Sustainable Futures in Wandle Valley (2022)

CONTENTS ○

TASK 1A

SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

Aim: To understand interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability.

Specialization : Hydrology

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TASK 1B

COOPERATIVE GAMES

Aim: To create and use cooperative board games to understand collaborative urbanism and how to achieve cooperative decisions in urban design and city planning.

Board game: Thirteen- Who runs the valley?

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ANJALI MANIAR

TASK 1C

TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

Aim: (i) To conduct research on local interest groups concerned around climate change. (ii)To propose local actions with the capacity to upscale and address climate change in the Wandle valley.

Local group: Sustainable Merton Action plan: Wandle waste water project - campaign

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BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN 2021-2022

LOCATION WANDLE VALLEY REGIONAL PARK, LONDON

PORTFOLIO

TASK 1 A SUSTAINABLE FUTURES The aim of this workshop is to understand interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability.

A discipline (other than architecture, planning, urban design) is chosen as a focus for this workshop.

The work of this specialism is then studied to realise its contribution to a more sustainable future.

This knowledge is then applied to a ‘sustainable action’: an intervention that can be replicated in different contexts and that can have an impact on building sustainable futures.

TASK 1-A

what water?

SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

WHERE IS IT COMING FROM AND WHERE DOES IT GO

• • •

WATER SOURCES

High dependency on Rainwater and other precipitates to replenish surface sources – Rivers, lakes, catchment areas, etc.

Desalination of oceans – high consumption of energy and heat intensive process Ground water - heavily depleted.

WATER LOSSES • • • •

SPECIALISM: HYDROLOGY Hydrology is the study of surface water and its physical properties. It entails the study of precipitation impacts on river flows and ground water levels, and its lifecycle back into the atmosphere/oceans.

Hydrogeology is a branch encompassing the study of ground water and its impact on the subsurface environment.

Hydrologists work in managing, monitoring and protecting water resources.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY TO HYDROLOGISTS? With the earth’s climate changing, the surface of the earth is heating faster than the environment can adapt to the change.

‘Fit for consumption water’ used for non-drinking purposes creating a shortage in usable water.

Since more water is required to wet catchment areas due to increased temperatures, water from catchment is not sufficiently moving to dams.

Storm water run-off unused and carrying surface level pollutants back into fresh water sources.

Non- revenue water: Water losses from the supply system due to leaks and overflows.

MAJOR CONCERNS WITHIN HYDROLOGY FOR FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY

1 Cities growing to be more vulnerable to climate extremes – droughts, wild fires, floods,

2 Waste-water consumes both energy (heating) and nutrients (minerals)

Hence while the demand for water increases, there is lesser water available for distribution.

How can we ensure optimum re-use of water with minimum impact on the environment?

3 Combined amount of annual storm water and sewage water expelled is more than the water consumed by cities IMAGE: Natural vs Urban water cycle (Copyright by Commonwealth of Massachusetts)

THE BARTLETT SCHOOL OF PLANNING

BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN | 2021 - 2022

SOURCES: Friends of the earth (2017) - https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/paris-agreement-will-it-help-tackle-climate-change Carbon brief (2015) - https://www.carbonbrief.org/meeting-two-degree-climate-target-means-80-per-cent-of-worlds-coal-is-unburnable-study-says ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING

CREATING WATER SENSITIVE CITIES • Flood water running through BGI network and not through roads • Increasing biodiversity in cities • Productive landscapes (community gardens, orchards) • Water management to support greening of cities

TASK 1-A

1. INTEGRATING BLUE-GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN OUR URBAN ENVIRONMENTS 2. UTILIZING STORM WATER RUNOFF FROM STREETS FOR URBAN GREENING

SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

A

3. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AS A PART OF URBAN LIFE Location of Intervention - Earlsfield station

GREEN WALLS & ROOFS Dissipating radial thermal energy, preventing buildings from storing heat.

Building green corridor links across cityscape.

BLUE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE Running through the cities to aid in ecosystem services.

BIO-SWALES Storing and transporting storm water run-off from streets.

RAIN GARDENS Filtering storm water carrying surface pollutants.

Enhancing local biodiversity.

