THE BIO-ASSEMBLY
Emerging from a critical investigation into the declining quality and quantity of urban green space in Manchester, as a symptom of neoliberal power structures within urban design, this thesis critiques the dominant paradigms of commercially driven, high-density development. Instead, it proposes a spatial framework that values incremental growth, decentralised resilience, and collaborative stewardship. In response to the withdrawal of industry from Manchester’s urban core, the project explores how post-industrial sites can be reimagined through alternatives to profit-driven development models, seeking to redefine value through social and ecological lenses.
The project envisions a regenerative future shaped by participatory interventions, incremental urbanism, and collaboration with ecological processes. Temporary interventions serve as catalysts for engagement, seeding conditions for long-term co-construction and the organic growth of both communities and ecosystems. Central to this approach is a layered model of adaptability, accommodating varying levels of time, effort, and skill. Operable facades, interchangeable infill panels, and modular timber frames enable dynamic reconfiguration across multiple timescales, fostering a sense of ownership and stewardship.
As participation deepens and local knowledge expands, the role of professional facilitators recedes, empowering local actors to assume leadership and ensure the site’s ongoing evolution. The methodology embraces slow, adaptive growth, allowing built form and ecological systems to co-evolve with the social dynamics of the site.
Ultimately, the thesis proposes a replicable model for regenerative urbanism, one that resists spatial homogenisation and supports biodiversity, urban mental health, and climate resilience. It envisions a city in which informal, underutilised spaces become a network of resilient urban commons: places of care, autonomy, and ecological reciprocity.
