Thamesmead

Urban Study and Proposals, Thamesmead London UK

2009

. . . .

Urban study and set of policy proposals for the district of Thamesmead in London UK. The site is large and neglected, containing social housing, prisons, sewerage works, power plants, and waste stations. A stalled concrete modernist housing project on the site was Kubrick’s set in A Clockwork Orange.

The project was a reminder of the power of connectivity. Areas of Thamesmead had some of the lowest levels of transport accessibility in London. The proposal brought new multi-modal connectivity deep into the heart of the district allowing investment and movement of people to flow. From there, other projects became possible and sustainable (buildings, landscape, social infrastructure) re-radiating in turn to the surrounding community and the localised urban grain that supports them.

On the site is an extensive canal and lake system little known outside the district. These water courses had become overgrown and picturesque over time. They provided the springboard for a proposed new pedestrian and landscape network to permeate the district.