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WorldWeird: London 2012-2041: "water-sensitive urban design".

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    Seeing on the news this morning about the waterways cleanup operation reminded me to read this BLDGBLOG entry I've had cached for a while: Just Add Water.

    All 16 of the Thames tributaries have been brought to the surface once again. Acting as the main arteries for a London-wide water-cleaning system, these waterways are now fed by rain and waste water which is naturally cleaned in a unique network of rain gardens, ornamental channels, reed beds and swales.
    Project Salmon has also improved building standards: all new buildings now include innovative designs for green walls, living roofs and integrated sustainable drainage systems.
    Many of London's streets now incorporate new watercourses: in residential areas, these channels have become the focus for activities from canoeing to waterside promenading. In Kentish Town the Fleet River has become London's first floating market.
    The impact this has had on London's economy and status as a tourist destination is immense. As many other UK and European cities are struggling to manage the annual temperature fluctuations, water shortage and flooding, Londoners have been sheltered from the worst effects of climate change.


    (Article includes design detail and hi-res image links.)

    An idyllic future for flooded London, for a change. I'm really taken by this bit of design fiction. Living just outside of Olympic Country, I often feel as though I'm paying for another fucking Dome/obnoxious mobile phone venue, and have serious doubts about the redevelopment projects ever living up to the promises made about them. This is a delightfully whimsical notion recognisable as fantasy, rather than the usual grand promises that we've learned will not be kept.
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      CommentAuthorliamshiels
    • CommentTimeMay 12th 2009
     (5785.2)
    I love how all this is about too much water, but similar stuff I find about Australia is about not having enough.

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