Brave New Worlds
It is now accepted that any developments should respect their surroundings. Behind this is the recognition of the damage done to the community fabric in the 1950s, 60s and 70s which gave town planning such a bad name. Policies were primarily based on a controversial and stark new approach evolved in the Athens Charter of 1933, drawn up by a congress of worldwide architects which looked at 33 major cities and created ideas for planning based on the distribution and ordering of city functions. The chaotic division of lands was to be reshaped into zoned cities, comprising standardised dwelling and different areas for work, home and leisure. Finally published in 1943 it had a profound effect on public authorities in post-war Europe.
The principles were influenced by the radical Swiss-French architect and designer Le Corbusier in his Modernist Ville Radieuse, which promised sunshine, fresh air and greenery for city dwellers.
In reality though, widespread adoption of these principles led to the character of many towns and cities being severely damaged by insensitive development. Centres were often ripped out and replaced with hugely impersonal spaces.
New moves were made to step beyond the difficulties of dealing with existing townscapes by building new towns from scratch. One such is Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, designated in 1967 and now a city with a population approaching 200,000. But there are rising concerns to preserve dwindling greenfield space on these ever more crowded islands.
To do this, governments around the world, including the UK, are encouraging the re-use and redevelopment of inner city brownfield sites. But instead of wholesale clearance, industrial heritage is being preserved, with former warehouses converted into apartments. The Tate Modern art gallery, for example, is housed within London's former Bankside power station.
Larger scale developments, such as the Thames Gateway in south Essex, also echoes this new ethos, with the aim of 'bringing together the advantages of city and country living, along with the benefits of easy access to the river and sea'.
|
