Introduction
In the 1950s Newcastle was known as a sleep city, Dan described it as “moribund” (1) decades had past and very little economic development had taken place between that time frame and families were left to suffer. In 1959, T. Dan Smith became Leader of Newcastle City Council, he set up his own independent planning department in the council and appointed Wilfred Burns as chief officer in 1960. They both wanted to re-modernise Newcastle for the better by undertaking new road plans to resolve the traffic congestion that plagued the city and breath new life into the city by clearing out the slum areas and rebuilding new homes to help improve peoples living conditions. One way Smith helped promote his grand scheme was through a series of models and held public gatherings to help fuel his passion to help change Newcastle, a method used by Richard Grainger who greatly strengthened Newcastle’s status as a regional capital. In order to achieve Grainger’s equivalent he set out to get renowned architects to develop the city, like Le Corbusier , Basil Spence, Leslie Martin, Robert Matthew and even Picasso to help reinforce his vision for the future “Brasilia of the North” (2). In this essay I will closely examine T. Dan Smith’s proposed plans for the new urban motorway system, that would help solve the traffic problem. Also the redevelopment of Eldon Sqaure that would come under scrutiny, but would later become a commercial success. I will also investigate the new Civic Centre that replaced the Old Town Hall and the intention from the local authorities to demolish the Royal Arcade and replace it with a roundabout.
The idea of increasing newcastle’s regional importance by elevating Newcastle’s status as a commercial retail centre...
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...le upon Tyne city centre 1959-68, Planning Perspectives . 16 (2), p115-141.
(5)Taylor and Francis as: Pendlebury, J, Alas Smith and Burns. (2001). Conservation in Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre 1959- 1968. Conservation in Newcastle upon Tyne city centre 1959-68, Planning Perspectives . 16 (2), p15-17.
(6) Taylor and Francis as: Pendlebury, J, Alas Smith and Burns. (2001). Conservation in Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre 1959- 1968. Conservation in Newcastle upon Tyne city centre 1959-68, Planning Perspectives . 16 (2), p15-17.
(7)Taylor and Francis as: Pendlebury, J, Alas Smith and Burns. (2001). Conservation in Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre 1959- 1968. Conservation in Newcastle upon Tyne city centre 1959-68, Planning Perspectives . 16 (2), p15-17.
(8)Chris Foote Wood (2010). T Dan Smith "VOICE OF THE NORTH" Downfall of a Visionary. Durham: Chris Foote Wood. p92-93
Historically, Westfields was part of an interconnected wetland complex which surrounded the Shannon estuary. However typical of many other Western societies, with the Netherlands perhaps being the prime example, anthropogenic activities, in particular land reclamation severely altered portions of the wetland environment. Historical evidence reveals reclamation in certain areas of the Shannon estuary as early as the 10th century, however, such attempts were not made at Westfields until the 1830s (Healy and Hickey, 2002). In the early years of this decade, an...
The decision to do away with the long-standing community was reflected in academic studies and city-commissioned planning reports as a means t...
This report benefited from the advice, guidance and examining of the best practice lessons of community collaboration in regeneration planning of Castle Vale. As assorted within the context of the new landscape for urban regeneration programme, it is therefore important to scrutinize the factors that brought success to Castle Vale regeneration programme and the challenges experienced with the hope to inform upcoming regeneration policies in the City of Birmingham or above and beyond.
Adler, Ben. "What “Clybourne Park” Misses About Gentrification." Next City. N.p., 2 Aug. 2012. Web. 04 May 2014.
There was also construction of a new paved country yard space which is enclosed by the new buildings and a new planter containing a row of liquidambar trees on the Cathedral’s northern side. On the southern side the space was re-designed to improve the quality of the fabric and render the space more useable (Myers, 2004). The new entrance courtyard and the new building were designed in a manner to show that they had always been there (Emap Limited, 2002-2010).
