Unit 12 : Architecture of Urbanism. Land as a Secret Weapon
Unit Leader
Aseem Inam
The architecture of urbanism is the underlying structure, not only what is visible but also that which is largely invisible, of city-design-and-building-processes and their spatial outcomes. When we closely examine this underlying structure, we realize that one of the most overlooked, and yet most significant, elements of this structure is land. Urban land has been shown to turn into a nodal point through which a particular modality of urban development [i.e. financially wired and profit-oriented] has been encouraged to flourish. According to recent investigative research, land ownership in England is astonishingly unequal with 25,000 people—far less than 1% of its population—owns half the land, so it is heavily concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite. There are many ways to reform this highly unequal and privileged system that is destructive for the city and its ecology. Architects and urbanists can play an essential role in reforming this system, provided they truly can grasp its fundamental dysfunctionality and have the courage to propose real change . Working in collaboration with the innovative and pioneering Stokes Croft Land Trust in Bristol, this unit carried out deep investigation and creative speculation to design radical imaginaries that are public-facing, community-benefitting, and based on fundamental shifts in patterns of land ownership and occupation.
Cultural Art Centre
UREMCAA: Under-represented Ethnic Minority Cultural Activist Artists
Only Green (Land as a Secret Weapon)
A Landmark of Community Activism and Social Progress
Jamaica Street Studios
The restoration of one of Stokes Croft’s most historic buildings
The Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft Centre For Community Change
A Community Centre revives Stokes Croft
Re-thinking the Public Toilet Through a Reclaimed Turbo Island
Public toilet Art gallery