intimate urbanism

DUNDEEan inti mate study

FRONT COVER

CONTENTS

SURVEYDRIVES

DRIVE 1

RIVERFRONT TO HILLTOWN

DRIVE 2

WATER TO COUNTRY

DRIVE 3

GARDENS TO FOOTBALL

DRIVE 4

CITY SQUARE TO DEER

DRIVE

FLORENCE

01

02

3504

05

11

19

29

33

STRATEGIES

ROLLED UP DERIVE

SHRINKING CITY

REINVENT

CUT UP V&A

NODAL CITY

CONNECTIONS

PROJECT WORKERS61

62

63

65

67

70

71

74SPACE STUDIES

ALLOTMENTS

WEAVERS YARD

GRAFFITI P ITCH

FOREBANK ROAD

37

39

43

49

55

CONTENTS

5DRIVES

defi ntion of a drive from Situationiste Internationale #1: a mode of experimental behaviour linked to the conditions of urban society; a technique of transient passage through varied ambiances.

DRIVESDRIVE 1 R IVERFRONT TO HILLTOWN

Date: Tuesday 15.09.2009Time: 1400 - 1800Distance: 6.3kmWeather: Overcast, sunny intervalsParameters: Starti ng at the Discovery and head east bound unti l the riverside is no longer accessible and then drift to where our eyes were drawn.Blurb: The fi rst drive started positi vely though an urge to get away from the water front started to develop as the lack of engagement with the buildings that occupy the land at the waters edge and a lack of connecti ons between it and the city produced an excitement about heading into hilltown for new and unknown territory.

dense hilltown area sparse riverfront

no links to new housing development

people line

9SPACE STUDIESALLOTMENTS

texture map

DRIVESDRIVE 1 R IVERFRONT TO HILLTOWN

experience montage

11

Date: Sunday 20.09.2009 Time: 1100 - 1800Distance: 10kmWeather: Windy, sunny intervalsParameters: Starti ng at the river Tay by Tesco, walk north over the Law unti l countryside is met, not straying from set boundaries of 500m in width.Blurb: Walking the familiar grounds of the south side of the Law with pace to get to the unfamilar territory of to the north. Suburbia begins at the Law and sprawls endlessly to the countryside where it bares no relati onship to the surrounding context. The suburbs sit in small pockets enclosed by busy dangerous roads; a walk not for the faint hearted.

DRIVESDRIVE 2 WATER TO COUNTRY

The rushing and roaring of trains over ditchesThe cars on the road and the wind which whistlesThe smell of the sea which infests the face all on a continuous binding race

seclusion is felt in the suburb of studentsdistant sounds fi lter through delicate gardensfl owers grow and birds singonly the rumble of tire on cobble and disturb this daydream

In the in the industrial estates where jute ruled the throne stands crumbling relics of mortar and stonedisjointed tracts and carved out paths leads driftersthrough these stark landsbut a bird can be heard and a tree breaks the sight of this indus-trial inner city blight

From here we peer over roof top and gablesWhich lies before us as a dark dirty carpetPrime colours stand out like stainsUp here the air seems to dance through our hair tugging our clothes to leave our soul bare

Filtered sounds rise up through the treesAngle grinders grinding, siren sounds blaring, the hum of a coupe as it revs up a hillThe chatter of sheet plastic, much closer still

13

DRIVESDRIVE 2 WATER TO COUNTRY

experience montage - derelict school

people line

15texture map

DRIVESDRIVE 2 WATER TO COUNTRY

DRIVESDRIVE 2 WATER TO COUNTRY

stream of consciousness

17

DRIVESDRIVE 2 WATER TO COUNTRY

Date: Saturday 26.09.2009Time: 1330 - 1730Distance: 6.6kmWeather: Blue skies, sunParameters: Starti ng at the Botanic Gardens walk in the directi on of north east unti l the football grounds are met.Blurb: From the lush gardens of the Botanics we tapped into Dundees green corridor; passing through large expanses of green space rarely placing our feet on tarmac.

