior environment. It was important to create an environment that would be sufficiently active and attractive to fullfill its role of retaining this green route without becoming a forgotten dumping ground. We allow one storey uses at the back of the plots with three of the plots having been laid out specifically with secondary uses in mind. This is an ideal location for a nursery, small practice, granny flat, studio, community cafe... active uses are preferred. Plot passports require secondary access to plots from the back - imagined as a series of small colourful gates which bring visual interest. This area offers a refuge right in the heart of the neighbourhood centre. Residents, workers and visitors will use this green way as one of the routes through the urban centre to the countryside, and are all expected to mingle within the space.
MATERIALS We use permeable paving and a thick tree line planted in grasses and un-tammed landscape to create a usable space that remains ecologically sound, is low maintenance, and echoes the wilderness which it leads to.
1 Fig. 49 :Two spaces facing on to their respective streets
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Fig. 47 : An 1860s map of Milton showing the historic tree line and (annotated) the location of the redirected green strip block
Fig. 46 :The green strip block is part of a longer green and ecological corridor extending down to Ruchill and up to the countryside [Academic use only]
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Fig. 48 :(Facing page) Plan of the green strip block, showing material treatment and activating spaces at the backs of plots
Masterplan
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ALLOTMENTS ON THE CITY EDGE Milton’s relationship with the city edge is poor. We take down the fences and soften the transition with allotments, available for both local residents and as a way to attract people from far and wide. Indeed demand for allotments is ever rising in the city. Houses face onto them and to the countryside beyond, informally surveying the area.
SIZE, SHAPE AND SURFACES We transform an awkward shape, forgotten land and concrete expanse into an asset for the community. The size is appropriate for the city’s demand and allotments can grow as the demand does. Provision of allotments at a standard size of 250sqm at site (1) is possible; equally allotment size, shape and layout is something which could be negotiated by the community and prospective tenants. Site (2) is a large, derelict concrete expanse, apparently intended as car parking for the 3 neighbouring high rise blocks but underused due to limited car ownership. We repurpose it as a location for raised beds, accessible to all. The whole area is cleaned and transformed from an abandoned eyesore into a source of pleasure and health.
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FOOD GROWING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT Following the introduction of the Community Empowerment Act, not only are local authorities required to ‘take reasonable steps’ to provide allotments, they are also required to set fair rents and allow tenants to sell surplus produce (not-for-profit), democratising access to fresh food. Beyond that, local authorities are now required to
“develop a food growing strategy for their area, including identifying land....that could be used by a community for the cultivation of vegetables, fruit, herbs or flowers.” Scottish Government, Community Empowerment Bill FAQs
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Fig. 50 : Allotments on the city edge, divided into 2 distinct areas - raised beds on a repurposed carpark, and in-the-ground allotments, both suitable for individuals, groups, and community organisations.
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Masterplan
Fig. 52 : Craigtinny Telferton Allotments, Edinburgh. Longstanding, community owned- and fought for growing space providing a mix of individual and group plots Fig. 53 :Possilparkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Concrete Garden, just down the road from Milton, shows how derelict land can be transformed into community growing spaces which are socially and environmentally productive
ACTIVITY & PEOPLE Allotments provide space for both food growing, and for community interaction, bringing together local plot holders and community gardeners with those who come to their plot from further afield. Food growing spaces can be socially and economically productive as well as environmentally productive. Poorer communities suffer particularly badly from poor health and poor access to fresh produce.
the combination of natural environment and air, meaningful activities and the social context of shared endeavour. Gardening projects should seek particularly to engage residents of the tower blocks, who lack access to productive outdoor space.
There are also well-evidenced mental health benefits from
Fig. 51 :Section through north Milton to the countryside, showing the relationship of allotments to the outward facing houses on the edge of Milton, and to the countryside
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THE CANAL The canal is a key asset, currently inaccessible. It is one of Miltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key natural links to the rest of the city and further afield - running east to Edinburgh and Grangemouth, west to Bowling and the mouth of the Clyde, and with an important basin in the city centre at Port Dundas. A few key interventions help activate this space, making it a real place to be and realising its environmental and social potential.
