T19 Rip it Up Belfast









"This is how space begins, with words only, signs traced on the blank page. To describe space: to name it, to trace it, like those portolano-makers who saturated the coastlines with the names of harbours, the names of capes, the names of inlets, until in the end the land was only separated from the sea by a continuous ribbon of text. Is the aleph, that place in Borges from which the entire world is visible simultaneously, anything other than an alphabet?" - Georges Perec

T18 Revised Manifesto

"what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" or is it "what doesn't kill you only kills you a little bit"

time will tell...


wading through a sea of acronyms to get to the meaning behind a remark is still holding back progress...

'proposals will be expected to contribute positively to the character of the built environment...'

the proposal for a massive spike with bells on still gets through...


Policy must exist - but in what form?

a picture is worth a thousand words?

T17 Revised Glossary DRAFT

'The Political' - the dimension of antagonism which I take to be constitutive of human societies

'Politics' - a set of practices and institutions through which an order is created, organising human coexistence in the context of conflictuality provided by the Political

- Chantal Mouffe

Glossary of Terms 2#

Acronym – n a word formed from the initial letters of other words.

Quango – n (pl - os) an autonomous body set up by the government and having
statutory powers in a specific field.


Ma SPUD – Masters in Spatial Design and Urban Design

DFL – Design for London

GLA – Greater London Authority

GLC – Greater London Council

CIL – Community Infrastructure Levy

GOVT –

IOC – International Olympic Committee

BOA – British Olympic Association

LOCOG – London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympics Games

ODA – Olympic Delivery Authority

UDLF – Urban Design Landscape Framework

LDA – London Development Agency

TFL – Transport for London

HQI – Housing Quality Index

RIBA – Royal Institute of British Architects

RTPI – Royal Institute of Town Planning

ARB – Architects Registration Board

CABE – Commission for Architecture and the Build Environment

RICS – Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

LCC

OAFP

DCLG – Department for Communities and Local Government



This is an ongoing exercise and I intend to expand the definitions of each Quango and their role...

T16 Job application

To whom it may concern,

I would like to be considered for the role of Urban Design Officer at Croydon Council.

I have a passion for the built environment and a keen interest in the development and future of the city. I am a qualified architect and have been working in a London based practise for the last two years. Whilst undertaking my RIBA part 2 I also completed a Masters degree in Spatial Planning and Urban Design in collaboration with Design for London at London Metropolitan University. I feel that this training has furnished me with a skill set that puts me in good stead to take up the position you are offering within your Urban Design team. I have a good knowledge of current policies and objectives in London and the United Kingdom.
During my time working with ‘A N Architects’ I worked on a mixed use development in Hackney, London. I was responsible for arranging and leading meetings with the client, council members, contractors, consultants and the local housing association as well as producing specifications, schedules and construction drawings. The project was to redevelop the site of an existing 1950s Baptist Church just off Mare Street. The site was owned by the Baptist Church who planned to demolish the building and erect a new church and community centre to house their growing congregation. In order to fund this, the church sold the site to a housing association that would then develop the scheme with just over half the area dedicated to two seven storey shared ownership housing stock arranged around a private courtyard shared with the new Baptist church. Throughout the term of this project I was offered an insight into the policies and inner workings of the planning department at Hackney. In meetings I chaired my role was key to ensuring that each party had a voice and were treated fairly. I played diplomat and aimed to ensure that the aspirations of the client were communicated in a language that was familiar to the contractors whilst also highlighting the areas of value to the members of the council. I also assisted with breaking down the policy documents and sustainability targets set by the housing association and council to the congregation of the Baptist Church and outlining the construction constraints on behalf of the contractors in order that no member felt uneasy with the proceedings. Having identified and agreed the priorities of each phase I published and circulated the minutes of all meetings held.

I am creative and hard working. I have high aspirations for the opportunity to work with you at Croydon and am only satisfied when I know that I have committed everything I have to a project in order to see it succeed. I also see the realities and constraints that may affect that implementation of a scheme. I will always aim to find value in each exercise I carry out within the design process. I enjoy collaborative work and believe that creative problem solving stems from sustained research and analysis into each facet of a proposal. A patient approach is a key asset. I am keen to aid Croydon in improving the quality of the built environment, whether it is public realm, housing, infrastructure or community based projects.
I am proficient with AutoCAD, Vectorworks and Microstation as well as the full Adobe suite. I also enjoy measured hand drawing and find diagrammatic sketching an invaluable tool for quickly and efficiently communicating ideas and concepts with others.

