London

Introduction

Besides a short eight-hour layover in Lisbon, London was my first introduction to a city outside of the United States. I landed at Heathrow around midnight and from my Uber ride into the city, the first thing that struck me was the modernity of the infrastructure compared to any American city I have seen. Electronic billboards perfectly flanked both sides of the highway. The smoothness of the roads in the depths of the city shocked me. Additionally, speed cameras tracked the average speed of cars on the road, thereby effectively enforcing speed limits (a feature which shocked and somewhat disgusted me as an American used to our relative freedom and lawlessness on the open road).

Throughout the trip, I realized the relative newness in infrastructure stood in contrast to the many structures in the city which are older than the United States. Skyscrapers housing major financial institutions and new residential high rises rose near buildings constructed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. What is most impressive about this is that these modern structures did not seem to distract from the older ones. Refurbished warehouses and flats from a couple centuries ago looked newer then many buildings I currently see in American cities, which are often built with worse materials and upheld with less care.

This building pattern is especially indicative of the city as a whole. It is one of the two financial and political capitals of the world. Yet unlike its counterpart New York, it is still rooted in older traditions and structures, some which are marvelous (the museums and old cathedrals for example) and others which could be considered archaic and a constant reminder of the oppression the nation placed on much of the world for most of modern history (which I was fully witness to when I attended the Queen’s Jubilee).

There are two additional points that I understood from London. The first is that London has had to constantly rebuild due to disaster. Most notably, the Great Fire of 1666 and both World Wars leveled many of the city’s older homes and structures. Some sites such as the historic Globe Theater and Borough Market (pictured above) were restored. After each rebuild, new buildings arose around these restored areas, in some ways creating a new version of London. This regeneration is still seen today, as the city has transformed former docklands and brownfield sites into high-density, mixed used developments.

The second point is that London is vast. The city has a similar density to Chicago, yet the square mileage of Houston. Like these two cities (and Los Angeles for that matter), modern London developed through the connection of neighborhoods and independent towns, rather than as one cohesive city. The difference between the aforementioned cities is that London was already a large city by the seventeenth century and saw drastic population growth throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, meaning the development of new communities or absorption of formerly rural towns into the city was predicated on the transportation patterns of the time, which were walking, and for some carriage use. This pattern is evident in the streetscape, as the streets are narrow, and there is no cohesive grid.

This conglomeration of various former cities and neighborhoods absorbed into the one large city that is London is perhaps a greater representation of what the United Kingdom is: Initially a nation created through the conquest of an island, then funded by the genocide and colonization of much of the world. The whole world was brought to Britain and in London, all of the world can be found through people, restaurants, and in cultural institutions. British culture on its own would not have made London the city it is today. That being said, the British did an amazing job curating the chaos of a melting pot into an orderly, yet dynamic city.   

Camden Town

 My first day in London, I ventured through Camden Town, the neighborhood where my friend’s flat was located. The area was developed as an extension of the city throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries after being a part of the independent St. Pancras parish. The region was a major canal thoroughfare throughout the nineteenth century. Multiple uses have been drawn from these old industrial canals. In Camden Town they were primarily a source of transportation and recreation. The city has created walking paths which people use for their commutes, exercising, or leisure. The boats on the canal, as seen in the photo on the right are used to house people (there are probably better long-term plans to deal with the expensive cost of living in London). There are also other interesting homes built on the canal edge, built out of refurbished materials.

The multiple uses of space, both on the street and on the waterfront is what made Camden Town so invigorating. Everything from the grocery store to the gym to an elite food park were a maximum ten minute walk from my friend’s flat. The area also keeps its own character while maintaining easy access by foot or transit to the rest of the city.

City of London

The historic center of London is probably the best example of the blend of the old and the new in the city. Historic St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was founded in 604 AD and reconstructed in 1697 after the Great Fire of 1666 is perched on a slight hill overlooking the River Thames. Until 1963, the cathedral was the city’s tallest structure, and remained prominent in the skyline into the 1980s. The sharp rise of the financial industry had led to a boom in skyscraper construction that has led to the dwarfing of the cathedral in the skyline. However, up close it is still a vast, dominating structure. From the bottom of the hill which leads into the Millennium Bridge, it towers over buildings from the seventeenth century (most of which are refurbished).

