Ipswich shared space

Shared Space is about making safe, distinctive high quality spaces for local people, with pedestrians taking precedence over cars. It is an international initiative that seeks to develop solutions for those who plan, maintain and adapt our cities, towns, villages and landscapes. It seeks to explore how to retain our natural surroundings and improve the built environment especially for the people living there. Ipswich Village is one of five European cities participating in an international initiative funded by Suffolk County Council, the Interreg North Sea Programme and Viborg, Denmark. Irene Rogan worked with Sheils Flynn Ltd urban designers. Shared Space focuses on three interconnected streets in the mixed use 'Ipswich Village' quarter. It is dominated by Ipswich City's Stadium and local residents reported problems with racial and sexual harassment, drugs, vandalism, parking, traffic congestion and lack of facilities for young people. The designs draw on imagery from the history of the area as marsh, then orchards and fields; they also interpret light in a playful, imaginative way, highlighting aspects of local character that are not immediately obvious. Finally, the ground plane is emphasised - it is tilted, stepped, textured and inscribed to draw peoples' attention to the idea of sharing space, patterns of circulation and the local hierarchy of gateway spaces. The wing a triangular meadow , on a tilted granite plane, is sprinkled with a carpet of ground lights inspired by the delicate tracery to be found in a dragonfly wing, which refers to the wild life found in the nearby canal. It also emphasises the openness of the space in the spirit of the Shared Space through the simple abstract design which radiates out eventually pointing to the park nearby, The Rec. An important element in the ground installation is the hidden message contained within the lighting scheme which is derived from dot dash element of Morse code. The message refers to the dragonfly in a poetic sentence which reads Winged dreams, rainbow dancing. An interpretation board with the Morse code alphabet is located on site, allowing visitors to decode the message. There is also museum close by with Morse code apparatus potentially offering an opportunity for children's or community workshops.