Community: The Malings, Newcastle

The Malings is a neighbourhood of seventy-six homes located in the Ouseburn Valley in Newcastle.

Drawing inspiration from the local Tyneside flat, in the form of stacked duplexes, the development is an exemplar in creating a sociable urban neighbourhood. The scheme’s design – a series of splayed blocks, like an outstretched hand provides glimpsed views of the River Ouse from all the apartments.

No two homes are identical, and every home has its own brightly coloured front door onto the street, helping to animate the streets and increase the chances for informal encounters with neighbours every time you enter or leave your home.

Communal cycle stores and recycling areas become opportunities for further informal encounters between people and promote a culture of sharing that can perhaps best be seen within the communal microallotments that sit between the housing blocks.