Redefining Boundaries
I undertook this project as a step beyond the human-centric design I was familiar with. This journey allowed me to explore the integration of non-human elements and cultivate a profound love for nature restoration.
How can de-channelizing and restoring the River Mersey, a channelized urban water body, blur the existing boundaries between humans and non-humans?
The central focus of the project revolves around boundaries. The river, representing the non-human element, stands as the primary focus, aiming to revitalise it, expand its space, and allow for natural flooding. On the human side, the objectives involve engaging the community through integration into the naturalized landscape while maintaining a sense of boundary and introducing gardening as a key functional component.
The site in Didsbury has long suffered from environmental impacts that affect biodiversity and public accessibility. The channelization of the River Mersey has diminished its capacity to sustain diverse habitats. This project offers a solution, serving as a model for enhancing biodiversity, improving public access, and repurposing land in the southern green belt of Manchester. It aims to transform the area into a space that provides benefits beyond leisure, offering a blueprint for sustainable land use and community engagement.
Despite distinct human boundaries within the elements, they coexist within the broader non-human territory of the project. Additionally, by drawing on principles such as re-wilding and river restoration, diverse edges are created to generate opportunities for habitat creation.
The project emphasizes water-oriented habitats, ranging from riparian planting that supports smaller species to wet woodlands providing mosaic habitats and seasonal wetlands for aquatic species. Deliberate disturbance is promoted to foster growth and decay processes, enriching the ecosystem.
By managing floods for seasonal wetlands, it adapts to wet and dry seasons, showing how each habitat is affected. Over time, changes such as shifting boundaries, flourishing vegetation, and natural decay contribute to the ecosystem's dynamic evolution.