I believe that the diverse workload and prospects of collaborating with practicing professionals in the area will provide a nourishing environment for me to continue developing as a good urban designer.


Yours faithfully,



M A Charlton

T14 Rip it Up Liverpool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhjBwU86Xs8

Looking back over my scribbled notes from this lecture I am remembering my shock at hearing about the housing market renewal pathfinders. I had not previously known that such schemes had existed, how naive I am!

'the systematic removal of dignity in poverty' (I don't remember who said this in the lecture, anyone know? Torange Khonsari?)

Pathfinder Housing Market Renewal Programme aimed to tackle the problems
of neighbourhoods with low housing demand in the North of England and
Midlands. In such neighbourhoods, with the decline of industry and employment in the areas, high concentrations of difficult to let or sell properties are systematically acquired through compulsory purchase acts and then demolished and replaced with fewer new houses in order to create a housing demand. By clearing acres of run down terraced housing, built stock was reduced to a level that would encourage a higher value in the remaining stock as the proportion of people looking to buy/ rent remained steady.

Launched in 2002 by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, now the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Programme established sub-regional partnerships or ‘pathfinders’ covering nine areas. The Housing Market Renewal Programme is expected to last from 10 to 15 years. So far it seems that more homes have been demolished than built and without longer term support these demolition sites could become the programme's legacy rather than refurbished and improved housing stock.

In cases such as Liverpool, communities have opposed plans to demolish and rebuild homes. The thought is that regeneration of neighbourhoods is more likely to be sustained if local communities are actively engaged. During the lecture a few successful projects were shown, Cairn street Market and a canal festival.

Final thoughts...
What is the nature of the nostalgia of the terrace house in Liverpool?
Has the quality of their replacements become the criterion that defines the 'success' of the previous condition?
Is what we have now satisfactory?
Has Pathfinder worked?

There was also mention of a Regional Growth white paper that I have not yet looked up... I'll add my findings in due course...

Links - http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmpubacc/106/106.pdf , http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Images/tcm21-40125.pdf , http://www.rudi.net/node/20196

T13 A walk through London




T12 Urban Markers


T9 1 min presentation




Dear Judith and Dann,

We have been asked to cover three topics in a minute long presentation, these are -

1. What did you think this MA would be?

2. 3 weeks in, what do you think it is?

3. What do you want it to be?

We will then reflect on what we have been doing in our units to date...
so this will cover our childhood drawings and the Lisbon trip...
As i understood the purpose of the childhood drawings was to create a spatial plan/diagram of our neighbourhoods,
and in doing so revealed how we relate to our environments, what we engage with etc etc...

You stated in the brief for this task that the process and outcome will be instrumental in our understanding of how to design a masterplan,

With respect to the Lisbon trip i do not yet feel i have enough drawings and information to have cemented a firm proposition, however i have altered my angle on what we had discussed on the trip.

I believe i am still working under the 'productive landscapes' but rather than get all touchy-feely with horse stables etc i have decided to use this two week project as an analytical study of food wastes in the area. I am thinking of proposing a waste processing plant - creating renewable energy. . .
I will have a firmer idea for this to discuss with you on Thursday.

In the UNIT presentation you gave on the first day of term there was mention of the East London Green Enterprise district manifesto. By analysing this with the Unit and discussing its theory
and constraints within the Ma group i am hoping the two will inform each other and a stronger proposal and portfolio for the Thames site can be formed.


This is quite a lot of stuff to cover 60 seconds, as far as i can see this is a semi formal introduction to what the MA SP+UD unit are doing and how we can work within the design units.

If there is anything you would like us to mention please let us know, this is also an opportunity to present Unit 3 against the other design units...

Regards,

Matt

T7 Urban Design Roles

tinker?
tailor?
soilder?
spy?

butcher?
baker?
candlestick maker?

rich man?
poor man?
begger man?
thief!

more to follow...

T5 Site 01