Group 27
TREES NOT CARS

In collaboration with activist group ‘Trees, Not Cars’, we aim to raise awareness around the topic of gentrification, illegal levels of air pollution and a loss of potential communal space in Ancoats. The output of this project is to produce alternate masterplans of the site, to counter the council’s proposal. We aim to find creative ways to promote these masterplans in various mediums, designed primarily for social media platforms.

Cezara M / Jad C / Kiran M / Reiji Alexander N

Jad C
Trees Not Cars want to work with the Council to develop a scheme that includes significant community green space and social housing to respond to the affordable housing crisis in the city.
Posted 11 Mar 2020 20:18
Jad C
Create a feasible alternative for the site which:
_Gives the community a usable green space
_Provides connections from the marina to the city by foot and bike
_Provides sporting and recreation space for the existing community
is a reasonable financial argument for the alternate plan
_Provides shelter from noise, traffic, and air pollution
_Incorporates affordable residential space
_Provides space for small businesses
Posted 11 Mar 2020 20:35
Jad C
Cezara
- MSA Graduate
- Atelier . LULU
- Interests . Child-Friendly Urban Planning

Jad
- MSA Graduate
- Atelier . Infra.Space
- Interests . Political Architecture

Kelly
- MSA Graduate
- Atelier . Infra.Space
- Interests . Enviromental Analysis Through BIM

Kiran
- Newcastle Univeristy Graduate
- Atelier . &Architecture
- Interests . Inclusive Design

Reiji
- MSA Graduate
- Atelier . CPU
- Interests . Grass-Roots Movements
Posted 11 Mar 2020 21:14
Jad C
Issues with the current proposal:

-Cotton Field Park is existing green space and not a part of the new development.
-Proposed green roofs would not be accessible to the public.
-No replacement of the cycle lanes along Great Ancoats Street after the proposed removal.
-Prioritises commercial property over much needed affordable housing.
Posted 11 Mar 2020 21:23
Cezara M
Project site : Central Retail Park, Ancoats, Manchester.
Introduction of ‘Trees not Cars’ campaign by collaborators on-site. Collaborators to give history of site, their movement and their visions for an alternative proposal.
Posted 23 Mar 2020 22:37
Cezara M
- Public Consultation led by Trees Not Cars allowed Ancoats community members to voice their concerns and vision for the site, reflected in this diagram
- Collaborator’s vision reflects a child-friendly approach to planning and includes :
- a link between the Canal and Ancoats Marina with cycling, running and walking routes;
- playgrounds and sports facilities;
- green space for activities and family picnics;
- dog park as significant number of dog owners live around Ancoats.
affordable housing and retail services (cafes, bike repairs etc ) responding to residents’ needs
Posted 23 Mar 2020 22:41
Cezara M
-With a background in political science, Dr Leandro Minuchin will be visiting and delivering a talk on the social role of the architect in contemporary urbanism
- The aim is to inform and enhance our proposals with a strong theoretical grounding through political contextualisation



Posted 23 Mar 2020 23:00
Cezara M
Skills we will develop
Posted 23 Mar 2020 23:01
Kiran M
Granby Four Streets is an ongoing community-led project to rebuild Granby, a Liverpool neighbourhood that was nearly made derelict by decades of poorly-planned regeneration initiatives. Granby Street was once a lively high street at the centre of Liverpool’s most racially and ethnically diverse community. The demolition of all but four of Granby’s streets of Victorian terraces during decades of ‘regeneration’ initiatives saw a once thriving community scattered, and left the remaining “Granby Four Streets” sparsely populated and filled with tinned up houses.

Learn more about Granby Four Street @: https://www.granby4streetsclt.co.uk/
Posted 23 Mar 2020 23:18
Kiran M
Green Space is an essential infrastructure in modern day cities, that is under threat by the financialisation of public space. Here are some of the benefits of green space and why there should be more in the Ancoats area.
Posted 23 Mar 2020 23:22
Kiran M
Check out this alternative proposal for the Greater Ancoats Street retail park. MossBalling was produced be MArch students at the Manchester School of Architecture. The concept farm of do it yourself moss planters that would clean the illegal pollution levels around Greater Ancoats Street. The planters are made out of waste materials anyone can access, so try it out at home!
Find out more by visiting: https://www.materialpolitics.com/prefigurative-architectures
Or
Email: kiran.milton@stu.mmu.ac.uk
Posted 23 Mar 2020 23:26
Cezara M
MA Architecture and Urbanism students led workshop
- Masters students from the Architecture and Urbanism course at MSA will come in to share their proposals, analysis of existing site (Central Retail Park) and wider context
- The aim of this workshop is to produce initial sketch masterplans to show sustainable master planning principles learnt from MAA+U presentation

