Fighting Insularity
Manchester appears to be in a positive feedback loop. As people become increasingly afraid of their derelict, commercialized and unsafe public spaces they prioritize location and safety over community and connectivity. As a result many move to insular urban developments, further disincentivizing investment into the public realm. Manchester is rapidly becoming an uber-in, uber-out culture and the public realm is becoming cold and unloved. To paraphrase Richard Rogers, well-loved places police themselves.
My goal in this project was to develop a building and site which create connections and encourage a playful, explorative type of movement. The building and landscape should promote creativity and community engagement, be flexible and open enough that people can contribute to and take ownership of the space, and provide a vibrant, sprawling interconnected web of activity.
