Repositioning Tottenham: A sequenced strategy of transformation by Bill Sergison

REPOSITIONING TOTTENHAM | A Sequenced Strategy of Transformation ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE HOUSING AND URBANISM 2015-16 GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAMME HUGO HINSLEY | ELAD EISENSTEIN | NAIARA VEGARA London 2015 ALISE ĀRGALE DANYA ZOE BALI GABRIEL TRINKEL DAL MASO IRENE WILLY KANISHK SINHA LAURA CAICEDO LOPEZ NIRMAL SYLVESTER JOHN BRITTO PIMLADA BUNLUTHANGTHUM RENATA CATALINA GUERRA MENA SANA AZIZ REHMAN WILLIAM JOSEPH SERGISON

REPOSITIONING

TOTTENHAM A SEQUENCED STRATEGY OF TRANSFORMATION

FOREWORD This work was produced in a design workshop, based on the idea of the productive city that was undertaken by 11 students of the AA School of Architecture’s Housing and Urbanism program. It includes the resultant research, precedent studies, and speculative propositions, which in combination focus on the theme of enhancing the productivity of a region. When examining the concept of the productive city, it is clear that Tottenham has to be understood within a larger context. Our investigations began with a discourse on the multitudinous effects of globalization on the economy of London, which has seen a transformation from an industry-based economy to an advanced knowledge-based economy. The establishment of the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor (LSCC), with its associated relationship to surrounding business and knowledge institution networks, is one of London’s key drivers of the knowledge economy. By establishing itself as a key component of the corridor, Tottenham can contribute to the already present collaboration of knowledge workers between London and Cambridge, while simultaneously becoming a place for production. We will argue that a focus on small scale manufacturing and supporting the creative class can help to establish the area as a node within the polycentric city of London, thus contributing to the established network of a knowledge-based economy. 1 To begin the repositioning of Tottenham we questioned whether a masterplan could ever truly work. The role of a fixed masterplan is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to maintain because ideas and governments change. This uncertainty necessitates a plan that is flexible enough to evolve over time, while maintaining enough specificity to provide a framework for future growth and

development. Additionally, masterplans are often dominated by a purely market driven approach, failing to take advantage of greater potentials as the desire for quick monetary return dominates. Thus, the repositioning of Tottenham was approached as a sequenced strategy of transformation. Specific interventions, developed in relation to one another along a stretch of physically linked spaces, take into account current patterns of development, context, and the overall potential of the area. This stretch provides a cohesive framework for the repositioning of Tottenham. Finally, spatial interventions in three categories were developed to contribute to the overall productivity of the region. First, the restructuring of a station district was questioned, where explorations of density and programmatic mix were tested in the areas surrounding Tottenham Hale. Additionally, looking to some surrounding examples of informal, adaptive reuse of light industrial sheds, we explored the logic of reusing existing industrial structures for interim use as fabrication and live/work typologies. Further, the logic of inserting new urban elements was explored by building on a water’s edge, consciously exploring the concept of a thickened ground, so that the value of the edge could be taken advantage of. The use of land surrounding a rail edge was also explored, seeking to regain some of the land often lost to TFL ownership and land use zoning. Thus, by understanding the multi-scalar conditions of Tottenham and its surrounding conditions, we can begin a discourse on the appropriate response for its repositioning within the context of a productive city. The aim was not to predict floor plates or have overbearing control over the development of the area, but rather to show what it could be through each of these speculative decisions.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD INTRODUCTION

SHIFTING TOWARDS A KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

LONDON STANSTED CAMBRIDGE CORRIDOR

TOTTENHAM

TOTTENHAM TODAY

TOTTENHAM TO COME

STRATEGY

THE STRETCH

Restructuring Tottenham Hale

Repurposing Industrial Fabric

Introducing a New Urbanity

REFLECTION

128

REFERENCES

136

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION | Shifting Towards a Knowledge Economy

SHIFTING TOWARDS A KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY The development of information-based technologies has led to a new type of production in the 21st century; where the most valuable product is information and knowledge, and where economies are increasingly linked to a global network of cities and city-regions. Today, cities are under huge competition to find a place in the global market. Cities are prioritizing being more attractive for citizens as their living environments are closely related to their productivity. Current approaches addressing the shift away from industrial production focus on the social and economic needs of the knowledge economy and subsequently the knowledge worker, while spatial designs try to create the platform enabling multiple opportunities for knowledge exchanges between these workers. Contemporary trends “tend to obscure the fact that specific urban histories feed particular specialized advantages, and hence a connection to the past.”2 They tend to overlook skills apparently unrelated to the knowledge economy and discard practical, technical and craftsman’s fields. However practical knowledge can empower cities or regions to become distinctive competitors on a global scale. Because knowledge networks involve more than the presence of educational, training and research institutions, they have to be analyzed taking into account specifics of the place. Furthermore, while an industry-based economy centered on mass production had a visible influence on the urban fabric within city plans, the knowledge economy, as it’s assets are intangible, cannot easily be recorded and analyzed in plans. Currently London has several urban areas that could support it’s repositioning in this changing context. The expansion of London towards the east provides an opportunity to rethink former peripheral areas of London that can begin to establish productive synergies both regionally and globally. One of the most noticeable potential growth areas that has recently attracted public interest is the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor (LSCC).