https://www.msa.ac.uk/study/ma/architecture-and-urbanism/
Posted 29 Mar 2020 22:50
Cezara M
URBED led workshop
- Manchester based URBED (Urbanism, Environment and Design) Ltd are an award-winning design and research consultancy. URBED is also in partnership with Manchester School of Architecture, LULU Landscape and Urbanism is a newly formed March atelier embedded in URBED+, that combines academia and practice.
- They believe in “building sustainable towns and cities and enabling good design”.
- Teams of students will have the opportunity to have a tutorial session with URBED in an attempt to develop their masterplans digitally under professional guidance, focusing on urban design and landscape.

http://urbed.coop/
https://www.msa.ac.uk/urbed+/
Posted 30 Mar 2020 00:07
Cezara M
Week 1 will start with meeting the collaborators on site (Central Retail Park in Ancoats) in order to get an understanding of its existing conditions and brainstorm initial ideas. Following days we will have different collaborators (MAA+U, URBED and Leandro Minuchin) joining for tutorials and workshops that will help us make sustainable design decisions. Each team to keep working on their proposals and apply design techniques learnt from various activities led by collaborators.
Posted 30 Mar 2020 01:14
Cezara M
Week 2 will start with a trip, a Guided tour of Granby Four Street developments with Community Land Trust representatives in Liverpool which will be used for a precedent study for grass roots movements and masterplanning. The following days will be focused around learning softwares while working on the masterplans, each team will keep updating the 6 pages presentation for their design. On the final day, we will exhibit and present the 3 different proposals to all of our collaborators and Ancoats community members, with focus on the developed theory and design drivers which led it.
Posted 30 Mar 2020 01:56
Reiji Alexander N
Location: North Tea Power
https://northteapower.co.uk/

At the end of the events fortnight, we look forward to presenting our alternative masterplans to our collaborators, our guests, and the Ancoats community.

Each team will present their alternative vision with a presentation, an A1 poster, and a six-page design document.

Following the presentations we will have questions from the floor, followed by a celebratory drink.
Posted 31 Mar 2020 13:20
Reiji Alexander N
Keeping everyone safe is our number one priority hence we can’t continue this event within the MSA, however:

- As the Trees not Cars movement launches into the latest phase of fundraising, you can help by donating to the campaign ( https://www.gofundme.com/f/trees-not-cars-mcr )

- Or if you would like to be directly involved in creating alternative proposals for the Central Retail Park, contact Reiji Nagaoka via email:

nagaoka.ra@outlook.com

In brief, The campaign is looking to use sketch schemes based upon reliable data from equally reliable sources as a counter-argument to the current vision for the site.



Posted 31 Mar 2020 13:25
Cezara M
- The project will involve working in groups to develop three alternate proposals for the Central Retail Park.

- Each group will present their development and research as 6 page A3 presentation document that will be delivered and presented to our main collaborator, Trees not Cars. The documents will cover analysis on :

⁃ Current site ,
⁃ Ancoats Community,
⁃ Affordable housing crisis in Manchester,
⁃ Lack of Green Space in Manchester,
⁃ Design Development,
⁃ Masterplan vision.

- For the final exhibition which will take place and North Tea Power, all groups will produce A1 posters to reflect their proposal with drawings of competition standards.
Posted 31 Mar 2020 14:15
Kiran M
Prefiguration is a key concept in Dr Leandro Munichin’s Research Methods module, which was an important primer for this the Trees Not Cars Events 2020.
Prefiguration is a political concept that has recently been applied to architectural thought. To prefigure is to test out an idea in the present, in the 60’s social action groups used this to try out new political structures within their own group. Now it is being used when looking at marginalised communities and how they may develop new infrastructures in the absence of tradition provision.
If you'd like to learn more, some good starting points Neil Brenner, David Harvey and Warren Magnusson.
Posted 31 Mar 2020 14:48