neighbourhoods

The neighbourhood is made by a series of criss-cross routes that people take in their daily lives. To make a good place, it is best if most of these routes are on foot and generate a lot of chance encounters. Places developed over time can be easily disturbed through changes in the economy, demographics and property development. By recognising the value of existing social structures, as well as built fabric, architects can become allies in promoting authentic places, even as they undergo radical change. Learning through experts in place, the locals who animate a neighbourhood, sharing our design tools, technical knowledge and ways of thinking borrowed from elsewhere, we can carefully transpose the things people love about their area while making space for new things to happen.