Complex City

London's Changing Character

Jane Manning, Antony Rifkin, Daniel Elsea, Lionel Eid, George Garofalakis

• Publisher: RIBA Publishing
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000244991
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Arquitectura
• Subtopic: Planificación urbana y paisajismo

Part story, part atlas - this is a study of a city's complexity. The most successful cities, the most interesting and sought-after ones, are those with an intrinsic and distinctive character that remain dynamic and relevant. They are complex and contradictory. And that is worth embracing. This is a visual, geographic and narrative journey that explains why London is the way it is today.

Using stunning maps and artful imagery, it makes a compelling case for a finer grain understanding of density through a character-based approach to planning. Each character area is broken down, exploring the characteristics and character-based development potential. For those planning and designing projects, this is a reference book for the early stages of a design project and can help to inform site analyses which form the part of most architectural commissions and urban design studies. For lovers of maps and London, it is a must-read.

Part 1
LAYERS OF LONDON

1
WHAT IS CHARACTER AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

View across London's South Bank

Making Sense of Complexity

This book explores the layers of London which underpin the city’s character. But what do we actually mean by this term and why is it important?

In many ways, the character of a place is defined by an individual’s perception of it. This process is partly intuitive and therefore subjective. However, it is possible to gain a common understanding of character, based on evidence and combined perceptions, which seeks to achieve a level of objectivity.

In simple terms, urban character can be understood as the combination and interplay of three factors. First, the physical fabric of the city – the landscapes, buildings, townscape and material infrastructure that exist today. Second, the social fabric of the city – the life and activities that take place within the material environment and how communities use and adapt it. Finally, the historical narrative of a place – why and how development started there and the ongoing story of its evolution.

It is self-evident that cities do not have a singular character. Each city is made up of many parts accrued over time. Instead, character is present at multiple scales and at different levels of resolution, hence distinctions can be made between the general character of London and that of specific boroughs, neighbourhoods or streets, while recognising that all of these categories overlap and inform each other.¹

Character is also inextricably linked to time; it is not static but dynamic, and it may change suddenly or gradually over decades as layers of urban fabric are introduced, adapted or even erased. Present character is the product of successive past generations’ interactions with the place they themselves inherited, using and modifying it to fulfil their needs, styles and aspirations.

Why is character important and what does it have to do with future growth?

The study of urban character is a means to engage with the story of a place. It allows us to connect with the humanity of each place and understand how people’s lives, thoughts and actions have left their imprint. Making sense of London’s complex evolution allows designers and planners to make more informed decisions about how neighbourhoods ought to grow in the future. After all, every prospective development exists within a social, physical and historical continuum that is the city.²

As ever, there is a fine balance to strike when dealing with pre-existing character. For instance, how are we to decide what aspects of a place are worth preserving and which ones should be transformed? Over-emphasis on the protection of certain aspects of local character may inhibit the organic evolution of a neighbourhood and stifle its growth. Achieving the right balance of preservation and managed change ensures that environments do not become homogeneous and ossified, constraining places to a snapshot in time. Rather, places maintain a local distinctiveness through time, with each layer sensitively informed by what came before. Historic England has written extensively on how to manage this change, for example, in Conservation Areas.³

Tottenham High Road exhibits many layers of history along an ancient route

Deptford Creek is both an ancient thread in the city and a focus for new growth

By contrast, London’s own history reveals that abrupt and excessive change can also damage the aesthetic quality, functional performance and community cohesion of neighbourhoods. Large scale redevelopments can make new places feel disjointed from their context and, in turn, fragile to further upheavals.

The forces of conservation and progress can sometimes feel in tension. However, this does not need to be the case. A strong thread can be found between these seemingly opposing tendencies. Historic fabric can play an important economic role, and indeed can be a catalytic force in the renewal of local areas. The Heritage Action Zone programme, aimed at unlocking the economic potential of a historic area, is testament to this.⁴

Addressing the enormous challenge of climate change, both mitigation and adaptation give further emphasis to the importance of looking at the pre-existing natural landscape character of a place. The underlying environmental functions and network provide essential clues to how different parts of the city, and indeed the city as a whole, can adapt to future climate demands.

A way of seeing

Progressive planning requires a comprehensive way of seeing places that looks backwards in order to look forwards. Mapping and unpeeling the historical layers of a place enables an appreciation of its origins and the pattern of its growth. By methodically overlaying various social and physical parameters onto these maps, it is possible to determine their influence in creating successful urban environments.

It is by no means the whole story. Each local person plays a role in the character of a place. Individual and community stories cannot be comprehensively mapped in the way that other data layers can be. Therefore, the oral history and people’s experience of places provides a rich additional understanding at all scales. As such, meaningful engagement with local people is a fundamental part of characterisation.

A character-oriented way of seeing places means taking stock of their social, economic, physical and historical assets and articulating what among them is of value to society and why.⁵ This can help to reveal an area’s innate capacity for growth as well as highlighting potential fragilities that emerging developments may create.

This is a comprehensive way of seeing because it acknowledges that every development is a bridge between the past and the future. Mapping the historic character of London is, counterintuitively, a propositional act because it forces us to engage with the story of the city and to recalibrate that narrative in accordance with society’s changing needs.

Inevitably, this way of seeing will inform how we plan the city, how we masterplan neighbourhoods and how we build developments: ultimately, how we avoid repeating mistakes of the past.

How we plan

The understanding of character should form an essential part of the evidence base for planning. At a city-wide level, this way of seeing allows future strategic decisions to be set in the context of the story of London, highlighting areas that have supported intensification well and those that have frustrated it. At this scale, a clear understanding of character might also suggest historically appropriate locations for intensification.

At the local planning scale, an understanding of the dominant character (such as prevailing heights, massing and grain), and how places function and relate to each other should form a prerequisite to policies guiding urban developments and creating communities that are valued, and where people enjoy living. When an appreciation of local character has informed design proposals, the resulting development will inevitably be of a higher quality.⁶

How we masterplan

Masterplanning inevitably intervenes in the story of a place. Once a proper understanding of the pre-existing context has been established, a masterplan must seek to cultivate the latent potential of a site and continue the story.

One advantage of looking back across the layers of London is that they reveal the extent to which certain aspects of the city have evolved or remained constant. In this sense, the longevity of any urban feature is an indicator of its resilience. The longer something lasts, the more likely it has adapted and is better suited to its environment.

There are many aspects of London’s built environment which have endured the passage of time. It is crucial to pay attention to these features as they can be used to underpin context-led intensification efforts. Equally, masterplanners should not ignore traces of urban features that once persisted, only to be lost to sudden and comprehensive redevelopment. These too can provide valuable clues to inform the approach to repairing the urban fabric and restoring its character.⁷

Beyond the built environment, it is well within the scope of masterplanni...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• About the authors
• Foreword
• Introduction
• PART 1: LAYERS OF LONDON
• PART 2: A WAY OF SEEING
• Endnotes
• Index
• Supporting partner
• Image credits
• Copyright Page