Beyond Green: Rethinking Nature in Urban Public Spaces Is the idea of nature relevant to public open space in urban areas? Yes. Should landscape architects be involved? Yes. But what, why, how and where can and should nature influence the…
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Posts on Urban Design (+ see introduction to urban design)
Invest 20% of the transport budget to raise the cycling mode share by 2.5%/year
The bicycle began as the ultimate dream machine, cheaper, healthier, more exciting and more glamorous, than horse-drawn vehicles or horses. In the 1940s, almost half the trips in London and Copenhagen were cycled. And the figure was over was over…
Posted in cycleways, urban design
Landscape and garden weddings
Landscape architects, who pay increasing attention to programming the events which take place in the spaces they plan and design, could give more thought to weddings and wedding photography. Every couple likes to have brilliant photographs of their wedding and…
Green the Redways: Copenhagenize the TfL Transport for London Road Network TLRN
TfL should Copenhagenize London’s the TLRN (Transport for London Road Network. Copenhagenization means confiscating the warships of a defeated enemy, which is what the British did in 1807. Mikael Colville-Andersen uses ‘Copenhagenize’ to mean good cycle planning. I’ve been…
Little Free Libraries for urban landscapes
Little Free Libraries are a great idea. Landscape architects should include them in designs for public open spaces including parks, squares, piazzas etc. Universities should have several on every campus for textbooks as well as leisure reading. In 2010 I…
Michael Brown and the landscape architecture of housing
Many thanks to Colin Moore for remembering Michael Brown’s work in a Merl blog post. Michael Brown’s office (in which Colin worked) produced the best UK housing landscape designs of the 1960s and 70s. The outdoor space was very well…
The Yorkshire trod is a great way to make a footpath
The OED defines a trod as ‘A trodden way; a footpath, path, way. (dialect)’. Phillips New World of Words (1678) explained Trode as ‘an old word signifying a path’. It slipped out of general use but survives in some parts…
Should wearing cycle helmets be compulsory? No.
No. The below diagram from Copenhagenize illustrates the balance of expert opinion. A cycle helmet will save your life in a relatively low proportion of cycle accidents. So I wear one, except when the weather is too hot. When they…
Posted in cycleways, urban design
Parliament Square in Westminster should be re-designed
The public open space outside the Mother of Parliaments should be re-designed as a place for MPs to talk to constituents and demonstrators. It was filled with protesters on 15th January 2019. This was the day on which the first…
Posted in landscape architecture, urban design
London Cycle Action Plan TfL: a review
The Guardian is too kind when it says the London Cycle Action Plan is ‘bold but has a major flaw’. It has many major flaws. But before looking at them let’s note the document’s good points: It acknowledges that London’s…
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