Learning from Blackpool: re-enchanting sterile streets

Millington, Steven ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5143-3074 (2019) Learning from Blackpool: re-enchanting sterile streets. In: Connect Universum 2018, 4th International Web Conference, 29 November 2018 - 30 November 2018, Tomsk, Russia.

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Abstract

Contemporary urban streets are over-regulated, preoccupied with surveillance, commercial requirements and rapid transit, aesthetically homogeneous and sensually sterile. As an exemplary site of contrast, we focus on the recently redesigned Blackpool (UK) Promenade. First, it argues this redesign honours the resort’s popular traditions, its potent heritage and the importance of innovation. Second, it explores how the promenade fosters playful interactions, conviviality and lingering. Third, the article focuses on sensory attributes that enhance the experience of promenaders.