a speakers` corner in every town
n URBAN COMMONS - A SPEAKERS’ CORNER IN EVERY TOWN Our proposal is based on the belief that speaking freely is a fundamental necessity of a truly public realm. The UK has a proud history of tolerance and restraint (not constraint) on freedom of expression: our freedom to speak is tempered by the rights of others to protection from serious harm. Recently this has been extended by restrictive legislation: some kinds of speech and some public gatherings, ‘anti-social behaviour’, the use of byelaws prohibiting otherwise legal activities, Business Improvement Districts to manage the public space in the interests of businesses, rather than the public. This overall trend is anti-democratic and needs rebalancing. London’s Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park was itself born out the struggle for civil liberties in Victorian Britain and its establishment was a significant milestone in the development of our democratic institutions. Our timeline illustrates the chequered history of this unique space. With the increasing restrictions and ‘narrowing’ of functions of our high streets, the time is right to establish a speakers’ corner in every town. 1196 - 1783 1866 1872 1906 1908 Last words Reform League protests Parks Regulation Act Vote for Women Campaign 250,000 Women march 1913 Social and Political Unions banned from meeting in the park 1930 2003 Present Future Over 100 Soap Box narators weekly Protest against military action in Iraq Only surviving Speakers Corner Speakers Corner in each London Borough 1930 2003 Present Future Over 100 Soap Box narators weekly Protest against military action in Iraq Only surviving Speakers Parks Regulation Act Corner Speakers Corner in each London Borough 1930 2003 Present Future 1. A History of Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner 2. Where should they be? 1196 In every - 1783 town 1866 3. London? In1872 every borough 4. What is necessary? 1908 1906 1913 ? Last words Reform League protests Parks Regulation Act Vote for Women Campaign 250,000 Women march 1196 - 1783 1866 1872 1906 1908 Social and Political Unions banned from meeting in the park 1913 Place to Stand Last words Reform League protests Parks Regulation Act Vote for Women Campaign 250,000 Women march 1196 - 1783 1866 1872 1906 1908 Last words Reform League protests Parks Regulation Act Vote for Women Campaign 250,000 Women march Public Ownership Social and Political Unions banned from meeting in the park Not Subject to Restrictive Byelaw Public Managment Active Social Groups Speakers’ Corner Trust LOCAL SPEAKERS’ CORNER COMMITTEE Over 100 Soap Box narators weekly Protest against military action in Iraq Only surviving Speakers Corner Speakers Corner in each London Borough 1930 2003 Present Future Over 100 Soap Box narators weekly Protest against military action in Iraq Only surviving Speakers Corner Speakers Corner in each London Borough 5. Students from UEL Unit 8 testing ‘soapboxes’ on Speakers’ Corner 6. A new Speakers’ Corner for Croydon Civic Architecture Office and students at the University of East London have been developing a pilot project for London’s second Speakers’ Corner in Croydon together with the Speakers’ Corner Trust and the Croydon Speakers’ Corner Committee. The context is a major planning application for a new Westfield shopping centre which will radically change the centre of gravity of the North End shopping street. This presents a unique opportunity for the Local Authority to re-establish a true public realm as part of the area’s redevelopment and we are liaising with Croydon’s placemaking team to progress this. The requirements for a Speakers’ Corner are shown on the diagrams – no further resources are required. The intended outcome is a healthier and more democratic public space that allows for the normal antagonisms, discomforts and disagreements of a legitimate public realm. 1913 Social and Political Unions banned from meeting in the park A new Speakers’ Corner in Croydon Northend TEAM 1908 CONSULTEES UEL unit 8 1913 1930 2003 Present Future Civic Architecture Office at UEL Local groups + The public Speakers’ Corner Trust 250,000 Women march Social and Political Unions banned from meeting in the park Over 100 Soap Box narators weekly Croydon Speakers’ Corner Committee CAO 1908 Civic Architecture Office 1913 1930 Croydon Council (Placemaking Team) Protest against military action in Iraq 2003 Only surviving Speakers Corner Present Speakers Corner in each London Borough Local businesses Future CAO | Knowledge Dock | 4-6 University Way | London E16 2RD | United Kingdom +44 (0) 208 223 7536 | [email protected] | web: civicarchitecture.org Artwork in the streets can link spaces to represent a continous sense of public realm The concept for Croydon Northend is a’thread’ of linked spaces with a Speakers’ Corner as the centerpiece
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