In November, I was at an Royal Town Planning Institute conference in London when someone walked onto the stage and opened with the classic line, ‘I have an idea’. I sat up; he went on: “I want to turn London into a National Park”. He said some other things that day, about children, gardens, awareness and biodiversity, but it didn’t really matter. I was hooked on an intuitive level within two minutes. I committed immediately and have spent the eight months since trying to get my brain to catch up with my heart and to try to enlist others with the right skills to support the campaign.

ArchTam has been doing pro-bono work for the campaign to help quantify the economic value of some identified green spaces, using an ecosystem services approach. This is intended to support the business case for the London National Park. Whilst we’ve been doing this work, the broader campaign, led by Daniel Raven-Ellison (the man with the idea), has been gathering pace.

A steering group has been established made up of individuals from University College London, London Wildlife Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, John Muir Trust, Queen Mary University and ArchTam. The idea has been reported in most of the UK national and London newspapers, and Daniel has appeared on the television and radio. High-profile individuals such as Stephen Fry, Bear Grylls, Bill Oddie, Terry Farrell and Zac Goldsmith (perhaps London’s next mayor?) have all come out in support of the idea. And last week a motion was passed unanimously by the London Assembly to call on the existing Mayor to get behind the campaign.

What might have seemed bonkers to some people at the start, is now really starting to snowball.

Last week, I joined Daniel and Matt (editor at large for the Londonist) in an attempt to visit, in just one day, a piece of open space in each of London’s 33 Boroughs. Together we got to 19 before calling it off due to bad light (See #33OpenSpaces on Twitter). By the time we got home another Twitter user (@alanoutten) had turned our photos from the day into a photo collage covering half of London and already posed the question – so when are you guys going to finish the jigsaw? Add two days, and a new challenge had begun on Twitter to photograph green space in each of London’s 629 Wards (#629Wards). One hundred of 629 were completed in the first weekend and a new map popped up to help track progress (@spacedapenguin).

Map by ArchTam’s Anna David

The priority for the campaign now is to raise money to support production and publicity for the London National Park business case and charter – due for release in July. This will set out the benefits that can be delivered by an umbrella organisation for London’s green space. It will also outline what the managing entity will look like, its responsibilities, collaborations, costs and value add.

I’m confident there are a hundred twists and turns left for this idea yet. There will be people who will help lift it up and others who will be keen to bash it down. But to me, it’s already been a huge success. Now when I walk down the street in London, I’m not craving the countryside – I’m seeing it, hearing it and photographing it. Forty-seven percent of London is green space, yet I had become disconnected from it.

Why is it a bonkers idea to create a vehicle that can encourage Londoners to engage with the green spaces that surround them? Now the summer is coming, the birds are singing, the strawberries in the allotment are about to bear fruit, and it’s hard not to feel positive about this great city.

Feel free to add your photos, to support the crowd funder or to spark the idea in your city.

Ben Smith (ben.smith@archtam.com) is director of sustainable development in ArchTam’s London office.

Notes:

1. The following ArchTam staff have given their own time (half an hour or more) to support this campaign: Petrina Rowcroft, Michael Henderson, Lili Peachy, Jennifer Black, Ian Brenkley, Doug McNabb, Mark Fessey, Ryan Burrows, Anna David, Alex White and Christian Bevington. The work has been supported by a number of other senior leaders in our business. Thanks go to Andrew Jones, John Lewis, Tom Venables and Steve Smith.
2. ArchTam opted to support this campaign principally because it aligns so neatly with one of the main recommendations from our own manifesto for the future of London. #London2065.

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To inform their response to the mayor’s consultation on the Draft London Infrastructure Plan 2050, the London Assembly Planning Committee convened an expert panel on which I joined Lord Andrew Adonis MP, shadow minister for infrastructure, Jerome Frost of Arup, former head of the Olympic Delivery Authority, and Dr. Dominic Hogg, Chairman of Eunomia Consultants. Chaired by Nicky Gavron AM, the public session provided an opportunity for the committee to quiz the panel on London’s long-term infrastructure needs.

