Urban design, central London and the ‘crisis’ 2007-2013: business as usual?

Roberts, M. 2017. Urban design, central London and the ‘crisis’ 2007-2013: business as usual? Journal of Urban Design. 22 (2), pp. 150-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2015.1106914

TitleUrban design, central London and the ‘crisis’ 2007-2013: business as usual?
TypeJournal article
AuthorsRoberts, M.
Abstract

London is changing, to a breath-taking extent. Beneath this fast paced activity, new patterns are forming and divisions that had been relatively unremarked before are now becoming increasingly visible. The ‘square mile’ of the City of London, which is now identified by some dramatically tall buildings, forms a contrast to the traditional urbanism of the City of Westminster, the majority of which is covered by conservation area legislation. This paper will consider this contrast from the perspective of urban design, examining both the wider development context for these changes and the separate design policies of these two historic organisations of local government. One of the key questions to be investigated is how these changes have impacted on the character of central London as a place. Moving on from the well-rehearsed debates about London’s skyline, the paper considers the significance of urban design in the context of a global urban spatial economy. It suggests that central London faces severe dilemmas about its future if the growth scenario continues.

Keywordsurban design, recession, London, townscape, character
JournalJournal of Urban Design
Journal citation22 (2), pp. 150-166
ISSN1357-4809
Year2017
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2015.1106914
Publication dates
Published online17 Nov 2015
Published in print2017

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