Existing View at point A - Earlsfield station

BLUE-GREEN INFRASTURE

• Helps in cooling microclimate of cities • Maintaining water in landscape • Providing a means of shading • Existing as beautiful and active space for community Vision for blue-green infrastructure integrated cities THE BARTLETT SCHOOL OF PLANNING

BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN | 2021 - 2022

ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING

TASK 1-A

The aim is to no longer view drainage as “a pipe under the streets”, but an integrated element of the streets, that not only cools the urban micro- climate, but also enhaces the biodiversity as a part of the landscape.

SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

DRAINAGE AS A PART OF THE CITY

Integrating ecosystem services within the city – median strips to filter and store storm water runoff from the streets • Bringing blue-green corridors back into cities creating functional space for landscape, community, biodiversity and ecosystem services.

• Biofilters for stormwater, trees, green walls & roofs for mitigating climate.

• Linking WWTP with productive landscapes (urban orchards, community gardens) to recover nutrients

• The urban greening in the area needs to be carried out in wphases of development, leaving room for delays, criticism, re-budgeting, and abandonment of the project.

• For the self regulation of urban greens, sensitivity of the local communities is an essential element for its successful integration in the city.

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Plan: Earlsfield station Image: View at point A - modified as per vision THE BARTLETT SCHOOL OF PLANNING

BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN | 2021 - 2022

LIMITS

SOURCES: Images: All images are self clicked Map 2: Overlayed over screenshot from Google earth ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING

TASK 1 B COOPERATIVE GAMES Cooperative games prioritise play, cooperation and participation over competition. There is not an individual winner, but players work together to achieve a common goal. Instead of making the decisions that are best for each individual, decisions are made according to what is best for the group.

The aim of this workshop is to design a cooperative board game and use it to understand collaborative urbanism and how to achieve cooperative decisions in urban design and city planning.

TASK 1-B

COOPERATIVE GAMES

EARLSFIELD, WANDSWORTH, LDN 2

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BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN | 2021 - 2022

A set of 13 possible areas of intervention are represented on the board, where players from the 3 sectors vote to influence the sectors within a 3 minute time limit.

The game ends with a colour coded represenation of which sector held the most influence in the neighbourhood.

7 OUTCOMES:

8 13

WHO RUNS THE VALLEY ?

THIRTEEN is a vote based decision making game between 3 sectors of players 1. The People - neighbourhood residents 2. The Place - decision-making officials 3. The Planet - decision-influencing experts that influence the events, interventions, and development in the neighbourhood represented on the board.

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THIRTEEN

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1. To understand how different partcipants involved in the continued functioning of cities influence its growth.

2. To observe the degree of influence from each sector on the outcomes of development in neighbourhoods.

3. To raise awareness about debates and arguments in the developement of our cities.

ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING

TASK 1-B

AIMS: 1. Convince maximum players in the circle to vote for your “agenda” to pass on the board, within the set time limit (typically 3-5 minutes, as agreed upon by the players) 2. Work together to add as many pins on the board representing the sector (People, Place, Planet) you represent.

HOW TO PLAY: (i) Players first divide themselves into the roles of a) Residents - People of the neighbourhood b) Officials - Local authority incharge of the Place c) Experts - Professionals of different fields (ii) Each group then roughly defines its goals for the round, before the game begins. Agendas can be selected from a pre-made list for each sector, or imaginatively redefined as per the spaces on the board. (iii) Each group then selects a number from 1-6 to role the dice,and then begin the game with the number that first appears. (iv) As each player roles a differnt number, the group associated with it is allowed to make and pass an agenda after recieving maximum votes in the circle. (v) If the angenda does not recieve maximum votes in the alloted time for the debate, the turn is lost, and the dice is rolled again. (vi) Once an agenda is passed on a space on the board (from 1- 13) that space is no longer available for change in the same round of the game.

COOPERATIVE GAMES

GAME CONCEPT Thirteen can be adapted to any neighbourhood (board) with flexible rules allowing all 3 groups of participants to adjust the outcomes as per the context of the neighbourhood.

A total of 13 spaces on the board are open to intervention, allowing a clear majority among one of the 3 sectors of participants in the game.

The colour coded pins show a representation of the influence and collaboration of different groups in the decisionmaking process of development of the city.

GAME OBJECTS 1. BOARD - Representing the neighbourhood (Earlsfield) and the 13 spaces for intervention.

2. DICE - Alloting turns for each sector to bring forth its agenda to the group.

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3. PINS - Colour coded for the 3 sectors Residents, Officials, Experts, to be placed on the board in the space where the designated sector has passed its agenda.

