A NATIONAL PARK CITY?
11 May 2017
The 'Help Make London a National Park City' initiative is making great strides in its quest to improve the lives of Londoners through greenspace - and now designers and architects are being asked to reimagine it!
Imagine that London becomes the world’s first National Park City. This large-scale and long-term vision has the potential to transform how Londoners live and how the city works. But what would London look like?
“Let’s make London the world’s first National Park City. A city where people and nature are better connected. A city that is rich with wildlife and every child benefits from exploring, playing and learning outdoors. A city where we all enjoy high-quality green spaces, the air is clean to breathe, it’s a pleasure to swim in its rivers and green homes are affordable. Together we can make London a greener, healthier and fairer place to live. Together we can make London a National Park City,” states the Let’s Make London a National Park City manifesto.
A total of 15 National Parks exist in the United Kingdom; areas that include mountains, meadows, moorlands, woods and wetlands. The Help Make London a National Park City (HMLNPC) initiative aims to declare Greater London the world’s first National Park City. In striving to create something new, inspirational and innovative – A National Park City – the HMLNPC initiative aims to:
- Ensure 100 percent of Londoners have free and easy access to high-quality green space
- Connect 100 percent of London’s children to nature
- Make the majority of London physically green
- Improve London’s air and water quality, year on year
- Improve the richness, connectivity and biodiversity of London’s habitats
- Inspire the building of affordable green homes
- Inspire new business activities
- Promote London as a Green World City
- Nurture a shared National Park City identity for Londoners How?
With a push to engage around two thirds of London, HMLNPC already has active participation from cyclists, scientists, tree climbers, teachers, students, pensioners, unemployed, underemployed, doctors, swimmers, gardeners, artists, walkers, kayakers, activists, wildlife watchers, politicians, children, parents and grandparents.
And now, in partnership with Time Out London, London National Park City is calling for artists, designers, illustrators, cartographers, urbanists, filmmakers, developers, architects and landscape architects to help visualise the capital’s future as a National Park City.
This competition is being launched in order to attract the best ideas for achieving the aims of making London a National Park City. The competition calls for not just ideas for future urban developments, but a reimaging of London’s current cityscape. Ideas can be small scale or they could be transformative on a large scale.
Imagine London at any scale!
What ‘micro-greening’ (eg a single balcony) can give a home to wildlife?
Can a commuter route become a ‘green corridor’?
How could a high-rise block enable children to play outdoors easily?
What plans for streetscapes, neighbourhoods, or even London’s entire watershed could transform London lifestyles and address London’s challenges including air quality, increasing biodiversity, road congestion, community cohesion, mental health, and childhood obesity?
For more information on the London National Park City competition CLICK HERE
For more information on the Help Make London a National Park City (HMLNPC) initiative visit www.nationalparkcity.london
