Walking on streets-in-the-sky: structures for democratic cities

Abstract

Streets-in-the-sky were conceptualized by architects Alison and Peter Smithson as collective space, an articulation between individual and civitas. This essay argues that streets-in-the-sky are a particularly democratic type of urban element, which also has many positive sustainability potentials. The first use of this concept was in the Smithson's unbuilt Golden Lane estate (1952), which became a hallmark in post-WW2 debates over urban structure, domesticity, and social housing. Park Hill, the first streets-in-the-sky estate by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, was a success in the 1960s. The Smithsons continued to explore the idea in several urban projects, only to put it to built form in Robin Hood Gardens (1968-1972). These estates have adapted streets-in-the-sky and afterward evolved to very different states of maturity. While Park Hill is a refurbished Grade II listed building, Robin Hood Gardens is awaiting full demolition. Streets-in-the-sky were generally abandoned in more recent housing schemes, but the situation of these estates suggests that no consensus exists as to their urban value. Here, we analyze streets-in-the-sky at the time of their emergence as a concept. To assess their cultural, morphological, social, and political implications, we explore their development in built and unbuilt housing schemes, using the abovementioned case-studies to point out how streets-in-the-sky evolved, including their possible role in important urban debates of the present. Since many social housing estates employing streets-in-the-sky have been and continue to be demolished in redevelopment projects, we aim to understand what lossesaesthetic, functional, and environmental-may be implied in the decimation of this element of urban form.

Towards weird verticality: The spectacle of vertical spaces in Chongqing

“…The bridges themselves resemble the 'streets in the sky' created by post-war modernist architects in European and North American high-rises in order to replicate urban street life in a vertical context (Borges and Marat-Mendes, 2019). The 'headstrong' construction of these paths of connection, against planning regulations and amidst the mass privatisation of urban space in the early 1990s, represents an improvisation of urban form provided for the benefit of residents.…”

Framework for Refurbishment - Enhancing Social Spaces, Thermal Comfort and Seismic Performance in the Refurbishment of Modernist Social Housing.

“…Park Hill, the first 'Streets in the Sky' to be built was completed in 1960 (Jones, 2011). The building was designed by two pioneering architects, Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith (Borges & Marat-Mendes, 2019).…”

“…A key concept of the original design was the horizontal accessways that linked buildings, prioritised pedestrians (Borges & Marat-Mendes, 2019), and catered for public enjoyment as well socialising (Parnell, 2013). These spaces lacked passive surveillance, this led to safety problems.…”