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Over the past 30 years, however, there has been an unprecedented increase in the rate of urbanisation and development in UK cities. A more globalised approach to the built environment has ensued and inherent qualities, such as historical and cultural continuity within communities, are in danger of being eroded.

‘The notion of urbanism as a way of life, independent of the physical density of the environment and thus not dependent on locale, is becoming a concrete reality.’ (Zardini, 2005)

Without a strong positive city image, the alternative may offer bleaker, and more negative connotations, possibly linked to social disintegration, fear and crime. The need for identity in the 21st century has therefore become much greater. More contemporary writings reflect this, (Pallasmaa, 2005; Zardini, 2005; Holl, 2007) emphasising the need to re-establish identity within our cities.

Factors contributing to the loss of identity are multiple and include an increased bombardment of mass-produced visual stimuli, such as advertisements (Pallasmaa, 2005); the reliance of technology and materials in modern buildings that do not express their age or history (Holl, 2007), through to the ‘hygienic sterilization’ of public streets (Zardini, 2005). Ultimately this leads to a homogenized environment, frequently repeated throughout the country without consideration to the locale, geography and culture.

Despite disagreements in the literature, what is significant is that the subject of identity is becoming increasingly topical. By being strongly rooted into its locality ‘architecture has the capacity to be inspiring, engaging and life-enhancing.’ (Pallasmaa, 2005) Lynch first highlighted the potential value of including contributing factors of identity within architectural design, and over the years it has encouraged a gradual but practical impact on city planning policies.

It is remarkable that despite this increased trend of thought, seldom are such characteristics fully realized in a final built form. Taking the case of Nottingham, despite the best efforts of the City Council and conservation groups, urban development in the late 20th century has still failed to address these fundamental issues. Ferris, writing in 2006 believes one of the reasons for this failure is that ‘the economic and political forces that are shaping the future … are not specific to Nottingham.’ Without strong local knowledge, partnership and investment, some recent developments might be accused of being bland, misplaced or incohesive.

After the Lace Market’s designation as a conservation area in 1969, the City Council had originally hoped to maintain the traditional ro本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。