Planning in London

The truth about London

It was an emotional experience listening to Danish architect Jan Gehl list whats wrong with the public realm in central London like finally finding a psychiatrist, after many expensive inconclusive bouts of analysis, who clearly understands you. Why does it take a Dane to tell us what we all know and suffer from in central London? Narrow pavements encrusted in chewing gum, littered with unplanned obstacles which are plastered with graffiti and anti-climb paint, cacophonous, odorous traffic, few seats and no toilets. The internal combustion engine and its unlimited use is continuing to destroy public space in central London, and people are losing the sense of what it is to be civilised by the city. Gehls most telling point was that the city is our cradle of civilisation and when that role is eclipsed, the city becomes something that destroys and no longer nurtures. The evidence for this in public behaviour and our attitudes to living in London are not hard to find. Families leave, people behave badly in the street, crime rises, accidents increase. Central London is a place that shouts at Londoners and its visitors, YOU ARE NOT LOVED. More robust observers would say that London has always been like that, and its grittiness is what makes it so successful a place for the last 1,000 years. But thats no excuse not to make it better. Central London boroughs are guilty as charged by Gehl. He is an acknowledged international judge in these matters. The Central London Partnership and Transport for London, who commissioned Gehl (well done!), need to make sure his report is acted on. If it is not, London will decline or worse, continue this unhappy half life that lacks the appropriate quality.

Danish plan to reconquer London

London is an invaded city where the car is king and whose public spaces must have their dignity and style restored to them according to Danish urban designer Jahn Gehl in a highly critical new report commissioned by Transport for London and Central London Partnership.

Gehls study, Towards A Fine City for People, introduced by the newly re-elected mayor Ken Livingstone to an influential audience of entrepreneurs, professionals and politicians, throws down the gauntlet to all central London boroughs to do something about the dire state of the capitals public realm. Livingstone said the GLA wants to pursue Terry Farrells ideas for turning Euston Road into a boulevard as an example of the Mayors commitment to implementing some of Gehls recommendations. What a lost opportunity he said of Euston Road. This work stays at the top of our priorities.

For 70 years London has succumbed to the car and has become what Gehl describes as an invaded city where the car has interrupted what was market space where the natural interaction of people could take place without hindrance. Instead, said Gehl, people have been pushed into undignified movements and in the US, things have gone even further and cities have become abandoned in their centres, dominated by car parking lots.

London must look to other European cities that have started to reverse this trend and have become reconquered cities. People have said "enough is enough, we are losing important qualities", said Gehl. The whole purpose of our cities is as the cradle of civilisation and this has been endangered. We cannot live without the public realm.

Public space he said was not the traffic engineers concept of getting from A to B, or doing the Naples slalom where pedestrians have to negotiate poorly parked cars, but it was about using spaces that had dignity and style. Pavements in the central London areas that Gehl Architects studied were too narrow and full of funny obstacles, there was unacceptable levels of crowding for 80% of the time at Oxford Circus tube station entrances.

There were 10 different ways of crossing central London streets, leading to confusion among pedestrians, many without signals all of which should be unified in their design. This confusion, said Gehl, is a way of telling people you are not loved in this place, and London he added is a city without seats. We saw a place where perhaps 100,000 people pass in a day and there were no seats, which was no good for the elderly or infirm. He acknowledged that in some places caf? society had picked up, but it was not well developed and was very noisy with diesel engines unusually active in close proximity.

Pollution and noise levels, said Gehl, were twice as high as those in other European cities. London has the potential to be a truly great walking city but it will require dedication, collaboration and considerable human and financial resources, concludes Gehls report.

The reports findings focus on five key areas: -Creating a better balance between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists - Improving conditions for walking and cycling - Improving conditions for resting and simply passing time - Upgrading the visual quality of the streetscape - Promoting a shift in mind-sets towards a more people-orientated city culture

It can viewed on Gehl Architects web site:

http://www.gehlarchitects.dk