Student design project - MA Urban Design 2011 - Sheffield School of Architecture
Brief:
Develop strategies for London Rd to support the resilience and robustness of the Sharrow neighbourhood, considering short-term/small scale interventions and long term/large scale opportunities.
Develop strategies for London Rd to support the resilience and robustness of the Sharrow neighbourhood, considering short-term/small scale interventions and long term/large scale opportunities.
Principles:
- Increase the amount of and mixture of activities
- Create social spaces in public realm
- Encourage activities and uses that service the neighbourhood and contribute to its life.
Themes:
- Community-led; small-scale interventions and temporary opportunities
- Local Authority/Developer-led; large scale interventions and development opportunities
Strategies:
- Use of buildings
- Use of outdoor spaces
- Signposts
- Notice boards
- Integrated seating, lighting and paving
- Green Space Improvements
- Community involvement
- Public Art
- Community ownership - CLT
- Public realm capital improvements
- Shared surface
- Development – res/mixed use
- Business Improvement District Scheme
- Shop-front improvement Scheme
Narrative:
London Road is designated as a district shopping centre, but crucially it is also a main radial route into Sheffield City Centre from more prosperous suburbs.
It is known city-wide as a destination for its variety of ethnic restaurants and this offer could be built on through the development of the artistic and multi cultural aspects of the area.
Physically it has a distinctive urban character; feeling quite enclosed, with three to four-storey brick buildings forming a strong building edge to the street.
Learning Aims:
- Explore the dynamics of a ‘district centre’ and its relationship to its neighbourhood and its city.
- Explore concepts of resilience and robustness in the built form and public realm.
- Explore a range of interventions in scale/scope/variety.
- Explore the range of actors and their possible actions.