Communities to Opportunities: A Green Vision for a Connected District

The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) is an area east of the Sheffield city centre and aims to provide a meaningful environment for businesses and communities in the area. Over the course of the six-week project, our team has established a series of design principles and concept strategies to challenge the original project brief provided by our client. This challenge to the brief led to the final vision that incorporates the innovation district, AMID, and the many communities that are directly impacted by the work that takes place there. These communities include: Attercliffe, Brinsworth, Catcliffe, Darnall, Greenland, Tinsley, and Waverley.

At the start of the project, our team conducted site analysis work beginning with a site visit to the site. This work laid a foundation for the following challenges we would face while uncovering more details about AMID. We strongly encouraged the client to work with the communities and emphasised the importance of community engagement. Consequently, the design focus shifted away from detailed community hub structures into an overall vision for the area. By focussing on a broader aspiration for AMID, the core objectives of this proposal were able to marry with Sheffield’s net-zero goals and its hopes that the district could soon move onto the global stage for innovative cities.

The current area of AMID is considerably isolated from the surrounding communities and this was best understood after an initial site visit. Through a series of design charrettes, design workshops, and community engagement events our group was able to establish a vision for connecting AMID.

We wanted to push forth the idea of sustainable infrastructure thus leading to our core vision of the green corridor. This green vision details a network of integrated green spaces and sustainable infrastructure efforts that allow for greater connections across AMID and out towards the communities.

To present our ideas, we created a series of documents that focused on different aspects of our project vision. The outputs include a CO-Design Toolkit (Explaining the engagement process and useful information on leading out community engagement events) and an Opportunity Sketchbook (documenting our vision and initial findings of the district)

We hope that the Communities to Opportunities framework for a connected AMID influences the future efforts to improve connections across a growing Sheffield, continues to engage with local communities during the design process, and prioritises sustainable design efforts. Ultimately, this green vision aims to transform underutilized areas through the creation of new opportunities such as the development of new mobility hubs, housing, jobs, and investments. Our outputs provided will allow for further endeavours to create a ‘live’ place that empowers communities and brings forth positive change.

Credits

Student Team: 

Yue Qi, Lawrence Wong, Esther Cheung, Yutian Xiang, Emily Ronayne, Dimitar Zhelev, Emma Huxtable, Isaac Gatley, Sean Feary, Shen Lingyue, Nadia Ferdinand, Pengyuan Qin, & Annan Zhao

Mentor:

Thomas Moore