IN-PERSON Manchester Livable Cities

Abstract

Safety has increasingly become a primary concern in cities due to persistent urban crime and global threats. In Britain, growing fears have made security a primary goal of urban development, resulting in an increase in physical security measures. Today’s public spaces are shaped by defensive physical measures such as fences, bollards, and hostile architecture, as well as surveillance technologies, such as CCTV and facial recognition. The intensive adoption of these spatial measures has altered how built environments are perceived and used. While these measures are intended to create safer cities, they raise a critical concern about whether they actually enhance the sense of comfort and safety in public spaces or unintentionally create socially isolated, inaccessible environments. This research focuses on Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester, examining its spatial transformations from the major 2002 redesign to 2024. By employing a qualitative approach that combines spatial and document analysis with site observation. Analysis reveals that successive redesigns and security-driven changes have produced contradictory outcomes; for example, the use of physical barriers has inadvertently created attractive, hidden spots for antisocial behaviours. The Gardens shifted from an open civic space to a semi-closed environment, creating an architecture of fear that negatively impacted comfort and daily usability. The research contributes to a better understanding and reconceptualisation of safe spaces that integrate the physical built environment, social, and technological aspects.