From another angle, the front of the cathedral stands in the foreground of towers rising near the more modern section of the city near Bank Station. 

The center of London also does well regarding transportation infrastructure, given the density and lack of cohesion in the streetscape. A concerted effort to promote pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit through the maintenance of narrow roadways, congestion pricing, the creation of well-endowed bike and pedestrian thoroughfares, and constant traffic has created an environment which discourages driving. An example of a solely bike/pedestrian walkway is below.

Canary Wharf

The newer financial district of Canary Wharf is part of London’s somewhat decentralized Central Business District. The area was more mono-functional than many other parts of the city in that its primary purpose was to house financial institutions. While there were residencies and commercial business, much of the area is closed down by night. Additionally, the peninsula felt soulless. The buildings were sleek and exuded wealth; however, I could not figure out a character of the area except for its corporate function during the day and residential community by night.

It does serve its function well. Formerly a dock for the West India Company, then the Port of London, the area was left abandoned in the 1970s. Under the neoliberal Thatcher administration, the area developed as a special economic zone. Through the Canary Wharf Group, private developers, and investors control many of the site’s development. Despite its base in an extremely capitalist policy, the creation and continued buildings of the district is quite impressive. Rather than completely tear down and rebuild the docklands, the use of existing foundations to create the district is extremely sustainable practice. Canary Wharf is also built to withstand the rising floodwaters that will come with climate change.  Additionally, this development is fairly new, as I saw newer restaurants, bars, and residences under construction that can transform the area into a diverse community rather than what now is a corporate outpost. However, doing so will take a shift in attitude in which the City of London places the creation of desirable communities for all people above financial entities. That is not what the Thatcher-era design intended to do. The jury is still out on whether that is possible, however the foundation is in place for that space to exist in Canary Wharf.

Stratford

When I first described my project to my friend’s flat mate, he told me “You have to go to Stratford.” The former brownfield site regenerated for the 2012 Olympics is one of the most impressive regeneration developments I have seen, given the quick time frame it occurred in (The regeneration process began around the late 2010s). The first prominent feature of the area is Queen Elizabeth Park. Built for the Olympics, the facilities have been reclaimed for public use. The stadium (shown below) is now the home of the West ham United FC.  

Perhaps most importantly the once filthy River Lea is significantly cleaner and is surrounded on both sides by native greenery. Recreational paths also bound the river creating spaces for people to exercise and enjoy nature.

A park this large could easily find itself facing low usage because of the difficulties in transporting people, however, the networks for both bike usage and pedestrians is orderly and convenient.

Outside the park, the Westfield Mall received a makeover, although this was probably the least impressive portion of the development. What was impressive, however, was how the mall incorporates into the rest of the area to create a walkable edge city that can be reached by the tube. This is something that is not common in the United States, as even walkable centers of edge cities are surrounded by homes on large lots and environments that require a car (Think Uptown Houston or Century City).

Surrounding the mall were new high rises, office buildings, and student housing, as seen below.

 Lastly, the portion of Stratford I spent the most time in were the housing developments that were formerly part of the Olympic Village. The developments were walkable with arrangements, for parking, bikes, and an orderly streetscape. Many of the apartments were mixed used with convenience stores or small shops on the ground floor of residencies. This is something often not always common in newer American developments.

While there was not much architectural character to the space given that the apartments looked the same, that is not a feature that bothered me, as it appeared that people could complete daily life tasks in a healthy manner. The residential area also seamlessly flowed into both the park and the mall. Lastly, park space exists in areas where pedestrians frequent often, giving a space for children to play and every person to relax throughout the day.

The regeneration of Stratford has been heralded as a success, and for good reason, as a former eyesore and environmental hazard has been repurposed into a more livable, mixed-use community. However, the question then rises, who benefits?

