Preference 11. Stewardship, care, and maintenance
The most beautiful places can be quickly undermined if they are not resilient, are poorly managed, or are simply allowed to deteriorate without check.
Well-maintained streets, greenery, and public spaces strongly shape perceptions of safety, health, and belonging.
The Park Hill estate in Sheffield was an icon of Modernism that quickly became a posterchild of failure which some associated with its brutalist architecture. Undoubtedly the construction technology used contributed to the rapid decline, but neglect contributed more. Listed for its heritage value in 1998, followed by a masterful refurbishment in phases, the structural beauty of the estate’s concrete frame now shines through, now set off by new facade treatments and a carefully managed landscape.
Signs of neglect or disorder undermine perceived beauty.
While the Park Hill flats gradually deteriorated over decades (top left) until intervention or demolition was required, elsewhere signs of deterioration (top right), bad management (bottom left) and neglect (bottom right) appear far more rapidly. This may be the result of fundamental design or construction inadequacies, or simply that stewardship and care and maintenance practices are poor. Whatever the reason, poorly looked after places are generally regarded as ugly.