The discussion covered a wide range of infrastructure needs, from low-carbon energy through to enabling digital technologies and supporting the development of a circular economy. I was specifically asked to provide input around future water management and the delivery of green infrastructure. Today, we are faced with a number of challenges, including:

• An expected shortfall in water supply of 10% by 2025;
• Demand for an additional 9,000 hectares of accessible green space needed to keep pace with existing standards;
• A need to support strategic investment in sewer capacity with measures that reduce peak surface flows.

Given this context, a strategic planning approach that integrates water cycle management with green infrastructure delivery is essential.

ArchTam developed the UK Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) Scoping Study for not-for-profit CIRIA. We have also undertaken an innovative cost-benefit analysis using green infrastructure as a major component of water management for regeneration areas in Birmingham and Coventry. This work, The Ripple Effect, showed that WSUD can deliver benefits calculated at 7.5 times the value invested.

Recognising the long lead-in time and lifespan of infrastructure, the extended horizon of the Draft Infrastructure Plan to 2050 provides an unprecedented opportunity to set a vision of what infrastructure is needed to maintain London as a leading global city. This long-term thinking allows for critical appraisal of the shorter-term planning, political and regulatory cycles that can constrain the long-term sustainable vision our communities require.

At £1.4tn, the predicted cost of delivering the required infrastructure upgrades is significant. The challenge is to translate the proposed infrastructure plan into a narrative with meaningful outcomes that both the London and wider electorate can connect with. Similarly, there is a need to align thinking around infrastructure delivery with a spatial plan that takes an equally long view and links with the surrounding London Region.

In support of such a vision, ArchTam have analysed not only growth in the capital’s 33 boroughs, but also the 94 local authorities within a 90km radius of Central London. Andrew Jones, ArchTam’s managing director for Design, Planning + Economics in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, commented: “Limiting the conversation about the housing shortage to the GLA’s borders ignores the 700,000 people commuting into the city every day and the acknowledgment that London is the number one economic driver for the entire South East. To properly manage London’s future growth, we must start looking at London as a metropolis of 20 million people that is economically, socially and culturally connected to the capital. A considered and comprehensive programme of integrated growth strategies from the inner-city through the region will create thriving places and balanced communities, tied together by high-quality environments and efficient, quick transport.”

Along with traditional grey infrastructure, green infrastructure will be a critical thread in this overall fabric. More on the vision for the London Region to come.

Michael Henderson (michael.henderson@archtam.com) is associate director, sustainability, with ArchTam’s Design, Planning + Economics practice in London.

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The world’s cities are already home to the majority of the global population, with this forecast to grow by a further 3 billion people by 2050. The infrastructure needed to support this growth is often underfunded or falls short of what it could deliver to urban communities.

Cities have long planned and developed strategies to provide infrastructure investment, but as successive governments have discovered, there is never enough room in public budgets for all necessary projects.

Del Mar Station, Pasadena.

Many treasury departments have introduced processes to better manage public spending and project budgets as they are being conceived, developed and readied for construction. While more effective use of taxpayers’ money is commendable, the focus on budgets has often made it harder for governments to justify infrastructure investment which will enhance local livability, particularly where a project has little or no immediate or obvious economic return.

In Melbourne, with a population of over 4 million, a heritage of building resilient infrastructure over the decades has delivered world-class livability. Important thoroughfares, drainage works and railway projects of the past have delivered iconic boulevards, significant parks and city landmarks which have not only fulfilled their functional brief but also contributed to Melbourne’s amenity and reputation. However, times have changed and the scrutiny to which projects are subjected has tended to hobble the investigation, let alone the execution, of new roads, rails or drains that could also improve amenity over time.

When the focus of a project is narrow and does not consider broader long-term amenity considerations, the outcomes can be suboptimal and, in the long run, expensive.

Octavia Boulevard, San Francisco.

