Footprint

Ater the London riots and the series of protests around the world which have the public realm as a common element, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios hosted an event entitled ‘Austerity and Place‘ before Christmas, discussing the importance of public space and right of access in urban life.

Anna Minton, author of Ground Control (just published and including a chapter on London 2012), started the evening speaking about the issues that emerged from the research for her book. A key theme was the privatised city. Privatised sites, large and small, are the current template for almost all regeneration projects. These contrast with historical private ownership - much of which has by now been opened up for public use due to democratic processes and development. Today’s models of privately-owned and managed places aim to keep  land prices high rather than serve the public good. In the name of security, they create obsessive fear and result in highly-controlled environments.

Joost Beunderman, 00:/ Research

Joost Beunderman from 00:/ Research then showed research and projects which touched on the following themes:

• For people today, public space is a difficult term to define and very different from what it used to be (cafes)

• Many councils try to make money out of public spaces and include them in development projects

• The current  experience of  public space seems to be closer to Paris of the 1860s than the expected ideal of the 21st century

• Money is constantly invested in  private businesses surrounding a public space rather than in the public space itself

Without eliminating the role of architects, Beunderman stressed the fact that new methods of creating and managing public spaces in the city need to be developed as well as models of financing them (i.e. Seattle neighbourhoods), and people should be encouraged to use public space (i.e. Boris bikes).

London Clean, August 2011

Finn Williams of Common Office started by analysing the August riots, comparing them with the ‘Carnivalesque’, the medieval carnival period  when  normal laws and controls were suspended. The riots were broadcast as criminal actions, while witnesses described a ‘carnival atmosphere’ and ‘festival spirit’. Parallel to that, people also gathered together  to defend and clean up their areas.  Therefore, August’s events should be seen as a social phenomenon and a form of collective expression that went wrong and needs a social response.  The destructive actions reflect  society’s complete absence of alternatives. He then cited Friends of Arnold Circus as an example of a community reclaiming responsibility for public space and transferring public assets to community ownership, where citizens are responsible for managing and maintaining their area.  Forms of protection should be invented to prevent public spaces ending up into private hands, as ‘it’s always the people who make the space public’.

Carnivalesque: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, ‘The Battle between Carnival and Lent’ (1559)

London riots, August 2011

Last but not least Irena Bauman of Bauman Lyons Architects, using the example of Leeds,  showed how the use of the public space is driven by the market.  Large investments and costly activities and events have created public space inaccessible to all.  She noted that a shift of values is necessary. New concepts of small rather than large investments should be applied. She cited Danish examples where every proposed investment is tested in small areas before being extended to a city or the country itself.  Bauman concluded noting that  ‘until the day that we don’t wake up to hear about market numbers  dictating the globe, we won’t be able to resolve public realm  issues’‘.
In the discussion that followed, it was generally acknowledged that investment in the public realm has transformed London for the better. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to invest in the public realm. Overall, it was a very interesting event which offered a view of the social impact of capitalism and continuous privatisation on the city as well as the positive effects that can come when the ‘public good’ is considered.

A video of the event can be found here.  Information on upcoming Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios events can be found here.

by Myrtia Fasouli, past AJ sustainability intern

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