top of page
Urban Design Issues
Milton Keynes, Thomas Smith-Keary, 14045700
"How can retrofitted transport infrastructre create innovative & vibrant social spaces for people that impacts positevley on local identity?"
Milton Keynes
This section is an introduction to the Midsummer Boulevard East site and to Milton Keynes in general
Milton Keynes is a new town, born out of the New Towns Act in 1967, it is the largest and last of the New Towns.
Milton Keynes identity is threefold, comprising of
-
car dominance and grid networks,
-
consumer shopping heaven and,
-
an abundance of greenery and nature
A grid network was used primarily as it allowed for firstly, easier incremental construction, secondly 'natural redundancy' if a road is blocked other routes are available and finally cost, grids are significantly cheaper make.
one the towns designers (Derek Walker) wanted to create "forest city", so initially 20% of its area is devoted to natural form, as of 2007 there were over 28 kilometres of linear park
Initially the first masterplan was intended to be the city of the bus and pedestrian with the design built around 30 mph grid roads with traffic light junctions surrounded by relatively high density housing to support bus usage. Unfortunately, the Development Corporation altered this design and established the design as a city based on low densities, easy car access on high speed grid roads, together with full segregation for pedestrians and cyclists.
This is where the current problems with the city arise from, it is a town built for the internal combustion engine and the car, not for the pedestrian as traditional cities have been (later being altered and adapted for the car).
Bus usage is at a staggeringly low 4.3% of all journeys across Milton Keynes as a whole (Witeside, 2007) due to the long walking distances from bus stop to home, the long journey times as buses meander through a maze of cul-de-sacs and disconnected streets and mainly due to the fact that people dislike waiting on the side of a road where cars can travel at 50-70 mph.
Cycling is at the national average of about 3%, despite Milton Keynes apparent good cycling infrastructure, the segregation of transport means that the cycle lanes or "redways" means that they don't take direct routes and so meander around the grid system, the segregation also means many are considered dangerous after dark due to the lack of activity nearby. However, despite these issues with regards to alternative means of transport the grid system and is one of the towns most valued assets and often residents defend it religiously.
Midsummer Boulevard East
For the actual site, Midsummer Boulevard East, a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) will be undertaken based on the principles of what makes a social space identified in the literature review.
The site in question is what would normally be the town centre, and indeed it is in part, except that the social centre is inside a privatised and enclosed shopping mall. Since its privatised there is no proper civic space or square where as Carr et al (1992) puts it "ceremony, celebration, and festivity" can take place protected by freedom of speech.
Fig 72 (left) and fig 73 (right), central Mitlon Keynes only active "public" spaces inside a privatley owned shopping mall.(author)
Fig 74, a small public space which overlooks nothing of interest and thus noone stays there. (author)
fig 71, map of the site (goolge maps)
fig 77, a forlorn bench looking out onto a facinating car park. (author)
Fig 75, a deliberate and sucessful attempt to create a black facade. (author)
Fig 76, the pedestiran walkways that cross from one mall entrance to another, "pedestrians do not have priority" (author)
fig 78, under Secklow bridge, possible active frontage? (author)
fig 79, the subterranean area of the market under the bridge (author)
fig 80, looking towards Secklow Gate (author)
fig 81, another area of public space with two fixed stone slabs as seating overlooking a Waitrose. (author)
fig 85, another deliverate and successful attempt at deactivating a facade (author)
fig 86, the only area on the site that feels like a street towards Cambell park past the food centre (author)
fig 87, the same area as fig 86, a less than succesful attempt at creating a street as it is only the blank edges of buildings and bin storage(author)
fig 82, the subterranean descent to reach Campbell Park from the site (author)
fig 83, endless rows of car parking as far as the eye can see (author)
fig 84, the central reservation of Midsummer Boulevard East (author)
bottom of page