Disordering Atmospheres: Rethinking Place Management through Blackpool’s North Pier

Readers almost certainly will have experienced irritating piped muzak in a hotel lobby, or those times when an intimate conversation has been drowned out by an over-zealous DJ. Such frustrations reflect deliberative attempts to manage and control the atmospheric qualities of place. Whereas this might prove effective in the controlled space of a shopping mall, interventions can overpower the intrinsic atmospheric qualities of place, and lead to places feeling sterile and disenchanted. Rather than treat atmosphere as something that can be designed, packaged, and sold, how might place managers develop more thoughtful practices, understanding not everything can be controlled? Sometimes, a little disorder can be enriching and it is better to do nothing.

New research by Dr Chloe Steadman and Professor Steve Millington establishes a framework to inform atmospheric management in consumer spaces. Drawing on Richard Sennett’s work on designing disorder, the research invites place managers to reconsider how they might try to manage the feel of place. The research explores atmospheric dynamics on Blackpool’s North Pier. Located on the wet and windy coastline of North West England, the North Pier, with its exposed wooden deck, sea spray, and eclectic mix of activities, is a living laboratory for exploring how some disorder might be generative of atmospheric abundance, rather than always disruptive. The researchers applied Sennett’s ‘open forms’ to understand the atmospheric dynamics unfolding on North Pier to influence the visitor experience.

Sennett’s ‘Open Forms’

  1. Porosity: The pier’s openness to natural elements–wind, sea air, and crashing waves–blurs the boundary between inside and outside. This permeability fosters sensory richness and exchange between visitors and the sensations of nature.
  2. Synchronous Forms: Unlike rigidly zoned spaces, the pier accommodates multiple activities simultaneously, from quiet reflection to noisy entertainment, creating a layered and sometimes conflicting sensory experience.
  3. Punctuated Moments: There are emotionally resonant features–both planned and spontaneous–that infuse the space with character and encourage visitors to pause and reflect. This includes heritage boards, memorial benches, and love locks.
  4. Incomplete Forms: The pier’s always-evolving, slightly ramshackle structure, invites improvisation and playful interaction, such as with the photo stand-ins, enabling visitors to co-produce atmospheres.

Practical Insights and Takeaways for Place Managers

The research offers several actionable insights for place managers tasked with managing public and semi-public spaces:

Porosity enriches a place because it allows natural forces to co-create the atmosphere. On North Pier, the sea breeze and sound of waves create calming or exhilarating effects, depending on the weather. However, attempts to control porosity with excessive safety signage or regulation can erode the charms of place. Managers should aim to balance safety with sensory richness, allowing nature to remain an active participant in placemaking.

Manage synchronicity to avoid atmospheric conflicts. While diverse activities can enrich a space, they can also clash. On North Pier, the mechanical drone of a bouncy castle pump and loud music from a bar disrupted the natural soundscape, creating atmospheric clashes. This highlights the need for some coordination to avoid dissonant sensory experiences that may disrupt experiences.

Foster co-creation through punctuated moments. Spontaneous memorials and personal tributes, such as love locks, allow visitors to express their emotional connections to the Pier. However, the routine removal of these unsanctioned tributes can make a place feel sterile or over-managed. Place managers should consider how to accommodate informal expressions of belonging without compromising safety or maintenance.

Encourage playful engagement with incomplete forms. The pier’s unfinished, evolving design invites users to ‘complete’ the space. This co-production fosters a sense of ownership and delight. Managers can support this by incorporating flexible, interactive design elements that encourage exploration and creativity.

Some key takeaways for place managers:

  1. Atmospheres Are Not Fully Controllable: They are shaped by unpredictable interactions between people, materials, and multisensory environments. Attempts to fully control them risk sanitising a place.
  2. A Little Disorder Can Be Productive: Rather than viewing disorder as a problem, managers should see it as a potential source of vitality. A little disorder can loosen overly rigid environments and lead to places feeling more vibrant.
  3. Encourage Co-Production and Adaptability: Place managers might introduce activities that invite participation and allow visitors to coproduce spaces in less fixed and more playful ways.
  4. Be Sensitive to Atmospheric Tipping Points: Understand how different elements–sound, visual elements, weather–interact, and be alert to when one begins to dominate or suppress others.

Conclusion

Steadman and Millington’s research invites place managers to rethink the atmospheric qualities of place. Rather than striving for perfect order, professionals are encouraged to embrace the disorderly qualities of atmospheres. With North Pier now up for sale, we encourage the future owners to design and manage with openness, flexibility, and co-creation in mind, to foster an environment that is not only functional, but also emotionally resonant and atmospherically abundant.

You can read the published paper here: https://doi.org/10.1177/14705931251364055

IPM

About the author

IPM

Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.

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