Educational Institutions

Biomedical / Life Sciences

IT / Digital

LONDON STANSTED CAMBRIDGE CORRIDOR: An Economic Strategy To Enhance Competitiveness LSCC encompasses the areas surrounding the M11/A10 and West Anglia rail routes, which span from central London north to Cambridge. Rail lines and roadways offer major connectivity throughout the corridor with a global connection through Stansted Airport. Complementing the physical connections, the corridor is supported by a high concentration of academic institutions, research facilities, and a diversely skilled labor force. The rapid growth of new industries combined with the investment in transport and infrastructure demonstrate the potential of the expansion of the economic stronghold of the corridor. This can in turn influences and increase in job market, housing market, infrastructural change, and investment opportunities. In order to catalyze these potentials the London Stansted Cambridge (LSC) INTRODUCTION | London Stansted Cambridge Corridor

Consortium was established, aimed at creating partnerships across multiple disciplines in order to effectively enhance the growing economies. The LSC Consortium promotes a multitude of synergies aimed at strengthening its knowledge-based economy—investing in digital and information technology, bio-medical, logistics, advanced manufacturing and engineering, and low carbon industries. The impact of the corridor is dependent upon the synergies of the urban areas that lie within it. In an effort to understand these areas, we centered our explorations of spatial and economic qualities in Cambridge, Harlow, Hackney Wick Stratford, Old Street, and Kings Cross. Each of these areas provides a different set of attributes that strengthen the corridor’s contribution to London’s knowledge economy.1

CAMBRIDGE Knowledge / Hi-Tech A leader in academics and research, Cambridge produces highly skilled labor forces. With growing focus on its high-tech industry cluster, the area plans to expand with the presence of a biomedical campus. Population of the area is expected to increase by 25% with the addition of 10,000 new homes.A

HARLOW Life Sciences / ICT / Advanced Manufacturing Stemming from its pre-existing focus on innovation and enterprise, Harlow’s future growth plans include the creation of a campus environment for businesses in industries geared towards new technologies and new products.B

HACKNEY WICK Creative / Digital An area characterized by a growing number of start-ups and entrepreneurial businesses invested in innovation and product development within the creative and digital sectors. The presence of transport infrastructure and affordable real estate values has enabled a spontaneous emergence of an environment that facilitates collaboration and the exchange of ideas.C

STRATFORD iCity / Digital Media Growing from the investment of the London Olympics, Stratford is home to the upcoming digital center iCity, which will house digital, broadcasting, and academic needs. iCity plans to include develop the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to include 1.2 million sqft of commercial and retail.D

OLD STREET IT Digital + Media A major interchange within London, Old Street receives twice as many users as Heathrow Airport with a rush hour crowd of 75,000 people. The area, which grew as a spontaneous cluster of businesses enabled by close proximity to one another, is highly specialized in digital technology industries and is supported by organizations such as Tech City, attracting anchor companies, like the future Google Headquarters, which are beginning to support the growth of smaller companies within the area.E

KINGS CROSS IT Digital + Media / Business The area surrounding Kings Cross, one of the most important transports interchanges in London, is currently being developed as a mixed-use complex. Its strategic location has attracted major investments, which include the relocation of Google head quarters. Besides being developed as a major business hub, it will also house the University of Arts London campus.F

Tottenham’s Potential within the Corridor In order to understand the full potential of the LSCC, we explored the concept of the ‘in-between city,’ referred to as Zwischenstadt by Thomas Sieverts. This term “which is neither city nor landscape, but which has characteristics of both, neither has a suitable name nor is it concrete.”3 According to Sieverts, the Zwischenstadt’s format is a network that does not posess a large functional center, but rather is a polycentric region of diverse functions that compliment each other and collectively form ecologies of a productive nature. As a whole, the diffuse city gives an ‘unplanned’ impression, but INTRODUCTION | London Stansted Cambridge Corridor

it has risen out of innumerable rational decisions. One example is the initiative of the LSCC, which is in many ways similar to conurbations as seen in the Rhine-Main region. Sieverts suggests that a new kind of regional planning could be adopted to benefit the in-between cities by concentrating on five major fields of action: transportation and communication, protection, care and development, transformation and expansion, orientation and information, as well as culture and sport. Using these fields of action the LSCC will allow Tottenham to not only benefit from its

location, ecology and proximity to London, but also to support the growth patterns of the region as projected by the consortium. Tottenham has a privileged location in relation to the corridor, primarily due to its relative proximity to both central London and Cambridge. This is enabled by the multiple transport connections that converge at Tottenham Hale Station, including National Rail, Underground, a public bus terminal, and the future Crossrail station. Second, while land and property prices in the

city increase, Tottenham’s distance from the city center provides less expensive land values. Moreover, a significant amount of available land including areas occupied by old industries, which have relocated elsewhere, as well as underdeveloped, poor quality, low-density areas make it a potential site for investment. Finally, the presence of the natural landscape of the lea valley, characterized by reservoirs, canals, and expansive greenscapes, amidst a growing urban fabric offers a unique blend of both natural and urban qualities. 15

TOTTENHAM

TOTTENHAM TODAY: A Comprehensive Understanding Tottenham is both central and marginal, developed and undeveloped, urban and natural. We find in these ambiguities an opportunity for growth and development. Situated on the edge of London Tottenham encapsulates the diverse spirit of London with a rich history, great variety of people and culture, a Premier League football club and a growing network of new businesses taking root in the area. Despite its vitality, Tottenham’s problematic physical conditions have resulted in a poorly functioning urban area. These include a fragmented territory, limited integration with its surroundings, mono-functional zones, and an underperforming high street. Furthermore, social and economic deficiencies have resulted in high rates of unemployment and crime, as well as poorly maintained streets and public spaces.

The contrasts present within Tottenham are evidenced in the diverse and distinct environments all within walking distance of each other. TOTTENHAM | Tottenham Today

WHITE HART LANE

NORTHUMBERLAND PARK

BRUCE GROVE

TOTTENHAM HALE BLACKHORSE ROAD

The urban vitality of the high street disappears at the waterfront just 1km away.

