The New Local

Previous eras of political reform have left behind their mark but at present it is not clear what the architecture of the Big Society might look like?
Municipal socialism gave us “public conveniences and local baths…. Thatcherism gave us the gleaming towers and post-industrial conversions…. And New Labour has left its traces in the hulks of overpriced BSF schools…. Localism, however, is the policy gift that hasn’t yet started giving.”
In these times of global economic challenges, of financial, food and resource crisis, “….there is arguably the potential for a reverse globalization:”  an extreme localism which supports local production and consumption of goods, government, and promotion of local history, culture and identity.
This new Localism promises stronger community cohesion, giving people greater control over the policies that affect their lives and maybe even the potential of not having to have a Tesco express on every high street.
But does it also have a darker side, manifesting within London’s rapidly growing gated communities & vigilante groups sworn on protecting their local buildings and businesses against ‘outsiders’ at all costs? Indeed does Localism have the potential to heighten conflict and exacerbate social inequalities between competing communities?

Aldgate High-Street

This year, retailers up and down the country are simultaneously trapped in an economic hardship / looting pincer movement and Aldgate’s High Street, like many others, faces a tipping point.
The residents of Aldgate want value from their high street and new localism does indeed make some big promises for new social & economic opportunities. “Given that the Big Society moves in lock-step with public service cuts…”  it has been suggested that there could be opportunities for inventive mixed use proposals that meet local needs whist also making sense of the “bloated public estate.”  Consequently our first stop will be to investigate the potential of the local pub, the traditional mixed use heart of the community which historically has never been on the radar of the design profession.
Then, through the study of historical & contemporary models of localism, such as the silk weaving communities of Spitalfields, we will attempt to find out if the signature design of new localism really is an “….equal parts Tesco Express, open prison, police station and sorting office. A sort of one-stop clink-cop-post shop. With allotments? ”   Or does it indeed have the potential to offer something completely new & different?
In addition to the studio’s particular research interests we will also be focussing on drawing & communication techniques, specifically concentrating on producing atmospheric perspective drawings and images.

  1 Fran Tonkiss, “What is the architecture of localism,” bdonline.co.uk, 27 May 2011
  2 Tina Di Carlo, “When Economies Become Form,” www.tinadicarlo.com, Accessed 15 September 2011
  3 Fran Tonkiss, “What is the architecture of localism,” bdonline.co.uk, 27 May 2011
  4 Ibid
  5 Ibid