Landscape architecture has been around since the beginning of time, but it was not until Frederick Law Olmsted came along that the idea of integrating design into the landscape with plants, water, and structures that it turned into a thriving profession. To many, Olmsted is considered “a pioneer in the profession of landscape architecture, an urban planner, and a social philosopher, one of the first theoreticians and activists behind the national park and conservation movements” (Kalfus 1). Growing up, he did not ever graduate from formal schooling and just sat in on a few classes while at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. Instead, he acquired his education from being out in the world through traveling and reading. He had a hard childhood. His mother died when he was just four years old and on his journeys around the world to Europe and China, he became sickly with seasickness, paralysis of the arm, typhoid fever, apoplexy, sumac poisoning, and at times suffered from depression. For many years he went on a journey within himself to find out whom he really was and what he wanted to do with his life, career wise. Frederick had one brother, John Hull, who died in 1857. This left Olmsted feeling empty and at loss of what to do. That was when Calvert Vaux came and filled the space in Olmsted’s life that his brother left. Vaux convinced Olmsted to enter the Central Park Commissioner’s design competition with their design entitled the “Greensward Plan.” With the success in that project, Olmsted figured out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, which was to become a landscape architect. Olmsted practiced from the years of 1857 up until he retired in 1895. Olmsted’s two boys, adopted son John Charles and biological son Frederick La...
Since its creation in 1916, the National Park Service (NPS) has had to balance between its two goals, which are to preserve wilderness and nature and to provide the public with access to these wonders in a monitored environment. These two goals tend to create a conflict for the NPS because as soon as one goal is given more priority than the other, the administration of national parks is harshly criticized by the public. The accusation that by allowing people to experience the wilderness, the NPS is corrupting the natural environment is very common, as well, as the criticism towards the lack of government funding to preserve nature and history. However, regardless of arguable criticism and a certain need for improvement, after one hundred years,
Morton, Brian. "Anti-developers ask North Van council to save Seymour, Deep Cove forests." Vancouver Sun 6 June 1995: A2.
Finally in 1991, the federal government initiated a ‘Better Cities Program’ which aimed to make Australian cities sustainable and more liveable. It encoura...
Although the present station building is in the International Modern style, Euston was the first inter-city rail station built in London. The original station looked very different than the current structure. Its Greek Revival Doric portal, “Euston Arch”, introduced the concept of a monumental railway station as the modern portal to a city. Its loss helped galvanize the environmental conservation movement in Britain, which had previously been focused on preserving picturesque vernacular architecture and unspoiled landscapes (Betjeman 124).
The suburb of Pyrmont on the shores of Sydney Harbour has been transformed by the processes of urban renewal into a thriving cosmopolitan residential area, an efficient and sophisticated business centre, and a popular recreational and tourist hub. Through my own observation of the Pyrmont area, I have seen how the painstaking urban planning efforts for the area have come to fruition, and a focal point of the Harbour foreshore created as a result of this.
Brought to discussion by Ronald Goldstein, the Building Project at William J. Johnston has been an ongoing project in Colchester. The initial proposal included the construction of both a senior center and recreational fields, but when voted upon in the fall the project was rejected. The results of the initial vote indicated that the citizens did not feel this plan best suited the needs of the town. Though discussion of the project was brief, there was mention that the new proposal will still include recreational fields, but no longer the senior center. These such revisions were said by Donald Kennedy to address citizen comments. The first “recharge” meeting for project refinement was to be held on February 27. Though it might be argued by some that the project is unnecessary in its entirety, the consistent effort being made to better suit the requests of the citizens is indicative of the responsiveness of ...
Roberts, Robert. The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century. Manchester: University of Manchester Press, 1971.
The area of regeneration has undergone several changes in the past few years. For example a modern fitness centre had to be closed, as it was no longer financially viable, this is evidence that the local area is non-affluent as the people are unable to sustain a gym. In 1993 the aesthetic value of the area was heightened when the canal walk was opened. The linear areas along the canal are now going to be protected and enhanced. This is of great importance because the heavily built up character of Sparkbrook results in little space for recreational areas. A high percentage of the shops in Sparkbrook are closed and as the money available for housing improvements is strictly residential the shops that are present appear worn and in need of repair. The area also suffers from serious traffic congestion and so parking bays have been created along Fallows road, however the traffic still accumulates and when the stretch of road is clear it could encourage speeding as it is a stereotypical ‘rat run’.
Barbosa O, Tratalos J a, Armsworth P R, Davies R G, Fuller R a, Johnson P, Gaston K J (2007): who benefits from access to green space? A case study from Sheffield, UK. Landscape and Urban Planning 83: 187–195.