Space invaders - the utilisation of space.

A while back, you may have seen that I reposted an article about a project in Toronto where an area beneath the expressway had been revitalised, creating a new public space for its citizens.

This wasn’t the first time I had come across such a project and felt inspired. While visiting one of my school friends who now lives in central London, we were walking back from Spitalfields Market when we stumbled upon a basketball competition. It was a 3x3 pop-up court, sponsored by local businesses, and—lo and behold—it was held underneath the DLR viaducts. I had walked past this spot multiple times in the past, but for years it had been under construction, lacking life, movement, and light. Since its completion, the space has been transformed: it now provides cover for a tapas restaurant, hosts pop-up competitions like the Shoreditch Summer Slam, and serves as an active, engaging place. To put it simply, the space is now used. It may not be the most creative word, but it doesn’t need to be. What was once an unused void is now alive with purpose—and that simple transformation has inspired me to think differently.

This experience opened my eyes to how much we take for granted the underutilised spaces throughout Birmingham—home to one of the world’s most unique highway systems, Spaghetti Junction. While Shoreditch has the advantage of restaurants and buildings nearby that naturally spill into these spaces, the concept is still transferable. The article I shared discussed The Bentway, a 1.75 km-long public space beneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, which offers countless activities for people to enjoy. If a city like Toronto can transform its underpasses, what’s stopping us from reimagining our own neglected spaces?

Could we host a Park Run beneath our highways and expressways?

What about open-air movie screenings? The Olympics? The upcoming Invictus Games in Birmingham?

Looking at the space in the image above, what could it become? My first thought: a Go Ape adventure course. Why not? Imagine adrenaline junkies suspended over one of the most complex road infrastructures in the world—while below, the space could house supporting facilities like changing rooms, a café, and restrooms.

And what about the space in this image? My immediate thought is a skate park, but the possibilities are endless.

As a nation, we haven’t always ignored our empty spaces. Many of our historic railway viaducts have been repurposed, with their arches transformed into homes for independent businesses across the UK. Recently, I attended a presentation by Worcester City Council on regional developments, where they mentioned plans to activate more of these spaces. If you know Worcester, you’ll recognize how valuable these arches are to the city’s character. In the image above, a building has been demolished, revealing two previously hidden arches—hopefully, they will soon be put to good use.

While this isn’t the same kind of space as an expressway underpass, the principle remains the same. In Englischer Garten, Munich, the Germans saw an opportunity: miles away from the sea, they identified a opportunity where people can surf in the heart of the city. Again, it’s about identifying something unused and giving it a unique purpose.

Now obviously, no space is the same and we can't apply like for like in every instance - but what i truly believe is that we can inspired to take these underused spaces and create something special - The possibilities are endless, but here are just a few ideas:

• Outdoor cinema space
• a Park
• a Gallery
• a Skate Park
• Food Hall
• A Place of religion
• Tennis courts
• 5 aside football pitches
• Basketball courts
• Bike Stores
• The return of Pollinations?

The key is to see beyond just buildings—which is at the core of our ethos at Bond Bryan

More Than Design.