The Mancunian Way has become a societal barrier in the city between the most vulnerable and those who are privileged. Yet, it remains a social mobiliser that allows people to move quickly across the city. Getting rid of the Mancunian Way is not the answer but allowing access to all parties at all scales is.
The Red Ribbon is a play and child development centre that grows from a walkway that stretches over, under and around the link road. The project proposes to retain the existing infrastructure, yet reducing the number of cars upon it, and transform it into a multimodal route where play and fun ripples into the city. This will allow pedestrians and cyclists to follow the linear route, promoting the journey of movement by using the Mancunian Way as a transition space. Meanwhile, the play centre will reconnect the unused and unloved space beneath and beside the motorway.
The aim is to establish an intervention in which some of the most vulnerable in society, children, are safe to roam free: creating a space to learn through activity and play. In securing a more sustainable future, children must be taught to have a love and appreciation for their surroundings in an environment that fosters curiosity and nurtures creativity.
