My Mainway, Lancaster

On the 24th of October 2020 we had an event called that we called ‘Scrawl on the Wall’ which focused on the young people of Mainway. Young people were invited to share their vision for the future redevelopment of the Estate by using graffiti and lettering methods.

The event was held at the hub, the My Mainway creative space. That day, the good weather did not accompany us as during the event there was torrential rain and high winds. Such a dark gloomy day only brought two participants who engaged in two activities. Due to this, we decided to carry these activities on in the next days at the daily opening hours of the Hub. This decision allowed us to engage with a total of eight participants and expand our data-gathering set.

The first activity aimed to generate a single word based on the sustainable future of Mainway and what that meant to the participants. The participants chose typefaces, using an online typeface generator, that best expressed their vision, using graphic and visual design principles. They then drew out the word on a scroll of paper ready to be transferred onto the widows of the Hub, creating a colourful visual mural. The scroll of paper was stuck on the outside of the shop window and then traced from the inside using chalk pens. Ideas emerged around energy efficiency, balanced integration of nature and the built environment, and community building.

The second one was Graffiti themed, activities that promoted health and well-being for young people. The activity also engaged staff from Lancaster City Council. The participants said that the activity was very therapeutic and mindful. One of the participants brought the youngest workshop member to the Hub, her 4-month-old daughter, who did not on this occasion take part but did entertain the consultancy team, while she designed her artwork. She shared with us:

‘I’m actually really enjoying just adding bits from my imagination, I wouldn’t normally do that’.

The activities of the event relied on the participants’ imagination and creative thinking. A redesigned version of these activities will be included in the next My Mainway Newsletter, aiming to reach more residents and be able to include their views into the consultancy report.

Playing and Co-imagining the future redevelopment

The next event was held at the Base as well. On the 26th of September, we run another drop-in session in which we used a 1.8×1.2qm physical model at a 1/300 scale to facilitate the co-creation of new visions for Mainway. In total 18 residents and stakeholders participated in the creative activity of reimagining their neighbourhood. The physical model had a number of wooden blocks simulating buildings on the same scale. In order to explore refurbishing or rebuilding options, there were two sets of buildings: the first set depicted the current buildings as they are now and another set with different simple geometric shapes.

In the new vision drop-in session, the participants generated three completely new visions of the estate.

The density of all the proposals was slightly increased compared to the current layout. Mainway Street was enhanced with communal areas, fountains, settable areas, areas for pets, for children to play, etc. One of the proposals considered a change in the outline of Mainway Street, folding the street depicting a small zigzag, to accommodate a mix of residential typologies, combining five/four-story buildings with small houses. Another theme all the proposals shared is the collective aspirations to enhance the public space and green areas to serve the enjoyment of its residents.

Early September 2020 10 a group from ImaginationLancaster and Lancaster City Council (LCC) to run 5-days doorstep engagement activities with every home on Mainway, a total of 257 flats. The purpose purpose was to reach as many people as possible including those who for different reasons were isolated. All the members went through a training session to discuss the activities, clarify roles, capturing of data, and health and safety protocols. The group was divided into five teams of 2 people, one from ImaginationLancaster and one from LCC. Each team visited on average 50 households during five intense days reaching 47% of the residents. We facilitated three activities that consisted of capturing personal information from the residents, views on Mainway as a whole, and inside of their flats, imagining the future redevelopment of the area.

This was an exciting opportunity to talk with every resident, and we had a fantastic response from people who shared their personal experiences and dreams for the future of Mainway. In Mainway there are residents that have been living there a long time and where proud of living there and like to talk about those wonderful experiences living here. For instance, one of the residents mentioned: “I have been living here for 48 years, I remember when Mainway was built”. One resident in Captain’s Row told us ‘my home is my castle’ and another in Greg House spoke passionately about how important their home was for safeguarding their independence.

On the other hand, resident raised similar concerns than the participants of the walks. There were common themes for change that arose; anti-social behaviour, poor maintenance of communal areas, lack of or outdated facilities such as the heating and recycling spaces. Fly-tipping is a prime issue which further reduces the aesthetic of the area and stretches council resources.

This process not only gathered the experiences of the people, but they were also asked about how these experiences could be very valuable in reimagining the future redevelopment of the estate. Residents came up with different ideas for how to improve not only their homes but also the entire neighbourhood. One of the most common themes was “Community life.” Several residents would like to have a more active life and a way to engage in activities with their neighbours. Communal spaces and outdoor spaces, such as gardens, create this sense of community, which is reflected in today’s life.

Whilst there was lots of positivity about the redevelopment there were also those who want to leave the estate or are concerned and sceptical about the redevelopment. Some residents who had lived there the longest felt they are being pushed out by the anti-social behaviour of their neighbours. Others expressed a deep-seated mistrust of the council, this ranged from concerns about not being allowed to return post-development or that their feedback would not really be listened to. These residents were often less eager to take part in the interviews and some declined to speak with us as ‘at the end of the day the council are going to do what the council are going to do.’

Mainway is a site that is brimming with potential in terms of location and physical space, but areas of it have been neglected and are outdated, such as the buildings and communal spaces. Many of the residents alluded to this during the interviews, compliments about the view were as frequent as complaints about the storage heaters.

On the 26^th of August, five councillors participated in the same walking activity with the intention of gaining their views on the refurbishment (renovation) or regeneration (rebuilding) options. In this regard, one councillor said:

“We want to find out what the residents want so this estate can be reutilised as they please. For instance, the bin areas do not serve their purpose and they have been used to dumping other stuff.”

All the councillors said that Mainway could be one of the most vibrant and thrilling urban areas in Lancaster, but they had different views on how to make it happen. One councillor focused on connecting the South-West side of the estate, divided by Owen Road, with the North-East side. Another one shared a vision where Mainway would become a village again:

“I would make it a village again, stop thinking about houses. What’s a village look like? How do you know about the centre? How do you know your neighbours? How do you enjoy each other’s company? What things are around a village?”

Another one said:

“At the moment it is called Mainway, that is a road, and it doesn’t seem to me to be very attractive. I would move people closer together, so they could see each other, talk to each other”.

The first event was a walk around Mainway on 6^th 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/