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4. AGENDA TAGS - To be placed on the board to represent the final outcomes of the voting.

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(vii) Players involved in the voting and passing of the agenda can then add a pin representing the colour of their sector onto the board.

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(viii) The game ends when all 13 spaces on the board are occupied by pins. (ix) The group/sector with the maximum pins on the board is the one who most influenced the development decions in the neighbourhood.

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BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN | 2021 - 2022

5. NOTES - To help players define agendas and possible interventions for set board.

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ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING

TASK 1-B

THE PLAY

• The players in this round belonged to nondesign backgrounds, and used a pre-made list of intervensions and agenda tags.

• The limits of the board were assumed as the limits of the neighbourhood to then introduce built and un-built changes in the spaces from 1 to 13.

NEIGHBOURHOOD local authority Residents

COOPERATIVE GAMES

4/13 SPACES FILLED

exp1: Climate Exp 2: urban expert planner

THE DEBATE

THE CONCLUSION

GAME OBSERVATIONS

• The game moves fairly quickly and requires players to make quick decisions within the given time.

• The play generated a robust debate among the 3 sectors of players for decisions and interventions on the board.

• Often, players used the existence of previous interventions made in the game to justify future goals for other spaces on the board, which was accepted as a valid argument during play.

• The end results of the game showed both the Residents and the Local authority with maximum pins on the board (11/13 each). The reason for this was the active involvement of both these groups in the design of the neighbourhood, as compared to the two Experts (climate and urban) who participated only for specific agendas related to their field.

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BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN | 2021 - 2022

END RESULT

LIMITS

• Players require basic knowledge of city planning and urban environments to make decisions and argue the agendas for successful continuity of the game.

• The opportunity for “decision making” is dependent on chance by rolling a dice.

This can then lead to one group reaching its goals faster than the others.

• Game does not account for funding of intervensions, as in real life situations.

OPPORTUNITIES

• The nature of the board game allows for expansion of player roles (eg. separating experts as exclusive groups) and redefining agendas to reach a greater variety of outcomes in the neighbourhood.

• It can easily be adapted and modified to suit any locality, with players reimagining agendas to suit the outcomes in their own neighbourhood.

ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING

TASK 1 C TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE The aims of this workshop are: 1) to conduct research on local interest groups concerned around climate change.

2) to propose local actions with the capacity to upscale and address climate change within the site.

TASK 1-C

TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

SUSTAINABLE MERTON MERTON’S LOCAL ENVIRONMENT CHARITY LOCATION

STRATEGY

Morden Hall Park, Morden Hall Road, London SM4 5JD

In March 2017, key stakeholders - including volunteers, staff, trustees and residents, came together to help develop Sustainable Merton’s ‘Theory of Change’.

ABOUT

Sustainable Merton is a charitable organisation that works towards suatainable living through community engagement and partner collaborations.

Founded by a local resident in 2007, the organisation reaches out to residents, partners and businesses, and has a number of dedicated volunteers - “Community Champions”, who contribute to the organisation’s activity and development, complementing the work carried out by small teams of staff and trustees.

To discover where the efforts of our work should be focused to have the greatest impact on the lives of local people, we asked - ‘what is the change YOU want to see?’ and, by the end of an insightful planning phase, four priority areas of work were identified: WASTE

AIR QUALITY

ENERGY

FOOD

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE

Over the years, Sustainable Merton has created strong networks between those interested in the sustainability agenda, and works with experts in the field.

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COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

STAFF MEMBERS & VOLUNTEER PROJECT COORDINATORS

TRUSTEES

PROJECTS & CAMPAIGNS

Sustainable Merton’s overarching mission is to enable and mobilise the community to respond to the Climate Emergency and improve local quality of life, without compromising the future of our planet.

To achieve this, their projects and campaigns integrate both environmental and social goals, broadening the reach and benefits of taking environmental action.

Energy focused campaigns in the past:

ORGANISATION AIMS

LOCATION OF PAST CAMPAIGNS

• • • •

Create a more sustainable environment in Merton.

Develop, promote and implement sustainability strategies and action plans.

Support local community led-initiatives to enhance their success and longevity.

Promote and contribute to the work and events of Merton and London-wide partners.

• Provide fundraising support for community groups and projects within the key themes - Waste, Air quality, Energy, Food • Inspire and mobilise communities, individuals and businesses to take action to protect our environment.