Landscape

Infrastructure

The Lea Valley Regional Park and the Lea Navigation canal network are both part of larger systems stretching over extensive parts of London. While Tottenham could significantly benefit from these dominant features, it has not yet been able to do so because they remain inaccessible and underdeveloped. One of the reasons for this is the presence of reservoirs, which have restricted development around them. In addition, heavy north-south infrastructure lines divide the area into a series of north-south strips with specific edge conditions, diminishing Tottenham’s integration not only with its natural assets but also with surrounding urban areas. Adding to the fragmentation are disused industrial structures, situated in a strip of land between the city fabric and the reservoirs. TOTTENHAM | Tottenham Today

Built Environment

A consolidated low-density residential zone in the center further limits the relationships between different areas while providing little variety in housing. To the west, Tottenham’s high street, which is another main artery running through the urban fabric, is currently the only area catering to the surrounding neighborhoods, and because there is too much pressure on its poorly maintained structure, it currently underperforms. However challenged, Tottenham has several drivers which could potentiality bring about its transformation. These include the civic and cultural cluster around Tottenham Green, Tottenham Hale Station, the Spurs Stadium and the landscape of the Lea Valley.

Analysis of landscape, infrastructure, and the built environment that explores the current condition of Tottenham. 25

The dominance of north-south lines result in linear strips with two different edge conditions, one relating to the infrastructure lines and the other to the soft natural edge of the canals and reservoirs in the east.

TOTTENHAM | Tottenham Today

TOTTENHAM TO COME: Learning from Current Redevelopment Plans Given the potentials of Tottenham, it is easy to predict that it will soon be subjected to strong redevelopment. In an attempt to manage and stimulate future growth, a series of larger plans have also been put forward. These include ARUP’s scheme for a residential quarter in High Road West, and the plans for the consolidation of Tottenham Green and the redevelopment of Tottenham Hale Station.4

TOTTENHAM | Tottenham to Come

High Road West

Tottenham Green

Tottenham Hale

AN IMPACT The stadium draws massive crowds on match day that heavily interfere with the daily activities of locals. New mobility routes can address local users as well as create spaces to funnel fans.

HIGH STREET ALE DEVE LOPMENT

High Road West As an attempt to mediate the impact that the new White Hart Lane Stadium might have in its surroundings, the council has commissioned a development plan for the area immediately across the high street from the stadium. The proposal by ARUP seeks to create two distinct regions that vary in scale and intensity of use depending on their immediate proximity to the stadium and to the White Heart Lane station. One region is composed primarily of sports, retail and community functions designed to absorb pedestrian traffic between the station and stadium during events, and the other is composed of a wide range of housing projects catering to families and to young individuals. The project attempts to recreate an urban environment by forming a regulated street grid which restricts car flow in order to improve pedestrian circulation and to provide for more public greenscapes. The project’s scope is limited in the sense that it corrects some of the planning restrictions that the stadium imposes on the community but does not manage to integrate it better to the area as a whole. The permeability of the new urban fabric relates to the High Road, but fails to engage directly both with the stadium and the community on the other side of the rail viaduct to its immediate west. The placement of higher density housing is too far from the main circulatory pedestrian routes, resulting in a zoning plan that does not efficiently address the demands different users, both residents or visitors, might have on the area as a whole. TOTTENHAM | Tottenham to Come

EDGES - OR ADDRESSIN

Main public sp

Ground level activator 2. Active and Inactive Frontages

Additional activa 3.

Gradient of Density and Scale 31

Studies exploring the presence of large structures scattered around the green and thier impact on disjoineted public space . A new approach to activating these structures can create a greater cultural network.

Tottenham Green Tottenham Green is the cultural and civic heart of Tottenham, providing one of the few highquality, public spaces in the area. An action plan of the area was developed through a joint venture between Haringey council and ARUP. The plan emphasizes the cultural, civic and educational institutions present and aims at improving the open spaces that can begin to articulate them. Major development is focused along the high street with patches of retail frontage development close to the Seven Sisters underground station. A mixed residential development is proposed in the bus garage area. The overall plan lacks a strong vision for the area, with development mainly proposed along a small segment of the high street. The community life that has emerged around the existing leisure center is interesting and can be used to develop a relationship between the neighborhood and other institutions.4 TOTTENHAM | Tottenham to Come

Active and Inactive Frontages

Public Space and Mobility Patterns 35

Tottenham Hale The Tottenham Hale masterplan takes into account the fragmented public space, inefficient use of land surrounding the station, and the east - west separation caused by the railway. Currently, only one road serves as a connection between both sides of the Lea Valley and it is dominated by vehicular traffic. Haringey council proposes a plan that seeks a high-density urban environment that optimizes the economic and social conditions. Unfortunately, the plan has several deficiencies. The proposed connection between the station and the new development may fail, as it would force pedestrians to cross the vehicular dominated road. The proposed road system maintains vehicular orientation and reinforces the ‘island’ conditions of the area. Moreover, the newly proposed cyclistpedestrian access linking the high street to Hale Wharf is going to pass through an already consolidated residential area that has no street frontages, and therefore will not be successful unless a street life can be introduced. The extension to the existing park may also create a division between the existing residential area and the newly proposed residential development. Finally, the new urban fabric stands in stark contrast to the existing surrounding, and thus lacks a sensitive articulation of scale. TOTTENHAM | Tottenham to Come

Ashley Road Housing

Tottenham Hale Station Warehouse Industry

High Cross Estate Housing and Service Hale Wharf - Public Space

Retail Park

Clusters and Edges

Urban vs Landscape

Islands

Active and Inactive Frontages

Intensity of Mobility Patterns 39

TOTTENHAM | Tottenham to Come

Questioning the Masterplan It is clear that these plans have been developed independently from one another, lacking a common ambition and thus generating isolated and disconnected pieces that further fragment the area. With the recently announced joint venture between the GLA, Argent and Hermes Real Estate for the development of Tottenham Hale Station, which seeks to generate 2000 new homes and 400 new jobs by 2025 using £45 million invested by the GLA5, the redevelopment of the station area is becoming a reality. In light of this, there is a pressing need to direct not only current, but future investment into an integrated and coherent strategy that transcends the limited scope of previous plans. It must effectively address the main spatial challenges and allow for the potentials of Tottenham to be fulfilled in their multiple scales. This led us to question if a traditional masterplan could ever truly work. The

role of a masterplan is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to maintain because ideas, residents’ inclinations, and governments change. This uncertainty necessitates a plan that is flexible enough to evolve over time, while maintaining enough specificity to provide a direction and framework for future growth and development. Additionally, traditional masterplans often result in plans that fail to take advantage of greater potentials for intensities, programmatic mix, and civically rich environments, as the desire for quick monetary return dominates. We argue that an urban area of this size requires a new approach that addresses the regional integration with the LSCC while responding locally to existing economic, social and physical conditions. Thus, the repositioning of Tottenham was approached as a sequenced strategy of transformation as an alternative system of development. 43

