My manifesto

My Manifesto
What do I want to do?
I want to create an urban village, a village within the city

What is my idea of an urban village?
An urban village is a settlement that is small enough (3000 to 5000 people) to create a community in the truest sense of the word. It should enable people to recognise each other and encourage neighbourliness. The buildings should be mixed use and the village should be based on walking; up to 900m across could be a guideline. The car should be facilitated but not encouraged. The community should have its own identity and there should be a range of facilities. There should be more dense development in the centre with focal points or a landmark, and the density should ease away from the centre. Pathways on the site should have a destination, a clear beginning and end.

Why do I believe this idea is suited to the site?
Seeing the market on a Saturday I had the most positive feeling about the site and felt there was a genuinely good atmosphere. The site was a destination; it was active. Looking at its history the Milk Market has been a site of trade for nearly 200 years. A seven day market isn’t viable according to those who run the market, and this isn’t what I’m suggesting. Instead I suggest providing services and shops relevant to local people and students alike as a way of continuing this tradition of trade. Somewhere in this is the key to the spirit of the place, its identity. I feel it also needs a sense of place, a sense of being one thing: a village.

The site and the city itself have an unusual character in that the people who work there during the day move out from the city in the evening to their homes in the suburbs. If students were to live there they would be spending their day in the suburbs and moving into the city in the evening. This means that the site is different things to different people depending on the time of the day. Clearly students use this part of the city at night. The issue is providing daytime amenities for those using the site during the day and maybe encouraging the use of the area by students at that time also. There is also the question of what happens at the weekend or during the summer, when the majority of the accommodation would be empty.

How do I propose to make it happen?
Daily shopping like a village shop for general needs

Basic healthcare pharmacy

Recreation and culture small scale sports facilities for more casual use, cafes, indoor and outdoor public spaces

Green space – change land contour? There are no clear high points on the site. Places for people to grow some of their own food would give the residents a sense of pride and ownership about their village. Place to sit outside, to just hang out, also space for collective activity

Central Square as a focus for the community, maybe the milk market itself, could be used for concerts or an outdoor cinema

Housing providing everyone with a space of their own, using the existing buildings as much as possible, because they add diversity and character, some of them have a long history, and it’s a waste to build something new if there are perfectly good buildings already there. If it’s not possible then maybe their material can be reused. Make judgements about what should stay and what should go on site? There probably needs to be a visible change to make sure there is a perception of change on the site, but this will probably happen anyway.

Study facilities small library, collective study area, lecture spaces, laundry facilities etc.

Employment should be a automatically created by providing services on site

Some buildings may need to be knocked to allow more light into the sight, eg. Cornmarket Car park