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Fig. 55 :The bridge connects both sides of the canal and provides the setting for a stepped bank, where people can linger
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Fig. 54 :The canal is part of a key blue-green corridor into the city and beyond.
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SIZE & SHAPE The linear park in some ways already exists. We improve it by clearing some of the vegetation barriers, removing accumulated trash, and creating openings to reach the water. Along the banks we create a mixture of landscapes - more (2) or less (1) wild. The formal seating area around the bridge transforms it into a destination instead of a physical barrier - providing a reason to cross from the formal towpath.
Masterplan
Fig. 56 :Sections through the canal at (1) and (2), showing how topography shapes the area, and how the banks can be made more or less formal
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PEOPLE & ACTIVITY The residents of Milton finally have access to the nearby canal. Here they can enjoy the sights, walk over to Possil Marsh, or cycle up the canal all the way to Edinburgh. Milton becomes a destination in its own name for boating enthusiasts, walkers and cyclists who bring further liveliness and support local shops. Housing (3) faces outwards behind new industry and fabrication spaces towards the canal - and the linear canal park in some sense becomes these residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; front gardens. The park is therefore overlooked, and more likely to be kept in good shape. New residential moorings are provided across the bridge (4). These moorings balance city and proximity to nature, being very well connected to the city centre by foot and bike along the towpath. Residential moorings add to the diversity of housing types available.
Fig. 57 :The next closest moorings are at Cadder, beyond Bishopbriggs (pictured), and at Spiers Wharf in the city centre (currently fully moored)
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THE WEDGE New development must be integrated with the existing fabric to help ensure that residents, old and new, can relate to each other. Places such as this wedge are unique opportunities to implement this goal for integration. Milton is riddled with left over spaces which lack identity or sense of ownership. They are usually littered and abandoned. We have systematically aimed to reintegrate these lost spaces with their surrounding fabric in a way that implies ownership from surrounding residents so they can feel empowered to enjoy it. The wedge is such a place.
Fig. 58 :Sketch of area showing particularly how the space is made to feel more manageable and takes on a function
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SIZE & SHAPE With this design we aim to reduce the experienced size of the space by extending a shared surface and the careful placement of trees which both guide and detract cars. The space becomes unified to belong to all who look onto it. Three storey buildings face onto it to bring a higher density of potential users and further frame the area.
MATERIALS High quality materials extend to the existing fabric. Surfaces are shared and car movement is indicated with material changes, tree placements and lighting. The wedge is no longer a forgotten unidentified space but a catalyst for integration.
Masterplan
ACTIVITY & PEOPLE In order to encourage activity here, plot passports for the corner plots of new development allow (but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require) ground floor active uses. Traffic calming allows people to move slowly through the space. A small equipped childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playground provides a small hub where children and adults might congregate, facilitating community interaction. Fig. 59 : The wedge, connecting old and new
New and old residents look onto the same shared space, helping to integrate the two.
Fig. 60 :Axonometric of the wedge
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Fig. 61 :The wedge plan showing the relationship between public space and the ground floor of adjacent buildings
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KICK-A-BOUT PLACE Our special places often relate to the existing fabric, both natural and man-made but we have also aimed to break our rules in our purely new developments to create little moments of interest, places where, as the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and desires evolve, new activities which we can not yet forsee might develop. These are our least formal places - inviting but not structuring activity.
ACTIVITY & PEOPLE Anything and nothing can happen here. Nestled in the heart of the new quiet residential area, where traffic is calmed and people retreat into private spaces, the space is well-overlooked by residents but not somewhere people pass through. People using this space are likely to live on the street or very close by.