ROOTED IN THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY

• Sustainable Merton also publishes sustainability handbooks written by its Community Champions, as a step-by-step guide to making simple changes that will help the planet, save money, improve wellbeing among Merton’s local community members.

• The Energy savings handbook focuses on individuals reducing energy impacts on the earth’s resources through simple lifestyle changes.

SOURCES: Organisation information, Images : https://www.sustainablemerton.org/

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BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN | 2021 - 2022

ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING

TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

TASK 1-C

wandle waste water project A DRIVE TO HARVEST, CONSERVE, AND RE-USE WATER TO CREATE A RESILIENT, WATER-SECURE COMMUNITY

3. BUILDING RESILIENCE

WORKING TOWARDS WATER SECURITY IN CITIES

CAMPAIGN AIMS 1. To enhance water sensitivity and the need for conservation among the community through: • Publishing water-conservation and harvesting guides, in collaboration with RWH experts.

• Educating community through workshops about the effects of climate change on usable water.

2. Campaigning for urban-greening within town limits through green roofs and walls.

• Creating and mainataining rain gardens within urban zones for drainage.

• Watering of landscapes through filtered sewage from green walls on buildings.

3. Incentivising the installation and use of RWH systems, along with Sewage treating Green-walls for both old and new construction in the region.

• Possible collaboration with local authority for the private installations of these systems to harvest, and re-use stormwater and sewage for nondrinking purposes.

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1. CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES • Harvest and utilize water for non-drinking uses – washing cars, water lawns, flushing toilets, watering public landscapes • Living with 2 taps – non-drinking water could be combination of waste-water, storm-water, sewage water.

• Waste-water treatment plants becoming future “resource recovery plants” to get back nutrients into circulation.

• Flexibility in community’s ability to adapt to a change in lifestyle and consumption of resources

2. MITIGATING FUTURE URBAN HEAT GAINS

• Water management in cities to facilitate greening, lowering the urban heat island.

• Cities to deliver ecosystem services mimicking ecological landscapes to enhance biodiversity within the city.

CAMPAIGN PROCESS • • • •

1. Collaborative work to publish guides.

2. Lobbying for local authority incentives for Rain water harvesting (RWH) systems, and Biofilters installation.

3. Identifying locations and zones for urban greening.

4. Creating and maintaining urban-greens like rain gardens, greenwalls, productive landscapes, etc.

SOURCES: T. H. F. Wong and R. R. Brown, (2009) The water sensitive city: principles for practice WWAP (United Nations World Water Assessment Programme). 2018. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2018: Nature-based Solutions. Paris, UNESCO. ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING

TASK 1-C

STORM WATER PURIFYING FILTER

SHOWER/KITCHEN TOILET FLUSHING

BLACK WATER

wandle waste water project

ROOF TOP RWH SYSTEM

A DRIVE TO HARVEST, CONSERVE, AND RE-USE WATER TO CREATE A RESILIENT, WATER-SECURE COMMUNITY

GREY WATER

With climate change being the centre of our insecurity with water supply and management, there exists an impending need to change the way we utilize this resource in our own lifestyles.

Building water security at an individual level allows the community to reflect on direct benefits from water management and re-use.

GROSS POLLUTANT TRAP

DISINFECTING UNIT

WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT

GREEN WALL BIO-FILETER

OUTDOOR LANDSCAPING/ NON-PORTABLE OUTDOOR USE

TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

The harvesting and filtering of storm water, and the treatment of sewage (greywater) from households, can exponentially curb the water insecurities in drought prone periods.

With the re-use of this otherwise waste water, we open the potential to enhace landscapes to accomodate more diverse and resilient green spaces within the urban environment.

GROUND WATER TABLE LIMITS & CONSTRAINTS • The initial installation and retrofitting of a secondary water source, from treated sewage/storm water is expensive, and may require laws or incentives from the government for their implementation.

• The sudden introduction of large scale biodiversity within the city, may cause temporary inconveniences and imbalances in the start. However, remodification of these intervensions can allow the gradual development of ecologically diverse urban spaces.

Image: Task 1-A - Vision for interation of Blue- green infrastructure within cities THE BARTLETT SCHOOL OF PLANNING

BPLN0034: SUSTAINABLE FUTURES BY DESIGN | 2021 - 2022

ANJALI MANIAR | MSc URBAN DESIGN & CITY PLANNING