Managed decline

I guess you will have seen this story in the news:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-16355281

Maybe this could influence our project in someway?

Adaptation of existing form

I think this is a nice precedent for how some of the more substantial building develop, adapting the existing fabric.

http://www.haworthtompkins.com/built/proj04/index.html

Programme Diagram

Hi Matt

Just knocked up a quick axe to try and summarise the different programmes.  We could colour-code the buildings on the top part like Matt was describing.

Urbanisation of Panic

I was searching the Occupied London (an journal of theory and action that has spouted from the occupy london movement) website today and found article by Finoki. A couple of poignant points are extracted below.

"During the past centuries, the building of the modern urban environment used to be dependent on the rationalist plan of the political city. The economic dictatorship of the last few decades has accelerated the urban expansion. The interaction between cyber-spatial sprawl and urban physical environment has destroyed the rationalist organisation of the space."


"can the city be viewed as an architectural weapon to enforce a certain behavioral code, or to forcefully spatialize neo-liberalism in a way, to rear obedience (or addiction) to a rampant commerce?"

http://www.occupiedlondon.org/urbanisationofpanic/

Top result on Google

Matt

The google search "figure ground inversion" now lists our blog as the top result and we didn't even pay them.

DH

Production & manufacturing areas

Here is a view from within the "masterplan" of a typical space used for both subsistence farming and cradle-to-cradle manufacturing within the larger existing buildings. The new built-form is made from found materials and develops in an ad hoc manner enabling it to adapt as necessary.  There is still an element of nomadism about the whole thing.

There will hopefully more to follow and these images will get across that 'grittiness' we talked about, which the previous images weren't quite as successful in doing.

DH

Master Plan first draft

Heres the first draft of the masterplan during the last phase of development.  Here is has become a valid part of the city and is home to a society of people, formed from the occupy camp,  concerned with social justice and sustainability.  Infrastructure has reached an advanced level, figure-ground inversion has occurred, and as these means of living become more accepted, we it starting to affect surrounding areas.

The graphics need a bit of work on the plan but at least its establishing some principles.

This render is more successful but needs more context.

Build the Barricade-Riots Ensue- Forces Prevail

The diagrams below shows the relationship between the occupy camp and the wholesale markets  as eluded to in the previously posted timeline.  A narrative is portrayed whereby the occupies form an alliance with the market traders and set up a small camp outside the wholesale market. The occupiers then barricade the site to prevent the demolition of the wholesale site. Unfortunately riot police are sent to the site and the demolition succeeds. As a lack of surplus value prevails over the economy, the big city plan is not realised and the -now demolished-wholesale site become a large city centre void. 

 

Harvey At Occupy London

David Harvey recently gave a speech at the Occupy London Protest and made some very poignant points.

The excerpts below are taken from the transcript of the speech and are particularly  relevant to our project.

“Because until we know how to create democracy at the local level and then build that democracy into configurations that remain democratic right to the top, then we will not be able to implement a program. We will see good ideas co-opted by capital. And that is one of the most serious difficulties of any political movenent; you come up with good ideas, and then they co-opt them for their own purposes. No."


“And the other thing that needs to be established here is that, you know, we live in a world where people talk about the importance of public space. But most of the time the public is not allowed to be in that public space. What you’re showing is: people belong in this public space. And when we get in this public space, we can turn it from a public space into a commons. Into a political space. Where we can start to discuss and understand, and start to militate against the incredible, incredible concentrations of wealth and power."


You can watch the speech in its entirety from the following links

http://elainecastillo.tumblr.com/post/12786747720/video-and-transcript-of-david-harvey-speaking-at

http://davidharvey.org/