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Perhaps you could run a design competition? asks Mike Adams writing to the editor
Well, YES! Readers are invited to submit ideas for a replace-
ment structure to carry traffic, cycles and pedestrians. As last year please fit all information on a single sheet capable of reproduction at A3 landscape.
Tim Beckett, winner of our challenge for a temporary crossing, as reported in the Evening Standard [over the page], has met resistance despite the PLA commenting in Planning in London: “The scheme Looks, in principle, acceptable, but this is on the basis that discussions would be required on the proposed pier locations toensure river traffic could continue to pass through safely.“ See PiL111 October 2019.
As of 13 August 2020, the bridge is now closed, even to pedestrians and river traffic below. A ferry is contemplated. As newspaper correspondence has said, this makes London look ‘thirdworld’... and see Paul Finch’s column a few pages on.
Tim Beckett writes: “There is certainly a debate to be had about whether to repair the existing bridge or to replace it with a new one. Replacement is likely to be quicker and cheaper as well as delivering more functionality, such as carrying double decker buses. There ought to be no reason why a new bridge should not be as inspiring as the old one so an architectural competition seems a pretty good idea. However, in general I think architects, as a profession, do far too much for nothing (engineers are usually more canny) so if the authorities can come up with some prize money that would be better still.
The situation has obviously changed now that the bridge has been closed to all traffic and the need for a temporary alternative crossing is urgent. I have concluded that no temporary bridge can be built quickly enough since it would need to go through the planning system and even TfL's proposed temporary footbridge has not yet been submitted for planning. Indeed, TfL have said they have paused work on preparing its application pending the government's agreement to funding both the temporary bridge and the repairs to the existing bridge.
So I have worked up a proposal for a temporary ferry service with Thames Clippers who have 20 years’ experience of running a similar ferry operation at Rotherhithe. The scheme uses two second-hand piers which are available on the river. Thames Clippers have three 62 seat vessels available so two could be in service at peak times with one in reserve. This would give a passenger capacity of 1,200/hr in both directions. The vessels can also carry bicycles and wheelchairs.
Under the PLA Act 1968 the Authority has permitted development rights to install mooring and berthing facilities so, if the pier installation is done by or on behalf of the PLA, it does not need planning permission. The works still need marine consents from >>>
Norman Foster on the future of cities
The pandemic could accelerate significant change Norman Foster told the first UN Forum of Mayors
First, I would like to congratulate the UN on recognising, through this gathering, the importance of cities, their mayors and civic leaders. Cities are the future of our society – of our civilisation. The words are interchangeable – civic, civilised, cities, citizens. We all know that the world is urban but, in 30 years’ time, 2.5 billion more people will live in cities.
Consider the pace of urbanisation before this pandemic, the equivalent of eight cities the size of New York were emerging annually around the world. In two years, 2011-13, China consumed more concrete than America used in the entire 20th century. Why? Because they are generators of wealth, opportunity, liberation and innovation.
But these powerhouses of our future need day-to -day running – leadership, vision and inspiration. And here I pay tribute to you – the Mayors and the teams that you lead – you are where the action is. Over six decades as an architect and urbanist, through my practice and more recently through my foundation –I have engaged directly with many city mayors and regional governors – so I speak from the heart when I talk about the challenges that you face. I have seen first-hand how, with courage and foresight, that power can be used to change cities for the good of
The UN Forum of Mayors
will bring together city leaders from Europe, North America, Central Asia and the Caucasus to address the key challenges of our time. Under this year’s theme “City action for a resilient future”, mayors will have their hands full discussing critical questions: What will our urban life look like after the global pandemic? How can cities spur ambitious climate action? How can we become more sustainability while leaving no one behind? their citizens. I can think back to working with Pasqual Maragall in Barcelona to get rival TV companies to occupy one single communication tower to avoid a mess on the Barcelona skyline. Often, national leaders are just too removed from the front line to get things done.
Another of the many mayors who I have worked with is Mike Bloomberg, who argues that with collaboration cities, business and citizens can succeed in battling the big issue of our time, notably climate change – because governments are simply too slow and sclerotic.
Where do pandemics come in this discourse? Is covid-19 going to change our cities? I suggest that it might seem so now, but in the wider arc of history, the answer is no.
Instead of change, it has merely hastened, accelerated, trends of change that were already apparent before the pandemic. The only constant is change and cities are forever evolving, learning from each other across continents. Changed by the technologies of their times and by leaders who have the vision to embrace them.
Take London as an example. The Great Fire, 1666, created building codes that led to fireproof brick construction. The cholera epidemic, of the mid-19th century, cleaned up the Thames from an open sewer and was the birth of modern sanitisation. In its wake came the healthy dimension of public parks. Then tuberculosis struck and helped the birth of the modern movement in architecture – big windows, sunlight, terraces, white and clean. But every one of those consequences – fireproof construction, sewers, green parks, modernism – would have happened anyway and not just in London but in cities around the world, because cities learn from each other – each crisis hastened and magnified the inevitable.
Is covid-19 going to change our cities? I suggest that it might seem so now, but in the wider arc of history, the answer is no
It has been said: if you want to look far ahead, then first look far back. History tells us that the future is not two metre distancing. The last major pandemic 1918-20, claimed more lives and young ones, created deserted city centres, face masks, lockdowns and quarantines. Sounds familiar? It also her-
Norman Foster is founder of architects Foster + Partners
alded the social and cultural revolution of the 1920s, with big public gathering spaces, department stores, cinemas and stadia.
What, after this pandemic, will the equivalents be for our coming age? What defines us? It’s mobility. Mobility of people, goods and information at a time of climate change and decarbonisation. Look at some trends of change in mobility. Some with us – some on the way. Many are being implemented by the mayors here today: • Clean electric vehicles – away from fossil driven. • Induction charging on the move. • Driverless, densely packed, nose-to-tail. • Young people less interested in ownership. • Their embrace of ride sharing and on-demand services like Uber. • Rise of e-bikes and scooters. • Prospect of drone technology to move goods and people. • Much less space needed for vehicles. • Car parks could be obsolete. • Monorails could have a new future Look at some trends of change in the patterns of working: • More working from home or a third place, which could be an electronic Starbucks in the high street or a retreat in the high Alps. • A greater appreciation of the benefits and need for face-to -face contact in the traditional workplace, but with a far greater emphasis on social spaces and healthy environmental systems. • More flexible hours and less travel.
We now have scientific evidence to prove that green buildings with natural ventilation are not only good for your health, but they enable you to perform better. These kinds of buildings are now the exception. But they could become mainstream. We also have proof that green spaces in cities –
