For the past two years Dominic McKenzie and teaching partner Peter Morris have been running a Masters of Architecture unit at Birmingham School of Architecture. The unit aims to connect recent socio-political studies of Happiness and wellbeing with explorations of architecture and the built environment.
Last year the unit investigated Tottenham – the epicentre of the 2011 UK riots. The rioting spread from outside the police station on Tottenham High Street across the country. We asked, why was this? What is special about Tottenham that events there can affect the entire country? And is there something special about Tottenham’s urban environment that leads to such unrest?
The results of our research were presented in an exhibition held at Bernie Grants Arts Centre in Tottenham last August. Tottenham MP David Lammy attended the opening and the exhibition was covered in the local press and UK wide architectural press.