STRATEGY

A Need for an Integrated Approach Our strategy considers that while the redevelopment plan for High Road West will generate a concentration of new housing and sports facilities around the future stadium, it is necessary to address the more forgotten and problematic areas within Tottenham while challenging the notion of the high street as the primary structuring element within the neighborhood. Instead of generating independent programmatic zones around potential drivers, our approach is based on creating cohesion in this fragmented territory by introducing new elements capable of blurring the physical and intangible boundaries between the parts. A series of intensity points along a major existing east-west connection in the south seeks to create a gradient of urbanity that STRATEGY

stems in both directions from the Tottenham Hale Station. This reduces the current pressure placed on the underperforming High Street, provides greater balance and effectively addresses the challenges within the territory as a whole. Overcoming the existing infrastructural and built edges will integrate existing enclaves while also contributing to make the natural landscape of the Lea Valley an accessible and therefore integral part of Tottenham’s character. Repurposing old industrial lands along the valley can allow for the expansion of city fabric onto the waterfront, thus providing areas for the development of a greater mix of housing; fostering greater social mixes and helping to achieving greater synergies between nature and urbanity.

STRATEGY

Initial explorations focused on developing potential nodes as activation points across the Tottenham area. Emphasizing the impact of Tottenham Hale Station, Tottenham Green and Tottenham Hot Spurs Stadium. Additionally, interventions along the high street reinforced it as a primary line. 49

THE STRETCH: Generating Cohesion in a Fragmented Territory While Tottenham Hale Station is currently linking the area to the region, it is located in a fragmented, illegible, isolated and poorly connected space, which limits the impact it could have as a major transport hub within the LSCC. However, it is also situated on the primary east-west link that connects the two sides of the Lea Valley, extending from Tottenham Green to Black Horse Lane Station towards the east. The presence of existing drivers together with the availably of vacant land and poor quality built environment gives this area the potential to not only improve the physical connectivity necessary in the area, but also enhance urban synergies. Furthermore, cutting across the territory in an east-west direction this stretch evidences the diverse conditions of the site, providing a unique opportunity to address a variety of issues that are present throughout Tottenham.

“The Stretch” links civic, cultural and educational areas in Tottenham Green to small-scale manufacturing industries in Blackhorse Lane. STRATEGY | The Stretch

OLD INDUSTRY WAREHOUSE TECHNO PARK LOCAL PARK

TOTTENHAM GREEN

A comprehensive understanding of local conditions and future opportunities directs interventions towards creating a productive environment capable of enhancing local economic activities, servicing existing residents, and attracting new users and industries. STRATEGY | The Stretch

RETAIL PARK

TOTTENHAM HALE STATION

OLD INDUSTRY

NATURAL RESERVE

BOATING CLUB BED&BREAKFAST

BLACKHORSE WORKSHOP

BLACKHORSE LANE STATION

WALTHAMSTOW RESERVOIRS AND WETLAND CENTER

The Stretch as a starting point for programmatic (top) and spatial (bottom) networks.

Through the insertion of a sequence of interrelated and interconnected urban elements, which act as starting points for a series of differentiated areas, the stretch becomes a tool for structuring the territory and generating cohesion. This approach does not attempt to control the future development of Tottenham, but rather seeks to generate unforeseen synergies. Walkable distances between intensity points dissolve existing boundaries between enclaves, while programmatic and spatial connections allow for an interaction between diverse activities and users. It is our belief that these crossovers can start to create the networks of people, activities and public spaces capable of providing the social and economic platforms of exchange necessary to promote Tottenham as a productive area with a distinct profile within the LSCC. STRATEGY | The Stretch

REPURPOSING

NEW URBAN ELEMENTS

RESTRUCTURING

REPURPOSING

NEW URBAN ELEMENTS

3 SMALL-SCALE MANUFACTURING VOCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS LIVE/WORK

3 SMALL-SCALE MANUFACTURING CREATIVE VOCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS LIVE/WORK

2 BUSINESS INDUSTRY LIVE/WORK

5 LEISURE 2 BUSINESS INDUSTRY CREATIVE

LIVE/WORK

RETAIL FAMILY HOUSING

5 LEISURE

RETAIL FAMILY HOUSING

TECH PARK TECH PARK

1 TOTTENHAM HALE STATION COMMERRCIAL/RETAIL

4 ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTRE

1 TOTTENHAM HALE STATION COMMERRCIAL/RETAIL

COMMERICIAL HIGH DENSITY HOUSING

WALTHAMSTOW WETLAND

4 ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTRE CENTRE COMMERICIAL HIGH DENSITY HOUSING

STRATEGY | The Stretch

WALTHAMSTOW WETLAND CENTRE

The idea of the stretch is developed as a series of interventions that address three different approaches in city making: restructuring the existing station in order to provide a more effective technical solution to the transport interchange, intensify the station area and consolidate a s tation district; repurposing old industrial sheds to provide the affordable spaces necessary to attract new industries and young talent as a low cost interim use; and introducing new urbanity in the undeveloped lands along the Lea

Valley in order to strengthen existing economic enterprises, densify housing opportunities, introduce leisure activities, and enhance crossovers with the existing Walthamstow Wetland Center. Through these interventions we challenge existing notions about programmatic and social mixes at both urban and architectural scales, explore new ideas about living and working, and argue that strategic design decisions can be an alternative approach to planning. 57

RESTRUCTURING TOTTENHAM HALE

Much of Tottenham’s potential lies within the station, which has a great network of connectivity providing an interchange between the London Underground, National Rail, and multiple bus routes. However, the consolidation of Tottenham Hale as a station district, rather than a transport interchange will determine its importance within the repositioning of Tottenham. The dominance in the vehicular STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

movement and existing condition of the roads has resulted in an imbalance and neglect of pedestrian mobility. The presence of a retail park further accentuates the prioritization of vehicle-oriented roads and further limits for the pedestrian’s ability to circulate. Moreover, the road infrastructure creates division, which results in isolated islands often with inactive façades more introverted building types.

