Cricklewood – an area in North West London – has no city hall, no library, no square and not a single bench. In 2013, a Mobile Town Square turned up on the back of a bike, giving locals the public space they desired for the first time.
Mobile Town Square is a project created by Studio Kieren Jones and curated and run by the London agency Spacemakers. A miniature clock tower attached to a bicycle arrives at its destination, opens up shop, and turns empty spaces in community events. In Cricklewood, the public square they wished they had temporarily came to life.
The clock tower has a faux brick cladding and the design acts as a visual reference to the Smiths watch factory, which was based in Cricklewood for many years. The tower stores all the necessary equipment for creating a temporary public space, including benches, stools and tables, outdoor games and – important in this part of Europe – umbrellas. All equipment was produced locally. The clocktower also includes a site map, ensuring those setting up know exactly where to position the public square.
In a playful but effective manner, Spacemakers have aimed to indirectly to address this question: if Cricklewood already had a public square, what would it be like, and how would residents use it?
Research had shown that if Crickelwood already had a public square, residents and visitors would have likely used it as a meeting point, a place to see outdoor film screenings or small exhibitions, somewhere to play chess, have a picnic, hold discussions or even take part in a workshop.
The Mobile Town Square project therefore ensured that all of these activities were possible. The workshop evolved into an initiative to create signage for Cricklewood Square, bringing community members together to leave something a little more permanent behind.
Mobile Town Square has popped up in various locations, including on the roof of a parking lot. It aims to give citizens a sense of community, something which is too often overlooked in modern cities.
While this particular town square is mobile and temporary, the project was created as a way of prototyping a more permanent public space, aiming to create lasting change for future communities in Cricklewood and other areas.
Images: Cricklewood Town Square
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