Campos de concentración y prisiones en Cantabria: 1937-

5.8  ARCHITECTURE  STUDENT  PARTICIPANT  08| TOURIST    

Figure  49  –  Route  describing  the  architecture  student  participant  08’s  tour  of  the  city.  

academy  albert  

back  

building  

down  

one  

opposite  paradise  pleasant  

points  

shopping  side  square  

street  

towards  

up  ymca      

Figure  50  –  word  cloud  to  illustrate  the  most  used  terms  to  describe  participant  08’s  interactions   with  the  surrounding  environment  during  the  tour.  

Tourist  is  a  third  year  architecture  student  based  at  John  Moores  University’s  school  of  art  

and  design.  Tourist  has  lived  in  the  city  throughout  his  course,  although  he  is  from  Ireland.  

Tourist’s  response  to  the  tour  highlights  Liverpool’s  physical  connection  to  other  cities,  and  

comparisons  are  made  between  the  urban  grain  of  Liverpool  and  that  of  Dublin.  The  city  is   described  from  a  tourist  perspective  highlighting  how  urban  space  has  been  commoditised   to  offer  a  variety  of  places  for  consumption.      

Tourist   speaks   of   his   memories   of   experiencing   the   city,   stressing   the   points   of  

interest   that   he   has   identified   on   tours   that   he   carried   out   with   visitors   to   the   city   on   various   previous   occasions.   In   reconstructing   these   journeys  Tourist   projects   sentimental   responses   that   suggest   his   understanding   of   the   palimpsest   of   narratives   that   extend   through  history  and  that  have  shaped  the  fabric  of  the  city.  Tourist  appears  to  be  conscious   of   the   erosion   of   the   long–existing   retail   establishments   that   define   Liverpool’s   distinct   identity,  to  make  way  for  chain  stores  that  are  homogenous  in  their  nature.  When  seeing   the   redundant   Lewis’s   store   which   is   earmarked   for   conversion   into   a   hotel   as   part   of   mixed–use  development,  he  explains  how  he  feels  as  if  ‘It  seems  like  the  Liverpool  One  area   is  crawling  up  to  this  part  of  the  city.’    

Figure  51  –  The  conversion  of  the  Lewis'  department  store  which  is  associated  with  the  influence   of  the  Liverpool  One  district  encroaching  upon  the  rest  of  the  city  (17,  L  on  map).    

Thus,  his  comments  establish  a  clear  distinction  between  the  manner  in  which  he  reads  the   development   of   purpose–built   retail   areas   and   buildings   that   reflect   the   city’s   heritage.  

Tourist  describes  how  disorientating  the  city  can  be  and  the  tactics  that  he  implements  in   order  to  comprehend  its  complexity,  he  explains,  

This   is   Clayton   Square.   I   normally   bring   my   friends   on   a   small   lap   around   these   streets  here,  just  to  get  them  familiar  with  the  city,  as  in  Liverpool  is  similar  enough   to  Dublin,  in  regards  to  way  that  the  city  is  laid  out  I  suppose.  How  it  just  sprawls   from  the  main  river,  from  the  Liffey  or  the  Mersey.  It  can  be  a  little  hard  to  weave   through  all  these  streets.          

His  comments  suggest  how  the  Lynchian  elements  of  the  node,  in  this  case  Clayton  Square,   and  edge  which   are   represented   here   as   the   river   Mersey   and   Liffey,   can   be   used   as   a   means  to  establish  reference  points  for  navigating  dense  urban  settings.    

Figure  52  –  Clayton  Square  a  node  that  is  used  as  a  reference  point  to  navigate  the  city  (20,  M  on   map).    

It  is  apparent  throughout  this  journey  that  documenting  the  physical  process  of  negotiating   the  morphology  of  the  city  offers  an  opportunity  for  the  designers  to  assess  the  experiential   qualities   and   social   situations   that   occur   with   different   urban   conditions.   Recording   the   movement   patterns   of   individuals   in   conjunction   with   narratives   such   as   this   provides   us   with   an   opportunity   to   examine   the   connections   that   individuals   create   between   geographical   separated   spaces.   This   reflects   a   psychological   understanding   of   the   connections   that   exist   between   disparate   places.  Tourist’s   questioning   of   the   integration   between   different   layers   of   the   city’s   evolution,   and   conflicting   socio–economic   agendas  

demonstrates   how   filmic   tours   can   be   used   as   a   means   to   record   how   patterns   of   movement  through  the  city  interplay  with  the  forces  shaping  its  identity.    

Rather  than  interpreting  the  cityscape  as  a  reflection  of  a  totalizing  meta–narrative  

Tourists  tour  highlights  how  it  can  alternatively  be  interpreted  as  a  system  of  fragmented  

narratives.  This  resonates  with  the  postmodern  discourse  that  surrounds  the  contradictory   nature  of  contemporary  cities  in  their  provision  of  collective  and  personalised  experiences.  

Tourist’s  discussions  on  the  dialectic  that  exists  between  the  older  and  newer  parts  of  the  

city  also  highlight  the  tension  that  exists  within  cities  between  elements  that  are  perceived   as  being  authentic  and  inauthentic.  In  the  case  of  this  exercise,  the  unique  qualities  of  the   city   are   not   only   referred   to   in   relation   to   a   dislike   towards   the   homogeneity   of   newer   developments   in   the   city,   but   are   also   discussed   in   relation   to   way–finding.   Negotiating   tortuous   routes   and   having   the   natural   edge   of   the   Mersey   River   are   discussed   as   key   components   of   the   city’s   identity   that   the  Tourist   appreciates.   The   concept   of   moving   through  a  space  and  immersing  oneself  in  a  journey  to  understand  a  place  again  stresses   the   significance   of   understanding   the   notion   of   place   based   on   the   duality   of   the   psychological   functions   –   orientation   and   identification     –   discussed   by   Norberg–Schulz   (1980,  p.  19).      

Tourist’s   filmic   tour   of   the   city   demonstrates   how   fragmentary   readings   of   the  

history  of  buildings  also  suggests  that  tours  of  the  city  not  only  allow  for  an  understanding   of   the   city’s   imageability   but   also   links   to   the   psychology   of   memory   discussed   by   Colin   Rowe   in   his   text  Collage   City   (1978).35  _{Tourist’s   use   of   narratives   throughout   his   tour}   highlights   architecture’s   role   as   a   mechanism   to   connect   individuals   to   the   events   that   occurred  in  the  past,  thus  creating  a  link  between  the  process  of  way–finding  and  the  role   that  architecture  plays  to  recollect  the  memories  embodied  within  a  particular  place.    

Path   Node   Edge   District     Landmark  

Lime  Street   Clayton  Square   Lime  Street   Commercial    

Retail   Residential     Liverpool  One   JMU  Design   Academy   Lewis’   Georgian  Terrace   Met  Quarter   Albert  Dock   Liverpool  Museum  

Table  12  –  Urban  elements  significant  to  Architecture  Student  Participant  8  

35  _{Collage  City  offers  a  critical  analysis  of  Modernist  city  planning  and  its  relationship  to  traditional}