In the past several month, three major public space in central London became exclusionary sites. Charing Cross underpass is now totally cleared of the homeless people who used the space for sleeping. Russell Square has been closed for the past 6 month for "historical" restoration, however its main aim seems be stopping 100 years or so of gay tradition using the space for encounters and sex. Leicester Square, just off London's red light district,is due to become, a la' New York's Time Squarer, a "Happy Family Zone" as announced by the local council.

As a response to these exclusionary plans students at Transgressive Architecture Atelier at Greenwich University School of Architecture & Construction, created planning proposals which imagine different futures for these three important public spaces. These real planning proposals were submitted by the individual students under the name of the Transgressive Architecture Group, and in the next few months are due to be discussed and voted upon by the local councils. By having to discuss these proposals,the local council will have to face some of the communities that they have so far excluded from the public space. These proposals aiming to provoke discussion, become a "democratic practice"ii. At the same time "real" architectural proposal and a socio-political action, these drawings transgress the boundaries between theory and practice, between representations and the represented, between the planning and architecture profession and the everyday life.

Urban Co-Existance Communication Strategies

University of Greenwich, Architecture Ateliers