ABSTRACT
This case study provides a short summary of the story of the inclusion of youth in the ‘undercroft’ skate spot on the south bank of the Thames in central London. The case does not describe a conventional example of proactive design processes, practices, and policies for the creation of youth-inclusive public outdoor environments; instead, it is the story of a space appropriated by young skateboarders (and others) since the mid-1970s, and of the recent contest between the undercroft user campaign (‘Long Live Southbank’) and the institution responsible for managing the undercroft (the Southbank Centre) over the future development of this space. Since the 1970s, the undercroft has been iteratively produced through phases of appropriation, contestation, ad-hoc consultation, and design intervention. After a formal agreement to preserve the undercroft as skate spot was reached between the Southbank Centre and ‘Long Live Southbank’ a new era of collaboration, including a shared vision to harness the undercroft for wider youth-inclusion, beckons. This case study will be of interest to authorities responsible for public space grappling with how to manage residual outdoor spaces that have been appropriated by young people.
