If you’re into architecture, planning, urbanism, Liverpool etc you may want to be involved in this project which launches at Static on Wednesday 22 July 2009 from 18.00. You’ll need to RSVP (see below)
Liverpool Architectural Society and the RIBA summer drinks reception and launch of ‘Integrated City’
As an upbeat creative response to the economic recession, the Liverpool Architectural Society (LAS) is planning a positive city wide project as part of the forthcoming cultural years of the Environment and Innovation. The society aims to address architectural, cultural, planning and social issues of the Inner and Outer City of Liverpool. The LAS aims to be inspired by local communities and situations. Multi-professional teams of architects, landscape architects, artists, students and communities will set out to create a series of urban propositions for the inner city.
Currently, the Inner City is very much a hollow vessel without people. It needs new urban activity and density. In 1931 the overall population was 857, 247 and in 2002 the population was 441,500. In Merseyside, 83,000 jobs were lost between 1981 and 1986, representing 1 in 3 jobs. The average annual income in Liverpool was £7,363 in 2001, which was £4,127 under the national average. Unemployment is well above the national average. The biggest single knowledge gap is that we do not know whether the vacant land and empty building problem is getting worst, or better, or staying the same. The population increase in the 12,000 of new build apartments, in recent years, has been in the City Centre. Why has the inner city and outer areas been excluded and disconnected from these new developments? The LAS ambition is to include the Inner City in future speculative visions for the city.
The best way to appreciate the shrinking Inner City and polarisation of Outer City of Liverpool is to just take a short walk out from the City Centre or take a bus ride to The Dingle, Toxteth, Kensington, Edge Hill or Walton or Seaforth. Or take a trip over the water to areas including Birkenhead, Oxton and Claughton. Any number of empty buildings, houses and vacant sites immediately become apparent. These neighbourhoods, districts and locations will be the focus of Integrated City. There are also numerous zones of vacancy ‘in-between’ the perceived urban neighbourhoods.
We are inviting teams of designers to adopt one of the Urban Districts or neighbourhoods. Each group will then be invited, over a twelve month period, to develop local contacts and participate with their communities to create new Urban Models for the neighbourhoods. The connections might include Tenants Spin, City Planners, developers, schools, businesses, creative industries, health centres … the list goes on.
The project will culminate in a major exhibition comprising of the individual projects which will be presented as 1:500 models.
We very much hope that you will join us to hear more about the project and find out how and why you need to be involved. Please confirm your attendance with Daniel Crellin at Daniel.crellin@inst.riba.org or 0151 703 0107