Field Trip: Sheffield

As part of the Thesis brief we were asked to document a field trip. For most of the course this took place at the end of last term when they went to Copenhagen, but owing to my enduring poverty I was forced to seek alternative arrangements. So today I've been to Sheffield.

Sheffield was chosen as a relevant case study because of the redevelopments that have taken place in the City Centre. The Urban Redevelopment Company 'Sheffield One' was formed as a direct response to the findings of the Urban Task Force, chaired by Richard Rogers, whose publication Towards an Urban Renaissance has formed a key part of the research behind this study. A subsequent masterplan by Koetter Kim and Associates suggested widespread improvements in the centre of the city, many of which were enacted before the recession hit in 2008 and have proved to be very successful.

In response to the brief, I will be looking at:

1. What interventions took place
2. Their subsequent impact on the city
3. Lessons to be learned from Sheffield
4. How we go forward

The Context

Before the redevelopment projects, Sheffield was in a state of urban decline. As with many post-industrial cities in the UK, it's main industry (steel manufacture) had been severely affected by globalisation of economies etc and Sheffield, as with other cities, was faced with the difficult problem of dealing with this. The infrastructure around the city was poor, making it difficult for people to get around and making the nearby Meadowhall shopping centre a more attractive proposition than the city centre. A big part of the masterplan's remit was addressing these economic concerns as well as improving the built environment. 

The Interventions

The image below highlights the key interventions implemented by Sheffield One:

As stated above, the plan had strong economic objectives as well as emphasis on the quality of the public realm. This was a key point of Towards an Urban Renaissance that was central to the Sheffield developments. My visit focussed on the Station, Heart of the City and Retail Quarter interventions. These are in close proximity to each other and are connected through improvements to the streets, allowing for a good level of legibility.

The Station

View towards the city

View of the station building, with the Park Hill housing estate in the background.

Continuation of the developments is easy to spot through materials and street furniture

Integrating the developments with key transport links was a key strategy of Sheffield One, and that begins with the train station. As well as improvements to the station itself, Sheaf Square, immediately outside, was re-landscaped and forms an impressive entrance to the city. The space includes seating, a large water feature (water is used throughout the interventions) and is well-lit at night. The square is also surrounded by pubs and a cinema, as if the station didn't provide enough footfall on its own. The main route to the city centre and other developments is easy to follow.

The Heart of the City

This was the key project as far as Sheffield One was concerned. The site is absolutely pivotal and provides the opportunity for several developments (including the Station gateway and the Retail Centre) to work together. One of the key objectives of the development was to make sure that any public project made the area more attractive to other potential investors, ensuring more sustained success. The project included:

• Public realm developments including the Winter and Peace Gardens and Millennium Art Gallery
• Residential and office projects
• A 4/5* hotel
• A range of cafes, restaurants and speciality shops

The Millennium Gallery

The Winter Gardens

The interventions form relationships with older buildings and areas of the city

Winter Gardens, external

Office developments adjoining the Winter Gardens

The route from the Winter Gardens to the Peace Gardens

The Peace Gardens, adjoining the Town Hall

Fountains outside the Town Hall

Again, water features and seating are used extensively throughout the public realm improvements. The Millennium Art Gallery is free and can also be used simply as a route through to the Winter Gardens, ensuring footfall and extra business for the incorporated cafes and shops. The developments are minutes walk away from bus and tram stops.

The Retail Quarter

Research conducted before the redevelopments indicated that Sheffield was way behind other city centres (such as Manchester and Nottingham) in terms of retail, with the Meadowhall shopping centre taking a lot of city centre business. Two of the key strategies used to address this were the building of the tram line - which connected the city to Meadowhall and generally improved ease of access - and persuading John Lewis to commit to a large store in the city centre. This created confidence within other retailers who invested as well.

Indoor shopping arcade

Market taking place in the retail quarter

Tram outside the Cathedral

Trams connect the city centre to outlying towns and Meadowhall

All of the above interventions included both public and private sector investment and had improvements to the public realm at their heart.

The Impact of the Interventions

Each of the interventions has been termed a success, especially the Heart of the City project. The Millennium Gallery and Winter Gardens had an average footfall of 2m in 2006 and have helped create wider economic success within Sheffield, creating jobs and encouraging further investment. Some facilities have been used for media events as well, providing further monetary benefit. As one example, during the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible Theatre the Winter Gardens are used as a studio by the BBC. This can only be a good reflection of the quality of the project. Indeed, the project itself was cited as one of the reasons why World Snooker continue to stage the tournament in Sheffield.

In addition, the projects were a key part of changing the city's image and reputation. It is difficult to ascertain just how important things like reputation are, however when you look at exemplary cities such as Barcelona or Paris they obviously have reputations that are very high and, subsequently, attract a lot of tourists and visitors. More people = more money, and is therefore a good thing to City Councils. 

What Lessons can be Learned from Sheffield?

If nothing else, the success of the projects would indicate that Lord Rogers knows what he's talking about, which is a comforting thought. What can definitely be taken is that there should be more to city centres than simply overloading them with shops. The public realm, and the design quality of the public realm, are vitally important, as are good transport links and a variety of things to do. All of this is in agreement with the research I have been doing, in particular the Jan Gehl publications. Having a public and free cultural intervention that can also be used as a route through the city is an extremely effective way of engaging people and other events, like the World Snooker Tournament, help as well, when they are visible and can be engaged with. 

How we go forward

The trick here, I suppose, is getting private investment to take design quality of public amenities seriously. The one way of doing this is by demonstrating that they can have a positive effect on profit margins, which I believe they can as a well designed intervention attracts people. If more private developers learn that lesson, then we wouldn't be relying on public money to improve our cities and a lot more improvements would be made. Which would be better for everyone.

In summary, Sheffield is a successful and relevant example of a post-industrial city that was forced into large-scale redevelopment. It has been ensured that simple things, like making the projects easy to get to, have been done well and there are also projects that work in tandem with each other, to mutual benefit. This leads to a coherent piece of city that certainly functions well now.