Vehicular and Pedestrian Flow 61

In terms of accessibility, entrances rarely respond to the pedestrian movement, which is caused by their orientation. Finally, there is an abundance of dispersed, inefficiently used land within the fabric that has the potential to revitalize the area through a strategy of densification and intensification. In addition, the unaddressed relation of the rail line with STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

the adjacent built environment is a missed opportunity to generate greater integration. In order to enhance the potential of the station area, it is necessary to use the station as a tool for generating cohesion and linking the dispersed urban fabric. This, in turn, will make the area more accessible and provide greater outreach to the surrounding urban areas.

A complex road system fragments the area into islands, while the dispersed fabric results in uncontained and often introverted public space. 63

STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

The lack of active street frontages creates introverted urban blocks, which diminish street life and urban vitality . 65

The dispersed nature of the transport interchange makes it illegible.

The first challenge is the technical operation of the station as a transport interchange. Even though the station is well connected to the rest of London, at an architectural scale it has an inefficient spatial organization, primarily due to the positioning of the three main transport interfaces. The distance and the level difference between the different transport modes further limits their relationship. Secondly, the dispersed and uncontained public realm that surrounds the station is inactive, and is disrupted by the constant presence of buses, making it an unappealing pedestrian STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

environment. Lastly, a limited relation between the station and the areas in proximity, such as the student housing on the east side reduces overall coherence in the pedestrian environment. Overall, the Tottenham Hale station lacks the spatial qualities and characteristics that could potentially make it the starting point for the development of a station district capable of complimenting local life. In proposing a redevelopment strategy for Tottenham Hale, two case exemplars were explored: Rotterdam Centraal and Utrecth Centraal.

CHALLENGE

BARRIERS

DISCONNECT DISCONNECT

REGULATE REGULATE

ACCESS ACCESS

GRADIATE GRADIATE INTESIFICATION INTENSIFICATION

STRATEGY

TRANSPORT

The presence of the station is lost with the newly constructed, but overscaled Hale Village development.

Deficincies of the spatial organizaton in the station include: disjointed interchange of transport, vertical separation of transport modes, and poor relation to urban fabric (Hale Village). STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

Rotterdam Centraal

Utrecht Centraal

In Rotterdam’s case, the city was aiming to be positioned as a competitive European business center with a cluster of high-end service industries. The station plays a crucial role in repositioning the city in the context of urban competitiveness in the service economy functionally by improving the efficiency of the transport node and formally by creating an iconic building. The priority was to address the complexity of a multimodal transport hub through the provision of clear physical connections between the different transport systems and the pedestrian network, which improved the interchange’s efficiency.6

Utrecht’s strategy is linked to the creation of a district that could turn the city into an ideal place to live for young entrepreneurs through the improvement of public spaces, positioning the city as a place for the knowledge economy. It is necessary to spread services around the edge forming a cluster of services. The project relies on improving public space in order to generate different experiences through spaces of connection via public realm with spatial continuity that flows into public and private domains.7

STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

Mobility Explorations

It is evident that the existing station will not be able to respond efficiently to the demands that Tottenham will generate in the future. For this reason, our intervention focuses on improving connectivity and the urban quality of the area in order to reestablish the station’s role within the corridor both at a local and at regional level. The intervention has three main ambitions. First, in relation to the technical operation of the station, it is vital to reduce the distances that connect all transport systems in order to upgrade its functionality and address the complexity of a multimodal transport hub. A second ambition is to link the area with the context

through a new pedestrian mobility network made up of interwoven but differentiated public spaces. The third ambition is to revitalize the area by using the station as a catalyst for greater densities and activities. The proposal intensifies the area by stacking services within the station, which could potentially begin to create crossovers with programs dispersed throughout. The first step in addressing these challenges requires a rethinking of the road system, in order to facilitate pedestrian mobility and accessibility. Several explorations attempt to eliminate isolated islands in order to generate a more cohesive environment. 71

The proposals for the road network redirect traffic, reduce fast vehicular movement, and lessen the congestion of the primary east-west road by removing the influence of the retail park. A new north-south axis directs pedestrian flows and organizes amenities and services via a sequential unified space. STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

Eliminating a secondary road and diverting the main flow of traffic,creates two interconnected blocks, reducing the fragmentation of the area.

Station District Spatially, the station is explored as a singular mass using the pedestrian flow as the fundamental design tool. As a result, a system of primary and secondary circulation patterns is formed in order to integrate the new blocks and the station with the immediate surroundings. This establishes a micromobility network with rich and varying spatial qualities of

public realm that structures future development. The open spaces between public and private buildings act as interfaces that allow the mixeduse built environment to flourish. Different frontages facing the streets, internal plazas and paths provide a clear spatial hierarchy in terms of program and accessibility, where new activities can take place.

STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

The blocks are organized around a series of interconnected open spaces of multiple scales, creating differentiated environments. 79

The proposed section creates a more efficient interchange where the station still operates at different levels, but the functionality is optimized through a common interface for the train and the underground. The buses are moved adjacent to the road in front of the station for convenience. The plaza in front of the station facilitates flow and access, while strengthening the linkages with the station district. Due to the privileged location of STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

the station within the corridor, the aim is to create something that is more than a station by adding strategic functions such as workspace, retail, hospitality and conference centers. Therefore a greater density at this point can profit from the high value of the land and the flows of people, while the dispersal of programs can provide additional services that could integrate and enrich the district as a whole.

