Methods 13
Strategies for the eastward growth of London: ‘City East’ In 2006 London’s population was set to grow by a million people over the next 20 years; in effect this growth has been more rapid. A quarter of this growth is expected to be housed in just three per cent of its area, the 32 square kilometres of ‘City East’ in the western part of London Thames Gateway. Design for London recognised the significance of this and developed concepts and strategies to ensure that this area’s new developments were set in a spatial framework and met the highest design standards. Design for London and KCAP carried out a strategic options appraisal of the Royal Docks and Canning Town areas initially in 2005/2006; this work was exhibited at the 2006 Venice Architectural Biennale. The Royal Docks, an astonishing place occupying a key strategic location between the Lower Lea Valley and Barking Riverside, had failed to attract significant development interest despite large publicly owned (and remediated) sites and an unprecedented boom in the London economy from 1997 to 2008. In 2009 Design for London reappraised conventional strategies for the area and constructed a series of conceptual narratives to stimulate debate and investment interest through: 1. Abandonment of conventional master plans (73 in the area since the mid 1970s); 2. Creation of a Green Enterprise District as a catalyst for inward investment; 3. Construction of a new narrative for the area focused on business logistics;
4. Creation of a political ‘pact’ between the (conservative) Mayor of London and the (labour) Mayor of Newham; 5. Brokering an alliance of landowners. From here Design for London worked with the London Development Agency to define infrastructure projects including the Siemens Centre, the East London Heat Network and the London Cable Car. Associated with this was the marketing and master planning of key sites and design advice on new developments. The significance of this work lies in the detachment of regeneration from formal planning strategies. The approach was geared around the realism of political structures, land ownership, and the economics and perceptions of the property sector. The approach is effectively city branding tied into a choreographed marketing and events campaign that created momentum and changed market perceptions. The result has been the stimulation of a new wave of development activity, within a rigorous urban design framework which is taking place despite the current economic downturn. [fig. 4 & 5] The final initiative was the Meanwhile London competition, launched in November 2010 with Property Week. This aimed to find (funded) temporary uses for three high-profile sites in the Royal Docks and Canning Town in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The aim of the project was to maintain momentum and engage the local community with wider development ideas.