Urban Regeneration and the Management of Change

In the decades following the Second World War the once proud transatlantic port and trading city of Liverpool witnessed serious, progressive decline. The city featured prominently in buildings at risk registers, and areas of traditional terraced housing close to the city centre remain programmed for destruction under the government’s controversial Housing Market Renewal Initiative (better known as Pathfinder). In recent years Liverpool has seen a remarkable change of fortune. Key monuments have been restored, and multi-million pound projects of inner city redevelopment are either on site or in the pipeline, including one for the site of the ‘fourth grace’. Six linked, tightly defined areas in the historic centre and docklands were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004; Liverpool celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007 and is European Capital of Culture 2008.

This paper sets out the historical background, recent initiatives, and the ongoing conservation challenges that confront the historic central and waterfront areas as well as the wider city of Liverpool. It relates threats posed by tall buildings and ‘iconic’ modern architecture to the concept of historic urban landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre initiative aimed at the protection of urban identity and the management of change at the scale of historic cities.

Figure 1 View northwards across Canning Dock towards Mann Island and the Pier Head. The riverbank at Liverpool has a tidal range of 10 metres. As such, the construction of wet docks was the key to its viability as a port. Liverpool pioneered the development of commercial wet docks: the first, Old Dock, was in operation by 1715. By the end of the nineteenth century the waterfront counted 120 hectares of wet docks, an enormous range of bonded warehouses, and 10 kilometres of fortress-like enclosing walls – all built on reclaimed land. These served a commercial district of banks, exchanges, mercantile offices and insurance companies that were unrivalled outside London for the virtuosity and technological innovation of their buildings. The trio of early-twentieth century buildings at the Pier Head form one of the most recognisable waterfront ensembles in the world (see also Figures 13 and 14).

Dennis Rodwell

Dennis Rodwell is based in south-east Scotland. He works internationally as a consultant architect-planner, focusing on the promotion and achievement of best practice in the management of historic cities and the conservation of historic buildings. In recent years he has undertaken a number of missions on behalf of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Division of Cultural Heritage, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the World Bank, and the British Council. Previously in practice in Edinburgh as a conservation architect, he has also served as conservation officer and urban designer to the city of Derby, England, and promoted the rescue and re-use of a number of historic buildings at risk.

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Donhead Publishing 2012