Why Mackie's?
13 hectares of publicly owned land sits vacant and unused right in the middle of the area with the most acute housing need in the state. Thousands of social homes are needed in North and West Belfast. If homes aren't built at Mackie's, the question remains: where will they by built?
City of the Future
Urban Design Competition

Are you an architect, planner or urban design consultant? The Take Back the City coalition invites you to participate in our design competition for ‘The City of the Future.’

Submit your strategic urban design for an inclusive and sustainable community on the 25-acre former Mackie’s site in Belfast. The winning entry will receive a £10,000 prize as well as the opportunity to take their design concepts forward to masterplan stage.

We want to see bold, optimistic and visually compelling entries, which embody the vision developed by homeless families alongside experts in planning, housing policy, the environment and human rights.

Take Back the City
The Coalition

Take Back the City was formed in 2021 to develop sustainable solutions to Belfast’s housing crisis. We are families in housing need supported by experts in architecture, urban planning, housing policy, technology, communications, permaculture, human rights and equality. We believe we can build a better Belfast - a city that’s not divided by walls, where everyone has a home and the things that really matter are society’s priorities - family, community, environment, health and happiness.

Let’s talk about the Belfast of tomorrow. Everyone is welcome.

The State of Belfast
Data Visualisation

The State of Belfast is an evolving interactive mapping tool produced by the Take Back the City coalition.

Its purpose is to provide communities, activists, professionals, public servants and politicians with a visualisation that will help us to respond equitably and resiliently to the challenges facing the city, challenges such as homelessness and climate change.

Using a range of data from different sources, the State of Belfast lays bare a city divided by sectarianism and inequality, and one that is ill-prepared for the challenges of climate breakdown. But the map also demonstrates our city's potential; how our assets, resources and communities can be mobilised to respond effectively to the critical socio-economic and environmental tests of our time.

Take Back the City logo The Take Back the City coalition was formed in 2020 to develop sustainable solutions to Belfast’s housing crisis. We are families in housing need supported by experts in architecture, urban planning, housing policy, technology, communications, permaculture, human rights and equality.
Supported by
Oak Foundation logo PPR logo Queens University Belfast logo Town and Country Planning Association logo
© 2022 TAKE BACK THE CITY COALITION