How buildings like the Majestic in Leeds have helped to make our urban spaces great - Mark Finch

During this period of lockdown, it’s so striking to see images shared in social media of familiar places, usually bustling with life, now virtually empty.

Images of places we have a deep affection for. Images of places we cherish (in Yorkshire we have so many!).

Unlike the calming solitude of an empty beach, or a foot-free dale, without people an urban space is incomplete.

The grace of a beautiful structure, the wonder of an architectural gem, the delight in a stunning detail – they inspire and they bring joy.

Yet even the most well- designed and pleasing of urban spaces feel somewhat surreal when devoid of life.

Like a football match without supporters, or a play without an audience, the experience feels incomplete.

The relationship of a building to space, how it interacts with the street, how it truly contributes to ‘place’ is as important, if not arguably more, as aesthetics.

Of course, a great building can be celebrated in its own right, but for a great building to really cement its role in city life, it has to contribute to a sense of place.

The relationship to the street of the buildings we are fortunate to work on – the Majestic, the Corn Exchange, the First White Cloth Hall in Leeds to name a few – is so critical.

The Majestic, whether as a cinema, a nightclub or as a dynamic workplace, has had approaching a 100-year relationship with City Square.

They are inextricable linked. What one can see and experience at ‘eye level’ – the grand entrance, the side flanks, the window detailing – plays a crucial part in the design process.

All with a mind to how the building will interact with space now, and into the future.

This interaction is fundamentally about people. The use and dynamics of place and space.

Although we may enjoy the freedom and mobility that the car offers us, really it can ‘get in the way’ of successful urban place-making.

Throughout the towns and cities of Yorkshire, we are fortunate to have experienced some wonderful events and celebrations, where people

virtually ‘commandeer’ the streets.

In Leeds, the joy of Light Night – the roads are closed, the city becomes a playground for us all to truly enjoy!

And as we see these photos on social media, we miss the people, but do we really miss the cars? Think of all those one-off events. Maybe that could be every day, not just occasional

days?

Great spaces, populated with trees and greenery, can also provide the respite we often crave in cities (not forgetting the air quality, climate and biodiversity gains).

We can look forward to the moment when Leeds’ new City Park offers the peaceful city moments that wonderful spaces like York’s Museum Gardens and Bradford’s City Park already offer.

The ‘motorway city’ is the past. Yet we live with the legacy of that era – where the car felt like the ‘number one thing’. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t.

But what is clear is that the opportunity to think differently about how people use space is here right now and will remain rightly at the forefront of urban planning.

We no longer feel a need to wipe away huge tracts of urban landscape to create a better future – to ‘make a place’.

We can ‘shape a place’ that has old and new cheek by jowl, respects and enhances the significance of our historic buildings and assets, and integrates new contemporary design; contributing to the experience of place, evolving diverse urban landscapes that are dynamic and ever- changing.

Working collectively and collaboratively to shape a better future. Putting people first.

We share photos of empty spaces because they mean something to us; these spaces have been important in our lives.

More than ever, as we cherish these familiar touchstones, it re- emphasises the importance of place: spaces and buildings that represent continuity, resilience and a sense of belonging.

People will always want to congregate and live, to share and meet. Our towns and cities will continue to thrive and be the best they can when we collectively all put people first.

By Mark Finch, Real Estate Director Rushbond PLC

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