Architecture and criminality

Architecture and criminality 

Almost a year ago, in an article for the Sunday Times, the then UK Prime Minister David Cameron (a lot can happen in less than a year) described sink estates as concrete slabs dropped form on high, brutal high-rise towers and dark alleyways that are a gift to criminals and drug dealers, adding that decades of neglect have led to gangs and antisocial behaviour. The solution he proposed was to knock the worst estates down and redevelop them with private capital (I guess that some estates are at prime locations). The government would inject 140 million pounds to rehouse occupants and tear up planning rules to speed up the process (every time I hear about speeding up planning and design processes I think it's a great way to escape scrutiny).

I heard about it back then on The News Quiz. Miles Jump who was presenting it commented: "Of course, that's what drives most people to crime: architecture".

South Bank, London

South Bank, London

When I first went there is 1986, it was an unloved and underused area. The concrete terraces exposed the clumsy side of Brutalism to both people and the elements. Under the overcast London sky, it was a desolate and uninviting landscape. People expressed negative opinions about it. Concrete, Brutalism, Modernism were all out and the empty terraces suggested that the complex was well past it prime. If I'm not mistaken, there was talk of demolishing it back then. Still, I must admit I like it. It's not just that I have a soft spot for Modernism (provided that the building is not just a collection of morphological elements), I actually liked the space it offered.

A couple of decades later, the South Bank was completely transformed into a lively area, full of people and activities. The same spaces that used to be empty and looked rather forlorn now accommodated them apparently well. How can one explain the change? I double that people's perceptions of exposed concrete have changed. It remains a material that ages ungracefully and feels rather unfriendly. Granted, Modernism and even Brutalism have now entered the retro sphere and so have become more acceptable. But I suspect that above all people care less about all that because they can bow focus on what is happening, join in and enjoy themselves. The built environment no longer oppresses them; it becomes a fuzzy background to their lives - and this can be a great compliment to any design, regardless of style.