A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation - called The Social Value of Public Space - criticises architects for foisting fancy-schmancy 21st Century designs on the dowdy and banal people of England.

"Most public spaces that people use are local spaces they visit regularly, often quite banal in design, or untidy in their activities or functions, such as street markets and car boot sales," the report said.

The point the report makes is - if disappointing - a serious one... that functional community spaces grow organically through use. And if functional design is good design, then draw your own conclusions. The architects are, however, fighting back:

Deborah Fox, head of standards at Cabe Space, rejected the report's view that mundane spaces could work. "We feel that banal spaces are essentially failing people," she said "The report talks about design prescription but I sense that where design fails it is not due to too many design guidelines but because these guidelines have been misinterpreted."

[via Building Design]

Technorati Tags: architecture