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"Park + Jog" Manchester / Salford |
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"Park + Jog" Manchester / Salford |
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Park + Jog regenerates
its surroundings, bringing activity and value to blighted sections
of the city, and it radically alters the political situation for the
suburb and the heartless commute it makes inevitable. In 2006 it was
shown at the Van Alen Institute in New York as part of the international
exhibition 'The Good Life – New Public Spaces for Recreation'. Salford's Crescent area highlights a common phenomenon in the UK's city fringe. Housing, once integrated with commerce and shopping, is now isolated by great roads, which fan out from the city centre. These areas lack the 'density' of the centre and the craven space of the suburb. Each successive wave of Greenfield development adds to the expanse of this grey space. Our utopian scheme is envisioned for a 1km stretch of the A6 road between Salford University and Manchester city centre. The road is transformed into a 4-lane linear park. One lane is grassed, another a water channel, another sand and the last a running track. Parking their cars in a multi-storey car park, commuters can change in the facilities provided and head east into Manchester walking, jogging, cycling, rollerblading, horse riding, swimming or rowing. The Park terminates at a Suit Park where commuters can shower, change and get a coffee. Eight hours later, on their way home, commuters deposit their clothes and return through the Park, to the interchange to collect their car or catch a train. Our prototype could be extended to each of the radial routes into the city encircling it with green routes. At intervals these Parks may link with the river and canal to offer an orbital route to complete a comprehensive green commuter infrastructure. Although originally conceived for Manchester, we believe that the idea may be adapted to any city worldwide. Encouraging new transportation methods that combine the ideologies of health club with commuting not only encourages healthier lifestyles but can also activate the urban environment. |
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