Skip to content
Header banner full

Cycle a’way’ in Ouseburn!

Moving forward people are preferring sustainable transport options and there is a huge shift in the market from cars to bicycles. The aim of the module is to understand and analyse the National design guide and ouseburn design codes, and set out the characteristics of ouseburn that demonstrates what a good design means in practice.

Fig 0 image of a model of the site (Vinuthna Singareddy,2022)

Ouseburn  has a cultural and artistic vibe in it, hosting many cafes. It is known for its music venues , the Cluny, Ouseburn farm, pottery, architects and designer offices. It is a  picturesque and serene place in the morning with lots of cyclists and people walking around. And is loud and cheerful during the night with live music events, outdoor beer gardens, etc,. 

Fig 1  Illustrated VIEW showing activities cycle park; pedestrian & cycle paths (Vinuthna Singareddy,2022)

The entire theme for my site is based on cycling related daily activities such as cycle cafe, cycle mart, BMX track, bike and BMX rental place and a store for exclusive and exquisite bikes in the market. 

Fig 2 Illustrated VIEW showing pick points of cycle cafe & cycle mart; BMX seating area(Vinuthna Singareddy,2022)

To attract people of various age groups  into the site I have created activities for all. To attract cyclists for leisure, I have designed a cycle park where people could just sit and connect, get any repairs or refreshments at the cafe. The cycle cafe and cycle mart have order online & pick-up points , waiting bays and seating areas on the site. This cafe and mart can be accessed by all sorts of people who are interested in cycling, BMX or graffiti or just spend time by watching all these activities. The facades of the buildings are used for graffiti workshops which interest people with the current trend in society through the art.

 

Fig 3 Illustrated section showing a activity area in two different seasons(Vinuthna Singareddy,2022)

My idea behind this is to attract people who have varying choices of leisure. This activity can be converted into an amphitheatre for organising gatherings, cinema or news and the indoor areas for community activities like indoor play, dance or yoga studios. The economical aspect to the site for maintenance is through the commercial elements of all these activities with the rents and charges for usage.



 

One response to “Cycle a’way’ in Ouseburn!”

  1. An engaging read and you have some interesting concepts. I particularly commend the consideration of your schemes capacity to adapt temporally. Specifically, the multi-purpose space that is the amphitheatre.

    Ouseburn is a place oozing with culture and creativity. It attracts a vast consumer base ranging from residents of Byker Estate, to students from Portland Green, to city centre enthusiasts. With this in mind, a cycle centred scheme is definitely viable. After all, these people need a way to get to and from Newcastle’s ‘pumping creative heart (Dyckhoff, 2018).’ Additionally, this concept embodies our national endeavour to get people moving. ‘Gear Change’ (Department for Transport, 2013) is a nation-wide initiative that aims to make active travel our go-to choice of commuting. Check out my blog from last semester, ‘Active Travel; A World Crises Solution’ where I talk more on this.

    So, with Ouseburn’s steep topography, tight urban grain and varied surface textures, cycling could be difficult. To overcome this, in my scheme I proposed a designated cycle route along foundry lane, and a bike restoration facility. This allowed bypassing cyclists to use Ouseburn as a thoroughfare, and also gave those more meandering, cycling socialites the chance to experience the nooks and cranny’s of Ouseburn’s new ‘container quarter’ (this was the name of my scheme).

    The fact that both of our schemes encourage and facilitate active travel is interesting. This could just be an example of the design code working. However, with cycling making up only 2% of all trips in the UK (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, 2018), more work needs to be done.

    References:

    Department for Transport (2020). Gear Change; a Bold Vision for Cycling and Walking. Available from; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904146/gear-change-a-bold-vision-for-cycling-and-walking.pdf (Accessed: 2nd May 2022).

    Dyckhoff, T (2018) Let’s move to Ouseburn: if Newcastle upon Tyne had a Shoreditch, this would be it. The Guardian, Property. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jun/08/lets-move-to-ouseburn-newcastle-upon-tynes-shoreditch-creative (Accessed: 18th April 2022).

    National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (2018). Cycling in the Netherlands. Available from; https://crowplatform.com/wp-content/uploads/Cycling-in-the-netherlands.pdf (Accessed: 3rd May 2022).

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. An engaging read and you have some interesting concepts. I particularly commend the consideration of your schemes capacity to adapt temporally. Specifically, the multi-purpose space that is the amphitheatre.

    Ouseburn is a place oozing with culture and creativity. It attracts a vast consumer base ranging from residents of Byker Estate, to students from Portland Green, to city centre enthusiasts. With this in mind, a cycle centred scheme is definitely viable. After all, these people need a way to get to and from Newcastle’s ‘pumping creative heart (Dyckhoff, 2018).’ Additionally, this concept embodies our national endeavour to get people moving. ‘Gear Change’ (Department for Transport, 2013) is a nation-wide initiative that aims to make active travel our go-to choice of commuting. Check out my blog from last semester, ‘Active Travel; A World Crises Solution’ where I talk more on this.

    So, with Ouseburn’s steep topography, tight urban grain and varied surface textures, cycling could be difficult. To overcome this, in my scheme I proposed a designated cycle route along foundry lane, and a bike restoration facility. This allowed bypassing cyclists to use Ouseburn as a thoroughfare, and also gave those more meandering, cycling socialites the chance to experience the nooks and cranny’s of Ouseburn’s new ‘container quarter’ (this was the name of my scheme).

    The fact that both of our schemes encourage and facilitate active travel is interesting. This could just be an example of the design code working. However, with cycling making up only 2% of all trips in the UK (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, 2018), more work needs to be done.

    References:

    Department for Transport (2020). Gear Change; a Bold Vision for Cycling and Walking. Available from; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904146/gear-change-a-bold-vision-for-cycling-and-walking.pdf (Accessed: 2nd May 2022).

    Dyckhoff, T (2018) Let’s move to Ouseburn: if Newcastle upon Tyne had a Shoreditch, this would be it. The Guardian, Property. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jun/08/lets-move-to-ouseburn-newcastle-upon-tynes-shoreditch-creative (Accessed: 18th April 2022).

    National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (2018). Cycling in the Netherlands. Available from; https://crowplatform.com/wp-content/uploads/Cycling-in-the-netherlands.pdf (Accessed: 3rd May 2022).

    Reply
logo
  • Log in

    • School of Architecture
    Planning and Landscape
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Tyne and Wear, NE1 7RU

    Telephone: 0191 208 6509

    Email: nicola.rutherford@ncl.ac.uk