Current

Proposed

The station district has the potential to create an attractive urban scenario, becoming the main driver for Tottenham’s future development strategy. The restructuring of Tottenham Hale Station will serve as a catalyst for other potential areas of development. For this reason, one of the most important areas needing further exploration is the retail park. Other potential areas would be the old industrial zones and the underutilized areas bordering existing consolidated housing. An initial study for the retail park suggests possible subdivisions of the site in INTROVERTED ACCESS order to create smaller blocks, which would allow Dominated by vehicilar traffic and parking for the introduction of a smaller urban grain. The + No pedestrian entry at perimeter redevelopment of the retail park could include the + insertion of new programs and services to encourage Big-box retail program the growth of the local economy, and to allow new activities to flourish. Overall, rethinking the station will achieve a multifunctional space that balances the interchange’s efficiency while at the same time INTROVERTED ACCESS providing a starting point for future growth. As both Dominated by vehicilar traffic and parking + a destination and an interchange, the station district No pedestrian entry at perimeter offers a variety of services and activities for both local + Big-box retail program residents and commuters, thus becoming the driver of urban restructuring. STRATEGY | Restructuring Tottenham Hale

Int

The continuity of the public realm aims to bridge the station to the retail park and provide pedestrian accessibility.Explorations consider excavation, continued surrounding fabric or indtroducing a differentiated pattern. 83

Transforming the station can trigger the development of the surrounding area.

REPURPOSING INDUSTRIAL FABRIC

As a result of London’s post-industrial shift to the east, the peripheral areas surrounding the Lower Lea Valley are dotted with disused light industrial sheds, whose use continues to diminish as economic trends continue to shift towards a knowledgebased economy. Ironically, a repurposing of the industrial shed typology can give them new life, while simultaneously contributing to this growing economy. As Saskia Sassen argues, parts of the traditional “small enterprise sector of the informal economy service particular components of the advanced sectors in a city.”8 These particular sites within Tottenham have the potential to contribute to the advanced knowledge economy in this capacity as they can provide spaces of urban manufacturing, generating a networked relationship with the already established industries in Blackhorse Lane. Based on design industries and the creative class, Tottenham’s light industrial sites can be repurposed, even if only as an interim use. The design challenge was clear: how could we harness the most effective use of a space while knowing it may only last for a few short years? This challenge had already been undertaken, albeit informally, in many areas surrounding Tottenham, particularly in Hackney Wick. Analysis of these infiltrations by local artists provided the framework for our adaptive reuse of several light industry sheds and warehouses throughout Tottenham’s waterfront. The resultant exercise should not be viewed as a singular intervention but rather an exploration of replicable spatial concepts.

STRATEGY | Repurposing Industrial Fabric

Disused and underutilized industrial sites along the Lea Valley have the potential for new life as workspace for creative industries. 89

Hackney Wick and Fish Island Throughout Hackney Wick and Fish Island, areas located in relatively close proximity to Tottenham, there are several examples of informal infiltrations of disused industrial warehouses by local artists and other denizens of the creative class. Three specific examples, Brittania works, Old Ford works, and Lion Works, were examined for qualities that could be extracted and reinterpreted in our interventions in the industrial structures of Tottenham. In their conversion to live/work spaces, several key features became evident. In Brittania works, live/work spaces are joined by a series of communal corridors and intimate yards that are shared by the residents. The differentiation in live/ work units and shared spaces was a theme continued in Old Ford works, where the community attributed their close knit nature to their own shared yards, coupled with high density of inhabitants. Each site also showed the importance of spaces for inter-industry collaboration to take place. This is an idea that became pivotal in the adaptive reuse of Tottenham’s existing industrial structures.9

Brittania Works

Old Ford Works

Lion Works

STRATEGY | Repurposing Industrial Fabric

Industrial Shed The ambition for the reuse of the existing light industrial sheds situated in Tottenham was to establish a low cost interim use for the initial stages of development capable of establishing a meaningful relation to the street, generating a better articulation of scale and introducing a residential component to the work environment. This was aimed at attracting creative industry workers.

STRATEGY | Repurposing Industrial Fabric

Spatially, we began with the introduction of two story live/work units along the rear spine of the building. These units are designed to allow office units on the work floor, with residential units above, overlooking the workshop spaces. Multi purpose rooms and shared tables are also available to residents in this area. The spatial reasoning behind the ground floor workshop spaces was to reverse the introverted logic of the structures, and thus better relate to the surrounding context. This is achieved through a new front facade, with the introduction of pivoting walls that can either display work, or simply remain open to allow a better circulation between interior and exterior. The final addition to the existing warehouse involves the introduction of four double height co-working spaces. On the ground level, these become service spaces, and a place for the storage of shared tools, etc. Above, they become meeting rooms, providing a more quiet space for formal meetings and cross-disciplinary collaborations. Spatially, these spaces help to break down the scale of the massive interior, providing some privacy on the ground floor. Functionally, they enhance the collaborative nature of the creative industries involved in urban production. Through these subtle interventions, we can create spaces of both formal and informal activities, with a plethora of visual and physical relationships.

