ARCHITECTURE STUDENT PARTICIPANT 02 | EXPLORER

Figure  25  –  Route  describing  the  architecture  student  participant  02's  tour  of  the  city.  

alleyway  

bike  

building  

down  

fact  

garden  

out  

owner  peter  

points  

roscoe  

shop  

somebody  square  st  star  

street  

towards  

walks  

Figure  26  –  word  cloud  to  illustrate  the  most  used  terms  to  describe  participant  02’s  interactions   with  the  surrounding  environment  during  the  tour.  

Explorer   is   an   architecture   student   is   on   the   Masters   of   Architecture   course   at   the  

University  of  Liverpool  and  is  in  his  fourth  year  of  studying  the  subject.  Explorer  also  gained   several   months   of   professional   work   experience   after   completing   the   bachelor’s   programme  and  beginning  the  masters.    

  Explorer’s  tour  meanders  around  the  cities  alleys,  by–passing  a  significant  amount  

of  the  densely  populated  areas  of  Liverpool  where  the  majority  of  the  commercial  activity   occurs.   The   tortuosity   of   the   journey   appears   to   relate   directly   to   the   way   in   which   he   identifies   with   the   character   of   the   city   as   a   means   to   develop   social   relationships,   he   states,    

So  then  there’s  an  alley  down  here  that  I  always  cut  through.  It  is  quite  a  bit  of  a   haphazard  way  but  there’s  a  bike  shop  there  and  I  always  tend  to  pop  into  this  bike   shop  and  just  check  out  the  old  bikes  and  have  a  chat  to  the  guy  there.  It’s  quite   interesting   some   of   the   stuff   they   do,   that’s   why   I   always   like   to   do   these   little   things  on  the  way  to  somewhere  to  break  up  the  journey  and  to  meet  new  people   and  things.        

This   instance   highlights   how  Explorer’s   contorted   route   through   the   city   integrates   retail   establishments   that   emanate   a   discreet   atmosphere,   that   is   conducive   to   personalised   experiences,  rather  than  those  that  are  saturated  in  the  commotion  of  crowds  of  people.   The  subdued  qualities  of  the  city  highlighted  throughout  the  tour  could  also  be  seen  as  a   form  of  consumerism  that  counters  the  mainstream  flow  of  pedestrian  movement  in  favour   of  destinations  that  offer  a  sense  of  exclusivity.  Consequently,  it  cannot  be  assumed  that  by   moving  through  the  city  in  such  a  way  there  is  any  greater  or  lesser  desire  to  explore  the   city  in  terms  of  the  consumer  opportunities  that  it  affords.    

  Additionally  Explorer   displays   an   awareness   of   the   undesirable   qualities   of   the   spaces  he  passes  through  explaining  that;  ‘I  think  they’re  quite  dodgy  spaces  here,  where  I   always  walk  down.  It’s  quite  desolate;  you  won’t  get  many  people  walking  down  here.  But  I   don’t  mind  the  edginess,  it’s  alright.’  In  this  instance,  the  significance  of  film  is  highlighted   as   a   method   of   analysing   the   visible   conditions   of   environments   that   causes   visceral   response  to  the  participant,  and  demonstrates  its  temporal  qualities.  The  engagement  with   the  surroundings  in  such  a  way  could  also  be  attributed  a  desire  to  familiarise  himself  with   the  virtues  of  the  city’s  authenticity.  As  Explorer  points  out,  areas  of  the  city  that  have  long   been  left  neglected  in  the  wake  of  industrial  decline  are  intermittently  used  as  the  sites  for   temporary  gallery  spaces  for  artists  and  designers  to  exhibit  in,  and  accordingly  is  an  activity   that  he  has  participated  in.  Explorer  therefore  helps  to  illustrate  how  the  routes  that  serve  

Liverpool’s   post–industrial   landscape,   despite   their   fractured   state,   provide   a   suitable   setting  for  the  creative  industries.    

Figure  27  –  View  of  the  bike  shop  accessed  from  Roscoe  Street  (10,H  on  map).  

Additionally,   the   changing   economy   of   these   tributary   connections   throughout   the   city   parallel   the   wider   discussions   surrounding   the   role   of   art   and   the   creative   classes   in   redefining  the  meaning  and  the  value  of  buildings.30  _{In  describing  how  he  feels  about  being}   an   inhabitant   of   the   city,  Explorer   describes   how   the   physical   reality   of   his   surroundings   stimulates  and  fosters  social  engagements,  and  goes  on  to  state  that,    

I  would  say  in  the  city  there  are  not  many  landmarks  I’m  drawn  to  its  more  public   spaces  and  places  of  interaction.  There  are  a  few  places  down  Bold  Street  as  well.   I’m   a   frequent   regular   to   a   lot   of   the   coffee   shops,   especially   Bold   Street   Coffee.   And  I’ll  always  pop  into  the  cinema,  see  one  of  my  friends  and  then  check  out  the   exhibitions.  

30  _{This  appears  to  be  particularly  prevalent  with  buildings  that  have  become  divorced  from  their}  

intended  function  in  order  for  them  to  contribute  to  an  urban  renaissance,  see  (Great  Britain.  Urban   Task  Force,  Rogers  et  al.  2004).      

Figure  28  –  One  of  the  node  spaces  discussed  by  Explorer,  used  for  a  variety  of  functions   throughout  the  day  and  night  (17,  F  on  map).    

Here  Explorer   indirectly   applies   the   Lynchian   devices   of   the   landmark,   node,   and   path   to   discuss  his  awareness  of  the  constituent  parts  of  Liverpool,  focusing  ultimately  on  the  value   of  nodes  as  his  preferred  spatial  element.  By  using  such  terms,  Explorer  again  speaks  about   the   city   in   terms   of   its   totality   and   the   iterative   layers   of   activity   that   define   the   way   in   which   he   identifies   with   the   city   and   the   way   in   which   he   chooses   to   dwell   within   it.   Moreover,  the  nuances  of  Explorer’s  tour  suggest  a  correlation  between  settings  that  are   anachronistic  in  their  character  and  feelings  of  authenticity.    

Path   Node   Edge   District     Landmark  

Bold  Street   Roscoe  Street   FACT   Bluecoat  Arts   Centre   Bold  Street   FACT   St  Peter’s  Square   Exchange  Flags     Mount  Pleasant     Gradwell  Street  

Shopping  District     Wellington  Building     Georgian  Terraces   Liverpool  Village   (Under   Development)   St  Lukes’   NHS  offices  –  Fleet   Street   Hanover  Street   (Construction  site)   St  Nicks