Acts of activism - URBAN RADICALS
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Acts of activism, London, 2022

The proposal responds to Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s invite to Rediscover Notting Hill Gate, and to contribute to the long-term improvements of the area. The site has a history of activism through gathering to protest, which later transformed into gatherings for music and performance, expressed through Notting Hill Carnival and as a way of claiming this part of the city. The four lane road is re-imagined as a welcoming community corridor, a street for people to pause and mingle.

Today, the site lacks space for people to gather and for spontaneity to emerge. Like much of the public realm around London, it has come to deter people from lingering through defensive design tools.

Our urban strategy breaks down the road into smaller scales activated through the acts of performing, playing, discovering and greening. These programmes suggest the transformation of the busy road into a welcoming street to pause and mingle. Ultimately the existing condition of non-welcoming spaces is subverted by our proposed catalogue of objects; seating, pedestals, raised platforms etc. which are designed to welcome people and allow them to sit and spend time in the area. These go beyond basic public furniture and way-finding exercises, and branch out into a broader strategy for the street which focuses on cultural curation, environmental comfort and events that re-invigorate and tell the story of the place.

 

Acts of activism

Type: Landscape

Location: Notting Hill, UK

For: the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Status: Design Proposal, LFA Competition Finalist  

Featured in: London Festival of Architecture

Collaborators: AFTERPARTI

With thanks to: ATELIER TEN, JAMPS

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