Fig. 62 :Extract from masterplan - the informal space creates a break in the unity and a place to do something different
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Masterplan
SIZE, SHAPE AND SURFACES Terraced houses are moved back to create a little square which they look onto, providing extra protection from the path of cars. The dimensions were chosen with reference to the amount of space needed to make an informal ball game feasible. Materials are simple, pavement is extended over the road so that cars approaching must drive up onto the curb, naturally slowing them down and indicating that they do not have the priority. Fig. 63 :Kids in Birmingham on National Play Day show how streets can be used - permanent calmed traffic and layout of space make the kick-a-bout space year-round
Fig. 64 :Kick-a-bout place axonometric
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Stitching Spaces Making Places
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DOCTOR’S CORNER The only existing building on the vast expanse of derelict land that is one of our key masterplanning areas is a small doctor’s surgery. Always with at heart the knowledge that retaining existing urban fabric is better than demolishing it, and recognising that health services are particularly important to the community, we built our masterplan around it to validate and support its existence .
Fig. 65 :The Doctor’s Corner is also part of a green route heading north, also passing through the Crescent
Fig. 66 :If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The GPs surgery is integrated into a new public space
Fig. 67 :Doctor’s corner new public space axonometric
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Masterplan
ACTIVITY & PEOPLE
SIZE, SHAPE AND SURFACES
The new community building opposite provides a range of reasons to stop in this place, and provide complementary uses which means those who come to the space primarily for the doctor may linger too.
The existing doctor surgery is in an L-shape, we enhance this shape by creating a symmetrical building opposite, shaping a small square that looks onto the secondary street. It is south facing and so will benefit from good exposure.
The community building could house uses such as a pharmacy, community cafe and spaces where health and wellbeing classes could be run. Located along Egilsay Street, a key local main route running east-west through Milton, the space is likely to attract passing visitors and those coming from slightly further away for the GP, as well those who live very nearby. Also part of a key north-south green route, it directs people up to the countryside.
Materials change to further shape the square. Planters are placed to guide car movement and improve the landscape. SuDS are also placed to deal with excess water and further green the space (see b02a;p38). Fig. 68 :Parking for the surgery is relocated on-street, and to the rear. This frees up space for small public plaza connecting the two sides of Levenburgh Streets
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Stitching Spaces Making Places
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CRESCENT The crescent is another area where rules were broken to create a moment of interest. It is located along the same north-south green route into the countryside as the doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corner further south. Like the kick-a-bout space, this is an informal space designed to allow rather than dictate activities - a little breather in the unity of the neighbourhood to create space for public life.
Fig. 69 :The crescent is a moment of interest in a quiet, unified residential area. This is a small crossroads to neighbourhood life, with the doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to the south, a primary school to the west, the park to the east and the countryside and allotments to the north
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Fig. 70 :Zoomed axonometric of the crescent area
Masterplan
ACTIVITY & PEOPLE
SIZE, SHAPE AND SURFACES
As in the kick-a-bout space, anything and nothing can happen here. On a green route to the country, seating and tables (all south facing) create an opportunity to stop and relax. The space is well-overlooked by higher-occupancy corner buildings, which also bring a diversity of household types.
The crescent is south facing with three storey buildings taking in the Scottish sun and framing the area.
Local residents get to enjoy this space and use it as they wish. Kids walking from the primary to Milton Park have a pleasant and safe environment to move through. Walkers and cyclist heading towards or returning from the countryside also pass through it.
Materials are kept simple. Car movement is slowed through a shared surface, and the path is gently marked with ground-level lighting. Pedestrians have priority with uninterrupted pavements.
Individual entrances for ground floor flats are added to the communal entrance of the flats above, increasing street activity and the feeling of safety in the space.
Fig. 71 :Axonometric of the crescent area
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MILTON PARK Milton Park is poorly used due to its lack of accessibility and regular flooding issues. We increase permeability by creating new entrances into the park (see b02a;p36) and designed the new housing to interact actively with the park instead of turning their back to it like is happening with the existing urban form.
SIZE, SHAPE AND SURFACES The housing faces straight onto the space with no setbacks. To ensure privacy, houses are reached through a number of steps which in turn become opportunities to sit on and enjoy the sight of the park. The pavement extends over the road to create a shared surface which people can freely and safely cross, with surface materials which continue into the park, encouraging people in.
