Touring Walk around Mainway with its Residents
The first event was a walk around Mainway on 6th August 2020. The idea was to explore Mainway from the residents perspective. There were there walks: one in the morning, one in the afternoon and the last one in the evening. 30 people joined us to talk about the outdoor and indoor spaces of Mainway.
During each walk, residents picked the stops of the walk and shared their memories, pointed out some of the issues face, and highlighted things to change. Soon enough the residents said that the area suffers from issues such as drug and alcohol use/consumption.
At the beginning of each walk, the residents discussed the redevelopment project with representatives from Lancaster City Council. Some residents expressed their scepticism about the whole engagement process. One of them believed that Lancaster City Council has already a redevelopment plan with less social homes and an increment of private houses. Additionally, some residents expressed that sometimes they need to share communal spaces or live door to door with dangerous people. They proposed to set up a tenant’s association as a way to enhance communications. In general, we found out that residents feel stressed and uncomfortable with the idea of being moved out if the redevelopment implies knocking down the buildings. As one of the residents said:
“The main thing is that say we all have to get out. That is going to be a problem surely.”
http://imagination.lancaster.ac.uk/update/touring-walk-around-mainway-with-its-residents/
