Towards an Urban Renaissance

Abstract

Shirley Ross’ Bradford Cityscape was commissioned to be hung in the entrance area of an old wool scouring mill in Bradford that was converted into office suites. It depicts the Town Hall clock tower and the domes of the Alhambra Theatre and the Odeon Cinema. The rectangular shapes represent buildings erected after World War II on bomb-damaged sites where, in the words of the artist, “some of the fine Victorian stone buildings were demolished, replacing stone with steel, concrete, and glass and completely changing the face and character of the city.” Urban revitaliza-tion-but at a price. This image thus represents the mixed assessments presented in this Longer View about Towards an Urban Renaissance, the recent U.K. urban revital-ization plan. The artist creates hand-woven textile hangings and wall-mounted panels using mainly natural fibers depicting scenes of both the natural and built environments. Her work can be seen in many public and private collections across the U.K. and abroad, and on her web site at <www.shirleyross.co.uk>. She works out of her studio in Dews-bury, West Yorkshire. In “Towards an Urban Renaissance: Planning Ideas for Britain's Next Century,” four specialists in urban development and planning from Britain and Canada evaluate Towards an Urban Renaissance, a report recommending ways to achieve urban revitalization in the U.K. The report was prepared by an official task force chaired by architect Richard Rogers and issued in 1999 by the British government. As the contributors note, the report includes parallels to evolving ideas about city planning in the United States, as well as some important differences.