ACTIVITY & PEOPLE Milton Park is big enough to facilitate all sorts of activities. Here we focus on defining the edge and concentrating activities along the street. Two and threestorey townhouses give definition to the park entrance by interacting directly with the space (there are no setbacks). Planters and benches allow the park to be overlooked. Fig. 72 : A park of Milton Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s size needs definition and good natural surveillance.
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As with other spaces we facilitate, rather than dictate activities, we provide the bones of a space with good lighting, appropriate proportions and potential.
Fig. 73 :Axonometric of public space interacting with existing park and new development.
Masterplan
Fig. 74 :Axonometric of Milton park in relation to new development
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ASHGILL ROAD Ashgill Road is currently a four way road and one of Miltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prominent roads. It is the main access into the neighbourhood but circles around its eastern edge.
Fig. 75 :(Below) Ashgill Road in its current state, with 4 lanes of traffic highlighted Fig. 77 :(Right)Ashgill road transformed into a green walkway, with much lighter traffic flow
With Liddesdale Road returned to its status of Main Street, we downgrade Ashgill to a secondary street and extend the existing green corridor onto the regained lanes. An attractive green route is that way formed, running all the way into the countryside. The street is given a pleasant and safe residential feel.
ACTIVITY & PEOPLE This is a bit of green land that connects Milton to Bishopbriggs, and will hopefully see residents of both neighbourhoods enjoying this green corridor. It has less of a local character, instead feeling part of something bigger.
SIZE, SHAPE AND SURFACES
Fig. 76 : Ashgill Road is downgraded and its northeastern section becomes a key component of the green network
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Permeable paving allows nature to grow up through the holes, contributing to the de-paving of the city and greatly improving stormwater filtration. Surfaces are chosen to be suitable to a wide range of potential users. It is a generous width, having replaced a 2-lane carriageway, and extends into tree-covered green space on the right side. A large swale is part of a regional SuDS system which helps mitigate flood risk and extends into the countryside (see Ecological Networks, in 02a Masterplan).
Masterplan
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REFLECTING ON CHARACTER In 01 Preliminaries, we took our vision and reflected on the look and feel of places we wanted to create. Here, we reflect on how our masterplan has laid the foundations to create places which reflect these characters. Higher densities support a diversity of shops and services - which means residents are not stuck for choice and can enjoy a truly urban lifestyle in Miltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quieter, greener setting. St Monica Square provides the neighbourhood with a place to be, to watch, and to feel part of something. It is both a destination and an arrival point, with frequent buses taking people to larger centres and walking routes leaving in all directions
The green route extending into the city creates a pleasant route, the bridge creates a welcoming link, and the linear park is landscaped to enable people to linger. Housing surveys the park. It is quiet but well connected by the canal to the city.
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Units are consolidated and concentrated opposite Allied Bakeries, giving a busy, bustling feel, with people plying all sorts of trades. The green street and proximity to the canal make it a place to be enjoyed, not avoided.
Liddesdale Road is a legible route through Milton, helping people with wayfinding. Carefully positioned openings in the urban fabric provide views through to the city. A dedicated cycle lane connects up to a wider cycle network and enables people-powered movement over longer distances.
Masterplan
Outward-facing plots turn the countryside into the garden of Milton. The landscape becomes an invitation for exploration. Allotments make the city edge productive - a place where people learn, share and grow.
Slightly higher density housing built on vacant land keeps a calm and quiet feeling while injecting a bit more life. Streets are safe places to play. A dense walkable grid of streets makes the whole area accessible, building little communities. There is enough diversity in the landscape to avoid boredom and help wayfinding, but it is unified enough to feel ordinary and familiar.
Fig. 78 :Reflections on character areas after masterplanning - from left to right, Canalside, Industry, Neighbourhood Centre (medium density residential), Quiet Residential (low density residential), City Edge
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Booklet No.7
Strategy
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