There are many global examples of infrastructure being built only to be completely torn down at great expense when broader negative health, economic and social impacts have done their damage.  This could be avoided with more inclusive and integrated thinking.

The solution is for project proponents to reconfigure the way in which they conceive and design projects. Specifically, designers need to consider community amenity and aesthetics as core parts of a project’s design and functionality. This is likely to require a precinct approach to project planning, rather than considering infrastructure in isolation. In Melbourne the recent spate of railway level crossing removals carried out by the Victorian Government have considered amenity as a central part of their design, resulting in rail lines being sunk with development opportunity created above, rather than previous approaches such as road overpasses, which have undermined community connectedness.

There is great promise in these times of austerity for those of us who dream of greener and more enjoyable cities in which to live and work. Rather than looking at livability as an expensive ‘add-on’ it should be seen as potentially adding value to infrastructure project and avoiding costs in the future.

Zac Cvitkovic is a principal urban designer in ArchTam’s Melbourne office.

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The questions of how we can find a sustainable balance between society and nature and how we design and manage our cities are of course very closely linked. As we at ArchTam thought about Earth Day for 2014, we decided that to achieve the most productive results, the former question could use some re-framing in the way that it often manifests in the popular dialogue.

We have seen the limits of the argument asserting that we need to act forcefully to protect nature. As one who personally feels a strong sense of connection to this argument, it was difficult to admit that this position lacks universal appeal and to accept the necessity of seeking a broader coalition to achieve the same ends. But the fact is that human society typically only mobilizes to effect change in its own economic, social and cultural interests. And we don’t need to see anything wrong with this. Because the other fact is that advancing those interests within the parameters of our planet will inherently involve finding a better balance with nature. It’s first a question of how we frame the objective, who our audience is, and what we are offering as the proposed benefits of action. It’s second a matter of understanding what progress looks like and the extent to which we can currently see it.

So on this Earth Day, despite our recognition of the magnitude of environmental challenges, we found reason for optimism, and despite our species’ propensity to accidentally destroy while we create, we found reason to celebrate human ingenuity. See what we mean in this presentation of Ideas and Innovations toward a Better Future.

Jake Herson (jacob.herson@archtam.com) is managing editor of the Connected Cities blog.

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UK cities faced surging flood waters over the winter. The answer to future resilience lies largely with green infrastructure. That’s according to Matthew Jones, regional director, ArchTam, and Michael Henderson, associate director of sustainability, ArchTam, in recent articles for Water Briefing and Civil Service World, respectively.

“While the flooding has taken place over an unusually long duration this year, it is part of an apparently increasing trend of events oscillating between periods of inundation and periods of water shortage in some parts of the country,” said Jones. He pointed out that “While emergency response plans and flood defences are an important part of protecting life, infrastructure and farmland, it is clear that to manage flood risk effectively and to reduce water shortages in the summer, water needs to be treated less as a national annoyance and more as a precious resource. A more holistic approach is required where land practices contributing to flooding, such as deforestation, land drainage and urban creep, are gradually and proactively reversed.”

We need our natural spaces for practical reasons, in other words. It’s not just ecology; it’s ecological infrastructure, as critical to society as engineered infrastructure. Within developed areas, even small green interventions make a functional difference. When water passes through planted soil, some pollutants picked up from city streets are filtered out. This is the principle behind the practice variously called water sensitive urban design, sustainable urban drainage, and low-impact development.

Henderson said, “For a start, the cleaner the water is, the lower the energy cost of treating it for local reuse or discharge into our rivers. Moreover, if the UK can clean up its waterways, it will be liable for fewer fines under the EU Water Framework Directive, bringing another financial incentive to pursue this strategy. In addition, there is evidence to show that productivity increases when people look out over a green area, and other benefits like improved health and wellbeing are also detected. Finally, property prices tend to be stronger in more aesthetically pleasing surroundings, giving a helpful stimulus to the local economy.”

Jake Herson (jacob.herson@archtam.com) is managing editor of the Connected Cities blog.

