Maps
Our maps concentrate on the centre city, the are within a twenty minute walk of the Four Corners where all distances from Belfast are traditionally measured. The maps bring together the layers of previous research, the missing city map along with map of road space blight and car parking areas from the shared space research project. This first map shows the only surviving terrace streets after 40 years of housing renewal.
As part of the presentation at City Hall in November 2011, forum showed a 4 minute slide sequence of the main dysfunctional streets from neighbourhoods on the map area. The streets, if they could be called ‘streets’, where photographed over 4 days. Each picture taken with a standard lens in the same format in order to document the extent of these spaces which usually have tall blank walls or back to front housing. These areas are a problem for community safety and for the city image. We documented over 300 streets on this map which require intervention to make safer neighbourhoods.
We forget that in 1960 we had a connected city, we actively ‘unbuilt’ it. (see attached old map)
Seen together this mapping can be read a measure of dysfunctional spaces within the 20 minute walk of the city centre. Over the last 15 years of commercial boom hardly any of these problems were addressed, they represent neglect and also the task that any real city repair must now address.
illustrations
city pre 1960’s
detail of map
detail of ‘grey doughnut’ map