INTRODUCING A NEW URBANITY

Approaching the waterfront, we realized that it is not a blank canvas but rather a mostly unoccupied rich territory. For this reason, the question of how to interface with the un-built drove the final exploration. Undoubtedly, the potential of the Lea Valley lies in its unique landscape and availability of land. However, even though this asset is a dominant feature of the area, the north-south infrastructural barriers that characterize Tottenham have reduced accessibility to the site, separating it from the surrounding urban fabric and essentially eliminating its relationship to the city. In order for this extensive land to become a functioning urban area, it is necessary to enhance east west connectivity. Initially priority is given to extending more important existing east west routes that have the greatest reach in both directions, creating five minute walking distances between access points to the waterfront. However, this pattern is interrupted due to variations in the site, particularly in areas surrounding the station. This led to a decision to focus on this critical site, as it would unlock the broken mobility system, and thus become a starting point for the future development. Further, the proximity to the station enables an investigation of potential linkages. We questioned how to introduce a new urbanity that can start to filter a finer grain onto the natural landscape. In this regard, the approach sought to generate a differentiated urban fabric with layered systems of mobility that allow movement across distinctive urban environments. Here the relation to the edges became most relevant. Hale Village represents a built edge to the south that has generated new spatial problems further limiting accessibility to the site. This presented a new challenge for the integration of the area as a whole. Despite the unsuccessful responses of this project to the area, we recognized the potentials of the podium as a spatial tool to address the diverse edge conditions of the site.

The continuation of the existing fabric was one way to address the unbuilt, as was the implementation of a new, differentiated pattern. The final approach enables a layered crossover between the two. THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

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Towards the edge of the rail, Hale Village, built on a podium, creates an additional disjunction between the station and the development. The introverted nature of the buildings make it impermeable and unrealted to the surrounding natural assests and micromobility systems.

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Thickened Ground as a Design Tool The initial idea of a podium evolved to an exploration of the concept of a thickened ground to address both the overcoming of the rail edge and the need to multiply the single line of the water edge, thus maximizing it. In both cases we saw the level differences as a way to enable relationships between different components. A study of the Bryghus project by OMA and DaCitadel by Christian de Portzamparc allowed us to further explore this tool. This exploration was then taken into specific sites, where our strategy was to develop key interventions of different types, each addressing specific conditions and enabling for new mixes and synergies to occur. THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

Rail Edge

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De Citadel | Almere The project, located in Almere, is based on the concept of craving through the built environment, giving priority to pedestrian movement, introducing strong pedestrian paths connecting the water edge with a main train station. The layering of the building was used to shape diverse environments generating new synergies between different functions. Diverse levels of privacy were created by different levels, which also contributed to create zones with clear characters and specific users. The 46 private houses and 6-story apartment building form a peaceful residential area on top of a green roof while the ground floor occupies public commercial programmes and is used for vehicular and pedestrian movement.10

Bryghus Project | Copenhagen The former Copenhagen harbor is going through huge transformational changes. Through design and integration of vocational institutions it strives to link the old city center with the new cultural axis on the water edge. This exemplar was chosen as it deals with linear components (water edge, motorway) and ‘breaks away from typical hierarchical distribution of programs.’ Complexity and crossovers between different volumes and uses generates a diverse public environment providing a strong pedestrian connection with the waterfront without disrupting the existing motorway. The multiplication of floors on the very edge allows a large amount of people to use and enjoy to the unique urban setting while making it possible for different activities to occur on without disturbing one another.11

THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

Connectivity

Overcoming Edge

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Multiplying Edge

Rail Edge

THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

Water Edge

Island

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Rail Edge A singular intervention at the rail edge is necessary in order to enable accessibility, create an active street frontage and generate a meaningful engagement with local industry in the Tottenham Hale Technopark. We explored the idea of increasing connectivity through built form, linking future development to the station district. The design aims at enabling a public circulation, linking spaces for vocational functions such as classrooms and training facilities that enable programmatic relationships with existing industry.

THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

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THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

The level difference allows us to introduce workshops organised around a communal yard for small scale manufacturing such as wood work and metal work which can easily co-exist with the presence of the rail. On the upper levels, more private courtyards organize housing units, which have independent access. Although situated near the rail there is potential to develop high density affordable housing overlooking the park in the west and the reservoirs in the east. Spatially, level differences with visual connections enable the crossover between learning, working and living through a variation in open spaces.

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THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

Alternative investigation involved overcoming the rail edge as a podium and maintaining permeability with the existing fabric.

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The Island The site between the two canals creates a unique opportunity to develop another singular intervention that is clearly differentiated, establishes relationships with the Tottenham Green cultural area and connects the existing ecological research centres to a potential waterfront network. The fact that this physical island is already an “interruption” within the city pattern disrupts the need to try to make this part of the city fabric. In this sense, it could become something different and unique. A natural island within an urban setting makes this a privileged site. Hence, our primary ambition was

THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

to densify the area so that it could be enjoyed by a greater number of people, providing urban vitality to an otherwise derelict piece of land. To highlight the inherent qualities of the island, we sought to maintain both physical and visual links between both canals. An additional ambition was to generate key connection points to the surrounding both physically and programmatically. Its location on the east-west stretch allowed the area to become a point of intensity. The two main access points to the island became spaces for uses of larger impact enhancing the engagement on the ground level.

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THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

On the more active side, the ground level addresses the urban water edge and the opposing side maintains a more intimate relationship with the natural context. This makes the edge towards the nature reserve calmer, allowing it to be used for residential purposes. The level difference generates varied relations with the water while a layering of functions allows the water edge to host both public and private functions. A potential strategy for such a unique setting could be the integration of a specific program using a particular actor within the site. Durham University has expressed interest in placing its campus in Tottenham, which we believe could perform as a driver contributing to the viability of the place. Incorporating a university would attract a critical mass of people activating the area generating a vibrant street life during the different hours of the day. The amalgamation of education, research and culture including spaces for art galleries and events could transform the island into a significant urban node in close proximity to the surrounding transport, leisure and work activity.12

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Explorations of spatial treatments that address various edge comditions of the island.

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The Waterfront The strategy for the waterfront was based on establishing a series of principles and guidelines to create distinctive environments along the edge while introducing specific intensification points at multiple scales, which in turn can provide identity to distinct neighborhoods. A further objective strives to enable a greater accessibility while maintaining visual permeability by cautiously shaping building heights and forms, and generating corridors. In addition, the design treatment of the edge attempts

THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

to multiply one line into diverse levels incorporating alternate micro mobility systems along the water. The design strategy, based on these guidelines, explores the spatial possibilities for one intensity point at the intersection of the main east west corridors. At these points, the principle goal is to increase accessibility through different levels of circulation, use a typological mix achieving density with mid to low-rise buildings, allowing for visual permeability, and to generate tiered relations towards the water.

