"Dancing in the Street"

Thinking about how humans occupy and appropriate space reminded me of one evening a couple of summers ago in Oaxaca, Mexico; a group of local people were Spainish dancing just by the side of the road, where there was a small area of flat, paved, otherwise useless space...perfect surface for all that tapping!

Strangeways

Continuing our search for Edgelands in Manchester, we ventured towards (the aptly named), Strangeways. 


We came across a site which had evidently, previously been occupied by a warehouse or small factory-like building. It had been predominantly demolished, yet left behind were ruinous walls and openings; a memorial to the site's history and once usefulness. I think the dreary weather contributed to the eerie atmosphere of the site, but this place definitely made me feel uncomfortable; a loose piece of corrugated iron roofing was flapping aggressively around in the wind and three men on a cigarette-break observed us suspiciously. 

Unlike the Google Earth image, which shows a demolished but clear site, it was now scattered with mole-hill like mounds of discarded belongings, building debris, fake 'Ugg' boots and handbags! Initially I thought the abandoned handbags were the by-product of petty-thieves, but as we wandered on, the surrounding soulless buildings seemed to be suppliers selling imported goods to market traders and small businesses selling women's clothes, shoes and accessories. So it was clear that the site was being used as a dumping ground for unwanted stock...


At what point does this...

image:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?client=opera&rls=en&q=google+maps&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl

...Turn into this?

Add caption

 Discarded Stock

High Line New York: A post-industrial treasure, but is it keeping us on the 'straight and narrow'?

The High Line in New York has recently been completed. Built in the 1930s as part of a massive improvement plan to the West side of Manhattan. The 1.45 mile long elevated railway track was designed to lift the freight trains off the streets of Manhattan to reduce accidents.Until 1980 it was an active freight line before becoming redundant and useless.

image: www.thehighline.org/galleries/images/tags/historical

As nature took over and the tracks fell into disrepair the 'High line' was under threat of demolition. Luckily in 1999,a not-for-profit community group, Friends of the High Line, campaigned to maintain the industrial treasure and in 2002 CSX Transportation donated it to the City.

image: www.thehighline.org/galleries/images/joel-sternfeld

Nine years on the train line has been given its second breath with a renewed identity and use, providing New Yorkers and visitors accessibility throughout the year with a public space used for a multiple of organised and incidental programmes: recreational, transgressional, educational, cultural and leisure. These programmes and uses help to ensure that this intervention will never lose its use again.

image: www.thehighline.org/galleries/images/high-line-park-photos

I should make it clear that I am 100% behind The High Line development and think it should be held up as a model for redundant post-industrial sites. However, in response to the literature I am currently reading for the Edgelands unit, I feel it necessary to question where it the High Line is situated in terms of the 'regulated city'...

... To my surprise I came across a lengthy list of rules enforced to keep control of the space. I understand the need to regulate a place like this, it's a great intervention and has been an expensive investment for the City. However, could its program be considered over-regulated? Do some of the rules inhibit our enjoyment of the space? Will we enjoy this place less if we can't balance on a railway sleeper, picnic on the grass, feed a few birds, ride your bike or take the dog for a walk... these seemingly trivial activities are prohibitted on the High Line in order to maintain the 'vision' of the place.

My recent readings of the city have been raising questions of regulation and conditioning and what fulfilment can arise from the comfort of the ubiquitous, generic, controlled city compared to the city which offers the unexpected, encourages us to take risks and be open to elements of the city which take us out of our comfot zone. The difficulty arises when individuals or groups of individuals have agendas or programmes which conflict with the masses and pose a threat, thus regulation and law enforcement arises as a deterrent or a cure. In some cases it is necessary, but perhaps sometimes its just the State flexing its muscles and getting in the way of us truly experiencing the environments... 

image: www.thehighline.org/galleries/images/high-line-park-photos

Discomfort Zone

After our studio day on Friday, each pair was designated an area of 'exploration' to generate programmes for mapping the city. So today Lydia and I, (in the rain) started our journey at Victoria station simply observing the type of people passing through the station. People were surprisingly suspicious of us sitting on the floor, despite there being no other seating in the station.

