London Festival of Architecture
Stephen is speaking at the London Festival of Architecture about our Bankside Urban Forest project, the framework for which was launched 16 years ago. The talk is part of the event – Roots, Shoots and Fruits: Bankside Urban Forest and the Low Line, 6pm Thursday 29th June.
“While ‘small’, ‘community’, ‘real’ are qualities threatened by default, wherever regeneration is market-led, it may be useful to privilege these stated values while framing the public realm strategy for this particular area. The worst case scenario for local residents with any major development is a complete takeover of all forms of decision-making by economic forces. A the strong network already exists in this area, and the ‘Forest’ can strive to strengthen this by spatially underpinning the community’s strength. It can do this by making community and public space paramount. Then, design decisions can be aimed towards increasing the possibility and convenience of social interaction.” Taken from resident consultations – what is special about bankside by Shibani Bose, 2007.
Photo: Philipp Ebeling
