Phil Bixby - ‘My York Central was revelatory…’
My York Central was revelatory – four weeks or so of hastily-assembled workshops, walks, online discussion and thousands of Post-Its, which gradually settled leaving an almost shockingly clear vision of a new part of York – unique in its links with the city’s past and present, and shaped by what the place does, rather than any notion of conventional historic reference. Here was a set of interwoven big ideas which jointly described a future place which was at once pragmatic and visionary. As the masterplan “emerged” the differences with this vision snapped into contrast, the brilliant collaborators voiced their wishes for better in the form of planning objections, and then it was all over:- an outline planning approval. But, also, an acceptance that the approval was a starting point, not a finished design.
The thought of bringing together the big ideas from the public engagement process to create a mixed-use neighbourhood very much lingered and Helen and I started articulating them – what would it take? An economic structure which allowed the shuffling of investment and income for common benefit. A physical structure which brought adequate density for a neighbourhood walkable both horizontally and vertically. A social structure which built networks of personal connections into a dynamic web of interactions – a place where people wanted to be there because of what happened, not just what it was. We discussed the ideas with people – regular collaborators and newcomers, like the incoming project director for Homes England & Network Rail. A disturbing consensus – it wasn’t a totally mad idea.
We started shouting a bit louder at York Design Week in October 2019 – opening a door to get other people not just involved, but shaping the proposals and bringing new ideas and directions of thinking – playfulness, wildness. The spirit of “put on a dayglo jacket and everyone assumes you know what you’re doing” became official policy, and we worked with a core group to start a process of working towards a clear aim – York Central Co-Owned – YoCo – was very much up and running, with start-up funding and the beginnings of partnerships with developers and other key players.
And so a next question was formed – was this just about one experiment, or was our aim for this to shape the whole of York Central? Much had changed since the days within which the masterplan was born. York had declared a climate emergency, a zero-carbon target of 2030, with non-essential traffic removed from the city centre. The city’s Housing Delivery Programme had adopted the Passivhaus standard. And then… …the turmoil of Coronavirus and the growing awareness of a need for sustainability and resilience, a fairer society and one less reliant on the old engines of the economy. If we are to build for that future, how different will our new places be? How much more important will that fine grain and interconnectedness be?
So I find myself feeling bolder about wanting to make York Central in the image of that vision that came from the people of the city. Forever affordable homes, valued as homes, not investments; dense, walkable city where cars are unnecessary and where public space becomes an extension of creative, cultural and social ground floor use, and where people connect to exchange skills, learning, experience, time. A place where ownership is for the common good, where generosity is sought. It now feels as though it not only could be like this, but should.