DRIVESDRIVE 3 GARDENS TO FOOTBALL

19texture map

the green corridor

21image ti tle goes here

DRIVESDRIVE 3 GARDENS TO FOOTBALL

people line

23

DRIVESDRIVE 3 GARDENS TO FOOTBALL

DRIVESDRIVE 3 GARDENS TO FOOTBALL

stream of consciousness

25

DRIVESDRIVE 3 GARDENS TO FOOTBALL

27

DRIVESDRIVE 3 GARDENS TO FOOTBALL

DRIVESDRIVE 4 C ITY SQUARE TO DEER

Date: Sunday 11.10.2009Time: 1430 - 1800Distance: 6.8kmWeather: OvercastParameters: Starti ng at a central locati on, walk towards landmarks along vistas then bounce o them into a new directi on and so on.Blurb: Sucked into the fl ow of shoppers and spat out blindly into Hilltown, seedy spaces and dark corners bled into industrial sheds bled into wide suburban streets, release into green golf course and curious deer.

29enclaves in Hilltown

DRIVESDRIVE 4 C ITY SQUARE TO DEER

CAIRD SQUARE , city square, whatever its name is - Whatever its meant to

be - Is that a staircase? Where to, a secret underground world - Civil serv-

ants beavering away along with the sunken rivers + dis. Tunnels - Sucked

into the fl ow of shoppers, fast forwardConcrete formed road, up past the gold

discs, - up past poundland +spat out somewhere else - some other town

- narrow steps open - up into an UNEXPECTED AMPHITHEATRE, - what

was the big idea? - A condom dumping ground - Route through, cats in

long grass, observing us meet another dead end - Big steep passage up

31people line and texture map

DRIVESDRIVE 4 C ITY SQUARE TO DEER

from Michelangelo to David

33

DRIVESFLORENCE

FIRENZEAs I sit in my tent in the campsite over-looking Firenze I am aware of a tension which is present, it has been growing as with my understanding of the city. My body and mind seem slightly disturbed by Florence, IS IT THE MOSQUITO, or the American students, or the fact that it seems to be a dead city which exists only in the past, preserved and restored in museums.

What is the future of Florence? Is it in the POST CARDS OF THE PAST? What makes a city of achievement stop achieving?

Florence is an image of itself badly re-produced thousands of ti mes. It is like the preserved head of the saint, horrifi c to look at but kept and shown o .

The people of this city seem insecure with self image, the designer labels all promote an awareness of this , adver-ti sing bett er people, plasti c people in shop windows. Make-up is the preserv-er of the people it MASKS THE AGING OF THE FACE, from behind such masks souls are dying unloved unemoti onal sick.

Florences quest to become cool it has over achieved, it has become dead cool, the life blood of the city ran dry many centuries ago. But RATHER THAN BE ALLOWED REGENERATE IT HAS BEEN PRESERVED.

What do YOU DO

student nurse work o shore drive busses STUDENT reti red sales assistant primark work in retail work in retail student I am a student Sales operator sales assistant student student city centre assist unemployed reti red, cleaner part ti me part ti me MA, reti red Teach designer college writer producer entertainer student engineer architectural student I cycle & Im a student student cleaner driver pension pensioner RETIRED city centre BINGO bingo unemployed reti red nurse domesti c assist unemployed carrer husband nurse nine I am not working as I was declared unfi t/unable to conti nue in any paid employment so apart from going to see Dundee F.C I also go to the cinema regularly like music t.v occasionally go to the ice hockey and I hope to start voluntary work at M-ID LIN centre soon bi-lingual assistant @ schools N/A School

MOST FAVOURITE part of Dundee

City centre shops, pub/clubs None Law hill The view riverside brought ferry shopping centre overgate / Dont have one City Centre, it has all the shops City centre, the only interesti ng part of dundee Downfi eld, because I live there Law Hill, because you see everything - non of it city quay city centre City Centre Lochee Perth road here desperate dan sculpture overgate for shopping, discov-ery overgate WEST END buildings quay periferry, so you can look back and refl ect balgay hill viewing point, great 360 degree views of the river, and view toward s the country the m green, open space the law because the view from there Dundee law all over inside out b.ferry hill town dock sea Dundee utd hard to say camper down LAW HILL THE VIEW the town dunno why though small centre shopping camperdown park good rest + pubs Dundee F.C + going to support them home + away because I am a life-long fan of the club Camperdown good place for kids none town the shops

LEAST FAVOURITE Part of Dundee

/ everything / dont know charlestown city cen-tre too many chemist for junkies where I live where I live / Meneizhill nothing to do fi ntry run down schemes of Dundee e.g pole park hilltown and because of he junkies noth-ing to do