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THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

These strategies create a sequence of differentiated spaces from the water edge and back to a main street of more urban character. The level with a direct relationship to the water relates to leisure, sports activities and micro mobility systems. The second level directly on the water adds spaces for lingering. An interior open space, still linked to the water, can have a unique identity by integrating research facilities and workspace. Finally the upper level provides a privileged location for mix housing. The integration of these very different environments is achieved through these level differences and the visual relations they enable. This stretch could begin to organize a series of education and research areas, complementing leisure and retail related programs, changing the nature of the edge to a mix of uses for diverse users.

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THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

Introducing various levels of intensity along the water edge that creates a differentiated sequence of environments while maintaing visual and physical permeability.

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THE STRATEGY | Introducing a New Urbanity

Along the urban water edge and the island, we established principles that allow intensity points to vary from one edge to the other, creating a balance between them so activity is evenly distributed between both sides. 127

REFLECTION

It is clear that the repositioning of Tottenham must be understood within the context of economic and social changes, as well as spatial concepts. The approach of this work is multi-scalar. We have shown the potentials of Tottenham’s location within the London Stansted Cambridge corridor, which can be a driver of London’s post -industrial shift towards a knowledge-based economy. Spatial interventions were also explored at specific sites which addressed the local context. As the particular goals and priorities of national and local governments, the Greater London Authority, and private developers often conflict, one can see the importance of a strategic vision that can provide an adaptable framework for development. Understanding the transformation of Tottenham can contribute to the discussion of repositioning other European cities.

REFLECTION

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New networks create spatial and programmatic synergies, as well as physical interfaces, enabling interindustry collaborations. REFLECTION

Programmatic Synergy

Natural Environment

Built Environment

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We propose a restructuring of the Tottenham Hale station district to allow for a stacking of a more complex program while providing new spaces to support urban vitality, allowing Tottenham to become a new link along the LSC corridor. The repurposing of light industrial sheds for interim use as new live/work spaces begins to show how we can reclaim disused sites while continuing a multi-staged developmental framework. Finally REFLECTION

the introduction of new urban elements along the water’s edge show the possibilities of new programmatic relationships and synergies that contribute to an already established business network, while also valuing the special landscape conditions of the Lea Valley. A successful restructuring must be understood within the varying conditions of the whole

RESTRUCTURING TOTTENHAM HALE

REPURPOSING INDUSTRIAL FABRIC

INTRODUCING A NEW URBANITY

Tottenham area, physical as well as social and economic. As opposed to drawing a red line around a development area and attempting to enact complete control, we have positioned Tottenham with an implicit ambiguity. This allows for a progression of the area that takes into account the multi-scalarity of both the physical site and underlying economic conditions. This rethinking of how to set up a development framework allows

for the necessary flexibility to provide room for change, yet structures a direction of future growth. This notion of implicit ambiguity can contribute to a broader discussion of the role of urbanism, as well as the tools we use for city making, as it proposes a counter argument to the individuality of most planning goals.

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REFERENCES

REFERENCES 1 Lscc.co, (2015). [online] Available at: http://lscc.co/ [Accessed 13 May 2015]. 2 Sassen, Saskia (2011) The Economies of Cities in Living in the Endless City. London: Phaidon Press.p.58. 3 Sieverts, Thomas. Cities Without Cities. London: Spon Press, 2003. Print. 4 Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/sites/haringeygovuk/ files/tottenham_summary_pdf_web.pdf [Accessed 14 May 2015]. 5 Haringey.gov.uk, (2015). Haringey Council announces plans for a Joint Venture at Tottenham Hale | Haringey Council. [online] Available at: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/ news/joint-venture [Accessed 14 May 2015]. 6 8, W. (2015). Rotterdam Centraal Station. [online] West 8. Available at: http://www. west8.nl/projects/rotterdam_centraal_station/ [Accessed 14 May 2015]. 7 Centraal Station/OV-terminal - ABC Nova, (2015). Centraal Station/OV-terminal, Utrecht(2012-heden). [online] Available at: http://www.abcnova.nl/project/centraalstationov-terminal/ [Accessed 14 May 2015]. 8 Sassen, Saskia. ‘The Economies Of Cities’. Living In The Endless City. Richard; Burdett and Deyan Sudjic. 1st ed. London: Phaidon Press Ltd, 2011. 56-65. Print. 9 London Legacy Development Corporation,. Hackney Wick & Fish Island Design And Planning Guidance. London: London Legacy Development Corporation, 2014. Print. 10 Oma.eu, (2015). OMA- BRYGHUSPROJEKTET. [online] Available at: http://www. oma.eu/projects/2008/bryghusprojektet/ [Accessed 14 May 2015]. 11 Christian de Portzamparc, (2015). De Citadel - Christian de Portzamparc. [online] Available at: http://www.portzamparc.com/en/projects/de-citadel/ [Accessed 14 May 2015]. 12 NLP Planning Matters, (2014). What has Tottenham got to offer? | NLP Planning Matters. [online] Available at: http://nlpplanning.com/blog/what-has-tottenham-gotto-offer/ [Accessed 14 May 2015]. A Lscc.co, (2015). [online] Available at: http://lscc.co/ [Accessed 13 May 2015]. B Harlowez.org.uk,. ‘About Harlow Enterprise Zone | Harlow Enterprise Zone’. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 May 2015. C London Legacy Development Corporation,. Hackney Wick & Fish Island Design And Planning Guidance. London: London Legacy Development Corporation, 2014. Print. D HereEast,. ‘Hereeast’. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 May 2015. E Tech City UK,. ‘Tech City UK’. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 May 2015. F King’s Cross,. ‘King’s Cross - Welcome To The Neighbourhood’. N.p., 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.

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