To build the Olympic Park and surrounding developments, large numbers of council housing (England’s equivalent to America’s housing projects), and lower income flats were destroyed. While the Olympic Village was supposed to provide nicer, affordable replacement housing (which it did for a decent amount of people), it still did not cover everyone and the quality of life in the community is still lower than that of the London average. Additionally, higher rents due to the redevelopment and a lack of rent control at the city level have led to a skyrocketing of prices in the private market which have made people leave Stratford. This portion of London is disproportionately Black and Brown, therefore this is both a race and class issue. This type of gentrification happens on a worldwide scale and has been rampant over the past ten years especially. For the last three years, the mayor of London Sadiq Khan has advocated for Parliament to allow him to pass rent control measures to no avail. It is wholly asinine that not everyone who had to suffer the health and social consequences of living in one of London’s worst environmental areas gets to benefit from its regeneration into a livable community. Compared to other projects like it, Stratford is one of the better examples I have seen of a gentrifying neighborhood being able to retain former residents. However, no person who was priced out deserved to be left out of a quality-of-life upgrade. Additionally, the issue is not necessarily new people with more money moving into a community once it is regenerated. People should be able to live wherever they choose. Rather, it is a policy failure that both people who lived in the community and those who are new to the community cannot coexist. Therefore, Stratford, while a striking effort in environmental rehabilitation, raises the question, How do we create environmentally sustainable, livable communities without displacing the people who currently live in said communities?

Conclusion

London was a great entry point into Europe because it eased me onto the continent. While the city had a greater sense of order and modernity than anywhere I had seen in the United States, the relative willingness compared to other European cities to build new structures and therefore disrupt older architecture, even in the city center, is a trait closer to that in America. Additionally, while the United Kingdom is economically much more liberal than the United States (as evidenced by social programs such as single payer healthcare), they are the most neoliberal of the major European nations (something definitively aided by the Thatcher era).

However, the restrictions the English place on vulture capitalism allow for more reasonable decision making, as there appears to be greater care for the collective good (or long term profit) than the United States, where it seems like almost every decision is made from a motive for short term profit. Additionally, centuries of entrenched resources in the monarchy, nobility, and other people with old money make it harder for new money players such as developers to have as much say in how London is built in contrast to many American cities. This new money vs. old money dichotomy also led to my realization of a cultural divide. Many Americans, regardless of social status believe we can achieve our wildest dreams. I was unaware many other cultures did not think in this way.

This unreasonable optimism has led to a hyper-individualism which has made it hard, especially recently to make collective advancements. However, this attitude is also what has bred many of America’s greatest social movements and cultures figures. In the face of a climate crisis, unreasonable optimism in humanity’s ability to overcome seemingly impossible challenges (even those that are self-inflicted) is necessary. Therefore, while the United Kingdom was my first taste of what a country with a more developed infrastructure and social safety net looks like, it also made me realize that the United States has great potential to reimagine what sustainable development looks like from an economic and racial equity lens (which throughout my travels, it appears Europe does not do well on the race part specifically). We also have more than enough money to accomplish this task. The question, however, is will we move forward in this direction or continue to allow our unreasonable optimism to delude us?

Sources

Bernstock, P. (2017, November 28). London Olympics has brought regeneration, but at a price locals can’t afford. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/aug/30/london-olympic-regeneration-but-price-locals-cant-pay

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2019, October 15). Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Pauls-Cathedral-London

Camden Council. (2022). Camden’s history - Camden Council. https://www.camden.gov.uk/camdens-history#:%7E:text=It%20was%20named%20after%20the,the%20Mesolithic%20age%20around%207000BC.

Kollewe, J. (2015, January 28). Canary Wharf Timeline: From the Thatcher years to Qatari control. The Guardian. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/28/canary-wharf-timeline-london-building-docklands-thatcher

London Wards Overview. (2018, June 19). City of London. https://iao.blob.core.windows.net/publications/reports/366b777272d140c6bedcc490150edbc6/E05000492.html