Districts

CONNECTED

The city centre contains a rich variety of streets, squares, yards and arcades. This well-connected characteristic is translated into a principle for the guidance of new development and the renaissance of existing localities. Although the 15 mosaic pieces of the city centre reflect this quality, the legibility of connections from one to another is not clear. Footbridges, new linkages, landmarks, re-connections across railways or highways are included in the application of this principle.

GREEN

Already perceived as a green city from the air with ridges and valleys containing trees and parks, the centre has a harder quality in its streets and spaces. The city's ambition is to green its centre by the threading and weaving of strands of trees and by creating new spaces. Together, these will link mature areas into a green whole.

COVERED

A Victorian and Edwardian tradition of creating covered arcades and public spaces such as the Markets and Corn Exchange is embraced as a principle in new and refurbished projects. Covered streets, even grander arcades and a major winter garden are included in recent proposals – a creative beginning to the revival of this Leeds tradition.

WATERFRONT

The River Aire and canals alongside it were hardworking waterways. Barges were offloaded directly into warehouses or wharves. Service streets were thus set back behind linear groups of buildings. The principle of creating embankments for recreation or settings for new uses is established to encourage access, diversity of settings and a new connectivity through the city centre.

CULTURAL

The principle of locating cultural buildings within the fabric of the city has been established to ensure that they are embedded within the life of the place and to avoid creating detached icons. The proposed city arena aims to demonstrate this idea.

SKYLINE

Reading the historic skyline created by towers and spires sited on the city’s topography is fundamental to fulfilling an evolving skyline principle. New tall buildings are carefully assessed against four key locational ideas largely related to topography, infrastructure and urban patterning. The historic setting of skyline structures is also evaluated.

VIADUCT

Historic railway structures and recent motorway viaducts created both connections and disconnections. The principle of celebrating the under-spaces or of bridging these megastructures is established to link closely with other ideas for the creation of a legible, well-connected city.

RECONNECTED

The 19th and 20th century transportation infrastructure connected towns and cities for the movement of people and goods whilst in places disconnecting neighbourhoods and walkways, cycleways, streets, open spaces. The principle of re-connection is the most challenging but essential ingredient to the realisation of a compact, sustainable and well-connected city.