Previous state

Northmoor, to the south of Manchester, is a residential zone dating from the beginning of the twentieth century, constituted by a uniform series of rows of one-family houses. The streets in this district were in dire need of attention and their use by vehicles created serious problems of malfunctioning for the residents. The precarious lighting intensified the sense of insecurity while an absence of urban elements worked against natural relations between the residents and spaces outside their homes. Again, the streets carried a volume and type of transport for which they were not equipped, as many vehicles used them to avoid the traffic lights of a nearby main road, circulating at speeds that were clearly inappropriate for the residential nature of the area. The fact that the facades of the houses extended uniformly for considerable distances without front gardens that would have given a transition space from the street only aggravated the problems created by this situation because there was nowhere for children to play and the few small businesses in the area were also affected by the general malaise.

Description

The new scheme established in the residential streets, by means of general repaving, all at one level and for different uses, a complete redefinition of the spaces allocated for a new concept of pacification and revitalisation of outside space. In order to minimise the problems and inconvenience caused by cars – noise, pollution, insecurity – the movement and velocity of vehicles were restricted, with special attention being given to itineraries of smaller children going to and from their schools and to the mobility of older people. In the past, cars that were previously parked on both sides of the streets meant that vehicular access had frequently been blocked in case of emergencies. With a view to avoiding this kind of situation and reducing the presence of vehicles, the new plan defined some parking points in the centre of the streets. This decision enabled an extension of the free space adjoining the facades of the houses that had previously been suffocated by vehicles. It also ruptured the lineal nature of the vehicular route, reinforcing the idea that pedestrians, children playing and other uses now took precedence over automobiles.

The ground surfaces were painted in bright colours using a new form of treatment that, identifying and establishing their different uses, also bestowed a more unitary reading of the different lanes joining the houses. Small play areas were equipped, wastepaper bins and benches for sitting in the street were installed, trees were planted and, in order to foster a sense of security, the lighting was improved in general. The new look of the streets was planned with the collaboration of landscape designers and also artistic contributions from the community.

The summer before the work began, a festival was held for Northmoor residents, with music and street games. Proud Street was closed all day and different paintings were done on the ground to show how the project ideas would be achieved in practice. Part of the street was temporarily turned into a garden and trees were installed for the day so as to demonstrate in situ the transformation that was about to take place in the streets of the area.

With the aim of upgrading the connections between all the streets in the neighbourhood so that they would become a coherent set of outside spaces, the Manchester City Council envisages purchasing some of the central houses from several rows in order to demolish them and create green spaces that will bring the newly-transformed streets into physical and visual contact.