Whether a building is good or bad may be simply in the eye of the beholder. Some reactions are immediate and others may take many years to become accepted, viewed as iconic or maligned often influenced by the quality of the maintenance of the building. Design involves difficult and complex judgement, as well as personal taste. Perhaps it is better, therefore, to avoid the terms ‘good’ and ‘bad’ altogether, and to think about what does or does not work in terms of Yorkness. In 2022 the City of York Council’s Housing Passivhaus Delivery Programme was a winner in the Excellence in Plan Making Practice at the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Awards for Planning Excellence. Buildings and other developments in the city have also won awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects, Royal institute of Chartered Surveyors, Association for Industrial Archaeology, National Housebuilders and from the city’s own York Design Awards.
York is a small city with a long history of development – evident around every corner. New layers, incidental or of scale, take root when they enrich the city’s identity and being.
“The city is ancient but never stale, revealing itself to you slowly – hidden snicket, wonky window and local legend at a time” (Georgina Davidson). York is a beautiful city with a long and continuous history of development. Many writers, artists and academics have attempted to distil what makes York what it is, and why we find it so attractive. York’s appeal cannot be summed up in one or two sentences. It is a complex amalgamation of history, culture, built environment, social and economic factors. If we understand what makes York tick, we will be in a better position to ensure that managed change of our built environment will not damage it.
York is an environment of three parts. The historic core is complex and compact yet easily connected to its suburbs and outlying villages. Often following plans centuries old it is a welcoming environment that puts people first.
York’s buildings, layout, public spaces and the circulation routes between them have three different characters. The historic core is complex and compact. The suburbs span out but are still well connected. The outlying villages have identities of their own. Throughout, the built environment is generally of a human scale, multi-layered and often haphazard. The main arterial connections that connect the city often follow routes set out nearly 2000 years ago that responded to York’s location and topology.
York’s historic core is an inherently complex place whose character and appearance is the uniqe outcome of a subtle fusion of many factors: historical development and change, architectural style and materials, topography, spaces and landscape, land ownership and uses. (York Central Historic Core Conservation Area Appraisal). The historic core is compact and human-scale best navigated walking or wheeling with a dense and delicate spider’s web of streets, lanes, snickets, innumerable T and Y endings, undulations dog-legs, continuous built-up frontages, numberless little irregular spaces, squares, piazzas, spaital leaks, keyholes and the like … not a loose collection of buildings. (George Pace) Tiled, piched roofs are characteristically red, brown or grey. Buildings are of Magnesian Limestone, York Brick (pink, black, white and red) and there is much re-used Roman and medieval stone.
York’s suburban growth is as much about the history of British architecture as the city centre. The earliest suburbs developed immediately outside the city walls (the bar walls) along Bootham and Tadcaster Road. Areas of high density terraced housing are more distinctive, and characteristic of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The city expanded to incorporate once independent villages – Dinghouses, Acomb, Heslington and Osbaldwick are examples. York benefits from extensive areas of common land and parks – the ancient Strays and commons almost penetrate to the city centre. York’s history of social philanthropy can be found in its public parks Rowntree, West Bank and Homestead to name three. A number of model sustainable development – New Earswock, Hartrigg Oaks and Derwenthorpe. The City of York Council’s current ambitious plans for Passivhaus development are a continuation of this approach.
Outer York, beyond the outer ring road, is characterized by a series of villages often linear or set around a large village green, some of which have undergone considerable expansion. The city is set in an agricultural environment which, and this presents a particular planning challenge.
‘York is quite simply, Britain’s largest, deepest, most important and best-preserved urban archaeological site’ (Peter Addyman). The city displays some 2,000 years of continuous history which unlike many cities has suffered relatively little damage from war, industry or modern development. In recent time the city was an early convert to the conservation movement. This long history is reflected in the pattern of land ownership , including plot shapes and sizes.
York remains a modest-sized city, with a strong sense of place and identity. Its topography is essentially flat, though glacial deposits ofeer some variety and open up interesting views. Most ofte city is therefore easily accessible walking or wheeling. Whilst York avoided the excesses of the Industrial Revolution it has grown considerably in the 20th century. York’s local plan identifies 18 major development sites or which three are destined to be garden villages, supoprting an overall population increase of arounf 20%. The Rivers Foss and Ouse are essential to the character of York. Important views include those of the Minster, some from a considerable distance but also include much closer views of aspects of the city’s historic built environment. Because of York’s historic street pattern, the funelling effect of the river corssings and the lack of orbital routes, the city suffers from modern traffic.
York has a diverse population. The city is a meeting place for visitors, students, workers and residents from all over the world. It is a centre of international exchange, research and development, and is open to ideas.
York is awash with culture – libraries and archives, museums, galleries and performance spaces, a huge programme of events and festivals. York has a long history of scientific endeavour, today carried on by the University of York and digital technology companies. The cultural life of the city has been immeasurably enriched by religion especially its role as the home of the Archbishop and as an important centre of Quakerism.
York evolved from an economy that was essentially local, providing goods and services to the residents of the city and the surrounding area. There has been a substantial military presence and influence until recently. The city maintains its role as a centre for the rail industry with digital technologies replacing carriage manufacturing. York’s visitor economy now dominates its identity with over 9 million visitors each year. The accommodation, bars, restaurants and multiple attractions that service this market are widespread in the city centre. A large majority of visitors to York come to wander the ambience. The presence of two universities, with around 26,00 students together with Askham Bryan College and York College with 3,500 full-time and 9,000 part-time students, means that students are a major feature of city life.