Lefebvre and Space

In 300-400 words, use Lefebvre's Spatial triad (see above) to conduct a critical reading of one Social Space in or around Leeds. 


Woodhouse Moor and the Hyde Park in Leeds is recognized for its distinctive architecture of back to back housing built in the early 19th century. The back to back buildings were built for families and are very small and lacking in windows and space. The houses attached to other houses/factories/buildings from the back and at bother sides, without a garden. The Representations of Space of these houses and the intention of them being designed this way was to get people accommodated as quickly as possible, a reason for them being small and attached. This model is found all around Hyde Park, however these days, the inhabitants are mainly students. The shift in the purpose and use of these houses has changed from there being a majority of working class families residing in them to students occupying most of the Hyde Park area and these houses. 


This means that in Hyde Park there is a now a student culture and society, shifting from the working class society once inhabiting this space as it was built for. Students have taken over the whole area and park and it has become renowned for being a student populated area. Its a natural migration from halls to Hyde Park. The reality of everyday life is that is noisy the majority of the time, there are 24 hour shops appearing to accommodate students, the houses are not in as good condition and are only inhabited by the same people for a year or so at a time. They are not family homes. The functioning of the area and housing in this way shows the urban reality and daily routine differing from the planning, modelling and designing of these houses. The vision of their function has differed greatly with the shift in society and culture.