Compared to Piccadilly Station, Victoria is not a hub of consumerism, and the whole place seemed 'down at heel' and forgotten. It seems much more transgressional and hostile than Piccadilly Station, in the sense that you almost don't feel welcome to hang around, yet its derliction and inhospitality gives the place an authenticity unlike Piccadilly Station, which in comparison is generic, insincere and clinical.

Even at lunchtime these seats were stacked on the tables, a warning not to sit down

Victoria Station, one Monday lunchtime

We walked through the Station, which adjoins the MEN Arena; the space here was really odd and DEAD.


Through a system of tunnels, without any sense of orientation, we emerged on the edge of Salford, an area quite fittingly named Strangeways, predominantly occupied by 'all day' car parking, metal security fences and post-war red brick single or two storey, flat-roofed buildings mostly used as warehouses and home improvement stores.


Walking a little further down Dutton Street in the wind and rain we decided to extend our experience of the city beyond our own personal boundaries and try sampling another user's program and so popped into The Dutton Hotel for an afternoon pint with the locals... 


...The pub was empty. It had three rooms, all empty apart from copious chairs (far too many considering the deficiency of punters), and tables topped in faux-brass. The pub landlord, Graham, was definitely wary of us and our unusual interest in the pub and to be fair we did look out of place! Armed with half a pint of Hydes, a camera and an overly observant and inquisitive nature, he probably thought we were inspectors from the Environmental Health Agency.

To the left beyond the metal fence is one of many 'all-day'
car parks on the site where the brewery once stood.

The back room of the Dutton Hotel

After about 15minutes, Trev and Jim came in and settled down for a couple of afternoon pints. We watched Celebrity master chef together on the oversized and incongruous 60" plasma, had a couple of chocolate digestives and discussed how,as Jim eloquently put it, "f**cked" the country was. Jim bought us an extra half each, which was kind, we chatted some more about the dire state of the country and then shook hands with Trev, Jim and Graham and walked out feeling a mixture of intrigue and relief.


The rest of our exploration took us past the prison, past Salford Van hire and into what was most definitely a 'mono-programatic' area; 'Cash and Carry' outlets and stores solely for those dealing in cheap apparel from the East for market stall businesses and 'low-end' independent stores. There was barely anyone about and there was no activity on the street. Driving instructors were evidently making the most of the desolate environment for the 'learner' driver but besides that there was no reason for anyone to be there. A few eerie wastelands had evolved into dumping areas on the corner of blocks.

The place was alien to us and unfriendly. There was no provision to fulfil our basic human needs; no place to grab the familiar packet sandwich or relieve your bladder in a public loo, just instructions not to "obstruct the loading bay" and miles of coiled barbed wire where, in the 'ubiquitous city', you would expect to see inviting signs and warm tempting lights of shop fronts and cafes. 


This place had no place for us.

"Take two"

Two weeks into term at MSA (Manchester School of Architecture) and I am getting into the swing of things.  Life as a student second time around seems much more 'grown up'. It's refreshing to be in a new city and my chosen module, 'Intimate Cities: Edgelands', is probably the best way I could get 'intimate' with it.

My wanderings have made me realise how easy it is to blindly navigate oneself around a space and never truly experience the place you're in; so often we are on auto-pilot to get from A-B without ever really looking at where we are. It's amazing how much more fulfilling the seemingly banal, everyday activities can be when you begin to observe with an awareness and consciousness and question why.

Bird's eye view

The view from the 'Cloud 23' bar on the 23rd floor of the Beetham tower (Hilton hotel), really engages you with the urban fabric of the city and the interconnectedness (or the absence of connectedness) between all of its parts.