08 urban workshop [trongate]
The Trongate area of Glasgow lies minutes
east of the busy city centre. Having suffered several years of neglect,
the main shopping streets of Saltmarket and High Street now lie mainly
empty. In recent years the profile and appearance of the once run down
area of the Merchant City, adjacent to Trongate, has been dramatically
improved with the redevelopment of former warehouses and new build development
of flats, bars, clubs, restaurants and retail.
Glasgow City Council wished to continue
this redevelopement by extending its reach to Trongate, building on the
apparent success of the Merchant City. They asked for anyone with "buzzy"
ideas, including recent design graduates, to submit proposals for one
of the many empty shop units in the area to their Development and Regeneration
Department. The following is holeinmypocket's response, Urban Workshop:
Urban Workshop is envisaged as a nomadic
ever changing exhibition of experimental work from local artists and architects
in collaboration with local community groups which will challenge contemporary
ideas on the built environment and provide a forum space during the proposed
regeneration of the locale.
Urban Workshop is on the fringe of the redevelopment
of the trongate. It is incapable of private financial gain, instead it
strives to maintain a dialogue during urban renewal between all elements
of this process in order to prevent financial wants blurring social needs.
Paramount to the regeneration of Trongate
is not just diversity of amenities but also diversity of residents. It
must not become a 'yuppie ghetto' excluding those on low incomes from
living there. Urban Workshop aims to provide a forum space for discussion
and debate amongst local people, councilor's, businesses, architects and
developers.
© holeinmypocket, 2002-2009
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