Building Bradford's City Park

After fourteen months of demolition, drilling, digging and the seemingly endless rearrangement of rubble, there were finally some signs today of moving toward finishing activity, with fresh concrete being laid.

I've mentioned the development of the park in previous blips, and the effect that this has had on the feel and flow of the city over the past year can't be underestimated. The National Media Museum (out of shot) yesterday attributed a fall in visitor numbers to the disruption, although it remains the top visitor attraction in West Yorkshire.

Perhaps to coincide with this sign of progress, the City Park now has a YouTube channel, where you can see several short films about what will fill the space, and the hopes peole have for it. We are all waiting to see if these hopes will be realised, although to be fair, the responsibility for doing so rests largely with us. It is a huge space, the size of St. Mark's Square - I just hope that the people of Bradford, and our visitors, can bring it to life as a vibrant public realm.

building ~ a civic space ~ with concrete ~ and dreams ~ such expectancy