Quote:
Originally Posted by nito
There are certainly examples of docklands redevelopment done wrong; the 80’s development directly opposite ExCeL is a case in example, as is the data centres, and most of the area around Blackwall is suspect. I think there was a step-change post-financial crisis when developers had to wise-up and provide a more competent offering in some parts of the Docklands that were a bit disconnected and lacking a neighbourhood feel.
London City Island that you refer is probably quite a good example of the change in direction. It is one of the first multi-tower developments in London which is built around pedestrian and bicycles (road access is limited) and has a 2-minute connection to Canning Town station via a new bridge. Ballymore were also clever in paying for a new home for the London Film School, the English National Ballet and the Arebyte Gallery, as well as workspaces.
For those not aware, London City Island is a development on a bend of the River Lea on its final approach to the Thames in east London. Ballymore are also developing Goodluck Hope, a neighbouring plot (on the Thames) which will create a riverside walk along the River Lea.
Image taken by skyscrapercity.com forum member corerising: https://www.flickr.com/photos/578552...847104/sizes/l |
London City Island is a horrible and disconnected environment. That’s my point. It’s not good urban planning at all. It’s surrounded by a muddy creek and two enormous roads (basically highways). It’s as isolated as Roosevelt Island in NYC, which is also an eerie and horrible place.
What they should have done (admittedly at much greater expense) is straighten the River Lea to make the whole area more cohesive, and then also redirected those rail lines to share a right of way (and crossing) with the A1020. Then you might have a neighbourhood.
But really, all of those postwar East London areas are pretty bad. Places like this (in Canning Town) are just irredeemable. If Chicagoans fret over whether they’ll ever be able to get rid of the Dearborn Park development in the South Loop and redevelop it into something more urban and connected to the street grid, imagine having dozens of square miles of this crap:
https://goo.gl/maps/w6xRsjC3vTs