Smithfield Redevelopment
For the Londoners, to the Public.
Brief
Historical Heritage and a feeling of the space can be lost when the historic site is “Contemporarily Gentrified”.
The purpose of the project is to develop a revitalized design that preserves its historical essence and community identity, while adapting to new urban needs and preventing the displacement effects of contemporary gentrification.
London is a diverse city with a mix of locals, residents, tourists and visitors. Smithfield has been a place for trade for over 1000 years - where people come together.
As the original wholesale meat market is moving out, I would like to redefine the sense of community at Smithfield Market. Food, Art showcases, green spaces and community centres will make Smithfield special to everyone - but in a unique way.
This will continue the legacy of Smithfield Market’s history and function - trade. Now, this place will become a hardworking place of exchange where people trade food, commodities and ideas.
Research Areas
Place and Feelings | Impact of Feeling, Social Life and Atmosphere
“There are certain facts that say that certain things will change, but it’s still very unknown how the feeling will change. The buildings will change because there’s a museum coming. No one will ever really be able to predict its impact and there’s a lot of uncertainties about what that future looks like for the area, in terms of feeling, social life and atmosphere.”
- One planner involved in the redevelopment of Farringdon and Moorgate Station by Smithfield Meat Market
( Degen, M., & Lewis, C. (2020). The changing feel of place: the temporal modalities of atmospheres in Smithfield Market, London. Cultural Geographies, 27(4), 509-526.)
Within the context of recent debates around urban atmospheres, this article examines the situatedness and partiality of urban experiences. Drawing on an ethnographic study of the Smithfield Market area, a neighbourhood undergoing a period of rapid urban regeneration as part of the ‘Culture Mile’ in the City of London, the article explores how different individuals experience the changing feel of place.
Gentrification & Culture Mile | London’s Culture Mile and Historical Heritage
“Yet Smithfield market is being relocated to the town of Dagenham. The halls will become "culture" , supplementing the new Museum of London. But look at Covent Garden, a beautifully preserved market hall and tourist extravaganza that Londoners avoid like the plague. Or New York's Meatpacking District, once a gritty piece of real city, now a dull neighbourhood of upscale boutiques and empty apartments.”
- Edwin Heathcote of Financial Times, Article: Opinion City of London - Beware hollowing out the City of London
With London’s Covent Garden and New York City’s Meatpacking District being “Contemporaily Gentrified”, it is important to look into how to avoid this in such urban redevelopment. The article discusses other examples of contemporary gentrification, and criticizes the motives behind them.
Project Site
Precedent Studies
Geographical Location
Site & Surroundings
Transportation Opportunities
Proposed Programming
Keeping Historical Heritage + Updates
Sense of Community
London is a diverse city with a mix of locals, residents, tourists and visitors. Smithfield has been a place for trade for over 1000 years - where people come together.
As the original wholesale meat market is moving out, I would like to redefine the sense of community at Smithfield Market. Food, Art showcases, green spaces and community centres will make Smithfield special to everyone - but in a unique way.
This will continue the legacy of Smithfield Market’s history and function - trade. Now, this place will become a hardworking place of exchange where people trade food, commodities and ideas.
Introducing the New Vision of Smithfield
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