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There has been a lot of hype surrounding green or living walls in recent years, using plants to create verdant building facades or interior atriums. Increasingly, blank walls and building are being transformed into vertical landscapes, turning dense urban areas from grey to green.  Like all new technologies, however, there have also been spectacular failures, with some unfortunate buildings turning from green to brown as their plants fail and die.  This has led to skepticism among some or the use of expensive custom systems, both responses slowing the uptake of an integrated landscape approach that has huge potential.

Westfield London’s monumental 170 meter / 560 foot long living wall, located in one of Europe’s largest shopping and entertainment complexes, is an example of how when done right these can bring great success to significant commercial developments.  Speaking on the project’s fifth anniversary, the client said: “[The] green wall and landscape are all in excellent and rude health and remain one of the icons of the scheme – a lesson to invest in quality.” This is located on a north-facing wall that receives no direct sun, a tough environment for many plants to grow. Furthermore it leads patrons to the development’s front door, so there was little room for failure. The problem was overcome through the careful selection of native woodland species, which has not only resulted in horticultural success but created an area of wildlife habitat in a very unexpected location.

A fast and simple installation, using pre-planted clip-in panels. Photo by the author.

But the living wall does so much more. From the developer’s perspective it creates a dramatic backdrop for an extensive outdoor dining terrace that has thrived during a time of global economic decline. Its seating and water feature also forms a place for people to relax, encouraging shoppers to stay in the development longer. The evapo-transpiration of the living wall also cools the surrounding micro-climate during summer months – a kind of biological air conditioning system. And from the perspective of existing residents living on its opposite side, the plants and their growing media form a pleasing visual and acoustic barrier to the activity beyond.

Enjoying the cooling effects of the living wall. © ArchTam photo by David Lloyd.

With all this success the question is then “what’s next?” Can living walls do even more? The advent of living walls is fascinating in its own right, with buildings integrating and hosting a piece of nature within their skin. A logical next step is to take full advantage of the potential symbiotic relationships between nature, architecture, and its occupants. Not only learning from nature as is the case with biomimicry but directly using plants to perform some of the services typically undertaken by mechanical systems. Air quality is an example, with NASA research demonstrating the filtration abilities of plants in removing toxins from our built environments. This has the potential to dramatically reduce the energy demands arising from conventional air filtration systems in climates where buildings have either high air heating or cooling loads. It should also not be forgotten that building inhabitants need to eat. With the integration of plants comes the choice of what species to grow, with there being no reason why fruit and vegetable varieties could not be used – air filtration that’s good enough to eat.

James Haig Streeter (james.haigstreeter@archtam.com) is a principal in ArchTam’s global Landscape Architecture practice and led the design of Westfield London’s living wall and public realm.

The post What’s next for the living wall? appeared first on Blog.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding green or living walls in recent years, using plants to create verdant building facades or interior atriums. Increasingly, blank walls and building are being transformed into vertical landscapes, turning dense urban areas from grey to green.  Like all new technologies, however, there have also been spectacular failures, with some unfortunate buildings turning from green to brown as their plants fail and die.  This has led to skepticism among some or the use of expensive custom systems, both responses slowing the uptake of an integrated landscape approach that has huge potential.

Westfield London’s monumental 170 meter / 560 foot long living wall, located in one of Europe’s largest shopping and entertainment complexes, is an example of how when done right these can bring great success to significant commercial developments.  Speaking on the project’s fifth anniversary, the client said: “[The] green wall and landscape are all in excellent and rude health and remain one of the icons of the scheme – a lesson to invest in quality.” This is located on a north-facing wall that receives no direct sun, a tough environment for many plants to grow. Furthermore it leads patrons to the development’s front door, so there was little room for failure. The problem was overcome through the careful selection of native woodland species, which has not only resulted in horticultural success but created an area of wildlife habitat in a very unexpected location.

A fast and simple installation, using pre-planted clip-in panels. Photo by the author.

