An Alternative to LCC's Blackfriars Redesign?

rjsterry

Is this what we should be doing?

Ian.B

Interesting site. I like this idea: http://www.retronaut.co/2012/01/vintage-rocket-powered-bicycles-1929-1951/

notsoblue

rjsterry wrote:

Is this what we should be doing?

It always puzzled me why early 20th century architects/civil planners thought that people would be able to live (happily) in such high densities.

iPete

Ian.B wrote:

Interesting site. I like this idea: http://www.retronaut.co/2012/01/vintage-rocket-powered-bicycles-1929-1951/

Can I count these miles as SC Stats?

rjsterry

notsoblue wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Is this what we should be doing?

It always puzzled me why early 20th century architects/civil planners thought that people would be able to live (happily) in such high densities.

Depends what you mean by happy, but people already do and have done for centuries in some cities around the world. UK cities aren't that dense compared with many European cities, let alone, say, Hong Kong.

notsoblue

rjsterry wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Is this what we should be doing?

It always puzzled me why early 20th century architects/civil planners thought that people would be able to live (happily) in such high densities.

Depends what you mean by happy, but people already do and have done for centuries in some cities around the world. UK cities aren't that dense compared with many European cities, let alone, say, Hong Kong.

True true... But looking at the picture on that page and how they envisaged people would live, has that ever worked in this country?

rjsterry

I bet if you took a slice through Blackfriars or London Bridge it wouldn't look too different. I think the only bit really missing is the double-decker underground dual carriageway.

UndercoverElephant

Spiral escalators look great, why haven't we got them?

tgotb

rjsterry wrote:

I bet if you took a slice through Blackfriars or London Bridge it wouldn't look too different. I think the only bit really missing is the double-decker underground dual carriageway.

Swap the ground level with the one below (ie slow traffic at ground level and pedestrians/shopping underneath), add an extra layer of elevated trains, and you have something that would look very familiar to anyone who has worked in Canary Wharf...

EKE_38BPM

notsoblue wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Is this what we should be doing?

It always puzzled me why early 20th century architects/civil planners thought that people would be able to live (happily) in such high densities.

Depends what you mean by happy, but people already do and have done for centuries in some cities around the world. UK cities aren't that dense compared with many European cities, let alone, say, Hong Kong.

True true... But looking at the picture on that page and how they envisaged people would live, has that ever worked in this country?

I've heard that Tower Hamlets has the highest population density of any borough (or equivalent) in Europe. I wouldn't say its inhabitants are particularly happy though.
Urban planners seemed to dream of people being able to leave home, go to work, go to the gym/cinema/shopping, to the pub etc without ever leaving a massive building and seeing outside.
Sounds like a horrible way to live to me.

Park HIll in Sheffield

rjsterry

The inhabitants of the Barbican seem pretty happy - there's a waiting list to get a flat there. It's more to do with how well the blocks of flats are managed/serviced than shape or design of the buildings themselves. The Trellick Tower in Notting Hill is a good example of this. It had a terrible reputation at one point, but is now a very desirable location.

notsoblue

rjsterry wrote:

The inhabitants of the Barbican seem pretty happy - there's a waiting list to get a flat there. It's more to do with how well the blocks of flats are managed/serviced than shape or design of the buildings themselves. The Trellick Tower in Notting Hill is a good example of this. It had a terrible reputation at one point, but is now a very desirable location.

I suppose what prompted my original comment is that in the picture the huge monolithic building included family homes, schools, shops etc... I think there are plenty of examples of building complexes like this that have failed, but I don't know of any that have worked (I haven't looked very hard to be fair). I've always thought of Trellick Tower and The Barbican as being exceptions. They seem to work mainly because of their location and because average salaried people with families are priced out of them.

rjsterry

The Barbican was built for middle class professionals - it was never intended to be social housing, unlike Trellick Tower. One of the better examples is in Marseille, which has a street of shops in the middle and recreation facilities on the roof.





http://www.flickr.com/photos/french-disko/3796048338/