forum for alternative belfast - a student's perspective

For years now we as students have walked through South Belfast and into the city centre without fully appreciating the ease of our journey. In comparison with North, East and West Belfast the car has impacted least on the pedestrians in this area, particularly their journey toward the city centre.

During the Forum for Alternative Belfast Summer School we have experienced the negative impact of Belfast’s road infrastructure on its city centre development and in particular how it has disconnected the city centre from surrounding areas most notably North and West Belfast. The pedestrian has now ceased to walk these routes with overemphasised road widths, a lack of development on street edges and a reluctance to incorporate active ground floor space, culminating in the creation of an unsecure environment for the pedestrian.

With the aim for the week being to ‘fill up’ Belfast participants of the summer school were divided up into five groups; North, South, East, West and the Shankill. With each group responsible for identifying vacant sites within their area and applying one of a predetermined range of densities we would then be able to calculate the number of people who could live within walking distance of the city centre. The major point of interest within South Belfast, the group within which I was involved, was the high percentage of single level car parks and the potential development sites which could be gained should a select number of these be developed into multi storey car parking. We have also seen the negative impact that these car parks have had on the streetscapes within South Belfast particularly Great Victoria Street, Dublin Road and Ormeau Avenue. Just recently we have seen the creation of another car park on the Dublin road. Created through the demolition of existing urban fabric it has created yet another gap in the already highly perforated streetscapes of the city. A sign of promise within South Belfast was the pedestrians uninterrupted journey into the city centre however it appears we will have to fight to retain such a connection as a proposal is in place to complete the ‘Inner Box’ road, with the creation of the Bankmore link which would severe the city centres only connection with its surrounding neighbourhoods.

Continual discussion throughout the week about the essential moves required to facilitate a new demand for city living brought many different opinions from many different sectors of society. A desire that city centre living would be in high demand by all demographics within a few years is what we all hope for however I feel even demand for this by one or two sectors of society within approximately ten years would be significant progress. With the proposed development of the University of Ulster on York Street I believe there is a great opportunity for students to become the catalyst and demand a new type of city centre living. Out of this may a demand for city living by newly graduated students and as such over time these young professionals may feel a good environment exists to start a family.

[images courtesy of Mark Hackett]

Enda Clarke - 6th year MArch student

25th September, Cathedral Quarter Culture Night. I strolled past St Anne's Cathedral, the sound of samba-reggae drifted across from Writer's Square. A fifteen foot man tipped his top hat to me and offered me free culture. I took him up on the offer and crossed into the square. After enjoying the music for a while I walked out onto North Street, turned right at the Ant Circus and found myself standing in front of the Tivoli barber shop situated in the centre of an otherwise abandoned Victorian edifice. After taking a free ice-cream from the stall outside I entered the darkened barber shop. The jingle of the bell above the doorway, the scent of old varnished wood and Brylcream, the soft creak of the black leather chairs.

I wasn't the only person there that night, the shop floor was standing room only. Silence fell as the five man 'quartet' took to the stage. Ken Sterrett cleared his throat and spoke...

Andrew Molloy - 6th year MArch student

[leaflet produced by FAB, photograph of model taken by Andrew Molloy]

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