But the living wall does so much more. From the developer’s perspective it creates a dramatic backdrop for an extensive outdoor dining terrace that has thrived during a time of global economic decline. Its seating and water feature also forms a place for people to relax, encouraging shoppers to stay in the development longer. The evapo-transpiration of the living wall also cools the surrounding micro-climate during summer months – a kind of biological air conditioning system. And from the perspective of existing residents living on its opposite side, the plants and their growing media form a pleasing visual and acoustic barrier to the activity beyond.

Enjoying the cooling effects of the living wall. © ArchTam photo by David Lloyd.

With all this success the question is then “what’s next?” Can living walls do even more? The advent of living walls is fascinating in its own right, with buildings integrating and hosting a piece of nature within their skin. A logical next step is to take full advantage of the potential symbiotic relationships between nature, architecture, and its occupants. Not only learning from nature as is the case with biomimicry but directly using plants to perform some of the services typically undertaken by mechanical systems. Air quality is an example, with NASA research demonstrating the filtration abilities of plants in removing toxins from our built environments. This has the potential to dramatically reduce the energy demands arising from conventional air filtration systems in climates where buildings have either high air heating or cooling loads. It should also not be forgotten that building inhabitants need to eat. With the integration of plants comes the choice of what species to grow, with there being no reason why fruit and vegetable varieties could not be used – air filtration that’s good enough to eat.

James Haig Streeter (james.haigstreeter@archtam.com) is a principal in ArchTam’s global Landscape Architecture practice and led the design of Westfield London’s living wall and public realm.

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“We live in a world of polarity day and night, man and woman, positive and negative. Light and darkness need each other. They are a balance.”

With that said, striking a balance in our response to natural disasters seems to be the most logical way to mitigate risks and reduce devastating effects in the future.

While some experts favor the notion (particularly in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy) that we should not attempt do anything with dykes and draining but leave the beaches alone to replenish themselves over the generations to come, others believe that the only viable response to potential future storms is to design and construct storm surge barriers.

In the June edition of Environmental Leader, Gary Lawrence, ArchTam’s chief sustainability officer, offers his perspective on green versus grey and an allegory from Mayan culture. Read the article here.

Jolene Libretto (jolene.libretto@archtam.com) is an editor for the Connected Cities blog.

The post Green or Grey? Yes. appeared first on Blog.

“We live in a world of polarity day and night, man and woman, positive and negative. Light and darkness need each other. They are a balance.”

With that said, striking a balance in our response to natural disasters seems to be the most logical way to mitigate risks and reduce devastating effects in the future.

While some experts favor the notion (particularly in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy) that we should not attempt do anything with dykes and draining but leave the beaches alone to replenish themselves over the generations to come, others believe that the only viable response to potential future storms is to design and construct storm surge barriers.

In the June edition of Environmental Leader, Gary Lawrence, ArchTam’s chief sustainability officer, offers his perspective on green versus grey and an allegory from Mayan culture. Read the article here.

Jolene Libretto (jolene.libretto@archtam.com) is an editor for the Connected Cities blog.

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Professor Tony Wong’s TED X presentation at Canberra, Australia in April, “Envisioning a Water Sensitive Future for our Cities and Towns,” describes approaches for integrating  the built and natural environment by focusing on water.  By incorporating natural hydrologic processes as a design template for city infrastructure he argues that we can create more resilient, restorative, and productive cities.

Tony highlights common urban inefficiencies such as the amount of rainwater that lands on cities and is quickly channeled out through gray infrastructure in patterns that damage surrounding watersheds, despite the fact that these cities are also struggling with water supply shortages.  Wasted water is another major challenge and opportunity. Using waste water to irrigate city landscapes, support urban agriculture, and even cool cities from climate change are some other exciting opportunities that many cities are beginning to explore not only in Australia but around the world.

Isaac Brown was formerly an urban designer and ecologist with ArchTam’s Design + Planning practice in Orange, California. This information was updated Nov. 5, 2013.

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