Tag: regeneration
Here’s an article I wrote for the September issue of London Business Matters magazine about the role that environmental branding can play in turning new developments into communities rather than soulless groups of disconnected buildings.
It is an undeniable truth that the current development boom in London is changing, not only the visual cityscape but also the character and personality of areas and communities. In the part of West London where we are based, swathes of ex-council blocks, underused light industrial and warehouse units have been cleared to make way for high value, high density riverside developments totalling thousands of new dwellings. Some of the new-builds are mixed-use, some residential only, some beautifully designed with elegant balconies and landscaped communal areas, others…well, not so much!
What they all share though, is a sense of separatism – from each other and from the incumbent local businesses and communities in the area. They exist cheek by jowl but exude an aura of isolation and loneliness. Inevitable, perhaps, for new builds, but not unavoidable. The opportunity is there for planners, local authorities and developers to be a real force for positive change and regeneration, and to benefit themselves as a result.
Placemaking has been in the lexicon of urban development for decades – so much so that it has transcended buzzword status to become a cliché, engendering frequent lip-service but all too rarely, effective implementation. But the principles of placemaking still offer a solution to urban separatism and a potential pathway to creating vibrant integrated and desirable destinations. To achieve this, a placemaking strategy must pull together planners, architects, landscapers, community and commerce with a common purpose, galvanising involvement and participation from existing businesses and residents and attracting new input and investment.
