Chapter 2 - Superdensity and Street Life
Ben Derbyshire, HTA
One of the reasons London has become such a desirable destination for people from all around the world is our street life, which is so easily threatened by the move to hyperdensity
Walkable streets are our cities’ greatest asset. The long and rich history of European urbanism has been, until the 1960s at least, predicated on the ordering principles dictated by the urban street. London’s success in creating mixed communities and a lively mix of uses is the envy of the world. Here, streets are a means of comfortably juxtaposing diverse people, cultures, activities and, with appropriately sensitive urban design, a diversity in the scale of built form too.
Today, learning from the mistakes of post-war redevelopment, citizens increasingly demand that their city should be developed as an extension of the network of these streets. Citizens rightly object to the privatisation of public realm. They expect freedom of access to all areas on the ground that is in public ownership and that is policed by consent - ground that is by definition shared space and under collective control. We enjoy a sophisticated legislative framework which supports these principles.
Today, learning from the mistakes of post-war redevelopment, citizens increasingly demand that their city should be developed as an extension of the network of these streets. Citizens rightly object to the privatisation of public realm. They expect freedom of access to all areas on the ground that is in public ownership and that is policed by consent - ground that is by definition shared space and under collective control. We enjoy a sophisticated legislative framework which supports these principles.
To read the full Chapter please download the report. Here we just show the Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusions
Our street network and our tradition of street life are the European city’s greatest assets. London’s success in creating mixed communities and a lively mix of uses is the envy of the world. The phrase ‘street life’ sums up the essential focus for successful placemaking; creating an environment that works for people, while meeting the physical and servicing needs of the city. Our case studies show that superdense schemes of between 150 and 350 dph, in mid-rise configurations of built-form, can perpetuate the street life and character of London while accommodating all our future needs. Such is the potential and flexibility of this scale of development that all of London’s housing need could theoretically be met without ever going beyond this range of density and built form. Hyperdensity, with a predominance of tall buildings, should be confined to exceptional locations and subject to exceptional justification. It is at mid-rise densities that many characterful locations achieve a perfect balance between public and private amenity, microclimate, biodiversity, the opportunity for mixed uses and human interaction. It is a mistake to assume that the principles of perimeter block planning, which work well at a wide range of densities, will be successful over 350 dph. Designs at these hyperdensities tend to lead to a degraded ground plane, with a poor microclimate and conflicts between people and vehicles. Where large-scale new development at high density is being promoted, it is essential to start with a coherent public realm strategy. Otherwise we risk a confusing disarray of badly connected spaces and a desolate townscape, which fails to enclose space and engage people. |
Recommendations
Design for street life: buildings should create and reinforce liveable, safe, sociable and self-sustaining street networks, facilitated by the early definition of a robust public realm strategy, preferably with statutory status. Design robust public spaces: public realm should comprise a high quality pallet of durable materials and easily-maintained planting, with simple delineation of space allocated to different functions. Design towers to enhance the ground plane rather than blight it: where tall buildings are proposed, they should be slender and well-spaced to admit daylight, sunlight and views. Design for tempered microclimate: where tall buildings are proposed, windbreaks should be incorporated to deflect downdrafts and provide shelter from rain. Clusters of such towers should be composed with the tallest at the centre of the group, falling away to the edges to deflect wind upwards. Refine the London Plan through spatial analysis: a thorough urban design analysis should inform strategic decisions about the location of higher density - and especially hyperdense - development. This should consider impacts over a wide surrounding area. |