Bradford, United Kingdom
City population: 521035
Duration: 2010 – 2014
Implementation status: Completed and archived or cancelled
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Previous derelict area
Last updated: October 2021

Work started on the Broadway shopping centre in 2004 but was halted due to the economic recession in 2008. A temporary urban park was opened on the derelict site after work on the Westfield development was halted for years. The urban garden was said to be an improvement to the city centre landscape in Bradford (reference 4). After a long halt, the vast empty space with piles of rubble from the buildings which had been cleared to make way for the new development. Money from the council, Westfield and regional development agency Yorkshire Forward has enabled the area to now be transformed into a green space, which was opened in 2010. (ref 6). The total park area was fragmented into several zones after the construction of the shopping mall(ref 7). The park does not exist any more due to the construction of the shopping mall - Bradford Urban Garden closed in 2014 (Ref. 2).

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social interaction
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Transformation of previously derelict areas

Project objectives

Creation of green space in the middle of the city with 'creative animated place' for local people (ref 1). After the construction of the mall, during the day, a new, open square provides green, shaded areas for visitors to relax and convene, whilst a central pool containing 107 fountains entice people into the shallow waters. (ref 7)

Implementation activities

Landscape and street scene workers created an attractive green space on the delayed Broadway construction site. (reference 4) After the construction of the mall, during the day, a new, open square provides green, shaded areas for visitors to relax and convene, whilst a central pool containing 107 fountains entice people into the shallow waters. The regeneration of Bradford City Centre into a new six-acre, multi-award-winning public space. (ref 7)

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Private sector/corporate actor/company

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The Bradford Urban Project was jointly funded by Bradford Council, Westfield (site developer) and regional development agency - Yorkshire Forward. (reference 4) Bradford’s arts development organisation, Fabric was involved in the designing work. (reference 1) For the shopping centre and the landscape designing the city council of Bradford invited Gillespies (lead designer), Arup, Sturgeon North Architects, Fountain Workshop to work on. (ref 7)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

€100,000 - €500,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget
  • Corporate investment

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Restoration of derelict areas

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Wilson J. 2010. Bradford’s ‘wastefield’ becomes an urban garden. The culture vulture. Accessed: Source link [Accessed 19 July 2020].
2. Rush J. 2010. Work starts on Westfield site 'urban garden'. The telegraph and argus. Accessed: Source link [Accessed 19 July 2020].
3. TicknerJ. 2014. Work on Broadway shopping centre leads to closure of Bradford Urban Garden. The telegraph and argus. Accessed: Source link [Accessed 19 July 2020].
4. BBC. 2010. Bradford's urban garden on old Westfield site. Accessed: Source link
5. Ruddick G. 2013. Westfield to revive infamous Bradford shopping center. The Telegraph. Accessed: Source link [Accessed 19 July 2020].
6. BBC News. 2010. Urban Park Opens On Shopping Site. [online] Available at: <Source link [Accessed 19 July 2020].
7. Gillespies. 2020. Bradford City Park - Projects - Gillespies. [online] Available at: <Source link [Accessed 19 July 2020].
8. Source link. 2020. [online] Available at: <Source link [Accessed 19 July 2020].
9. Source link. 2014. [online] Available at: <Source link [Accessed 6 August 2020].