For want of a landscape architect London’s Garden Bridge was lost

For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.
Remembering Benjamin Franklin’s version of an old proverb, I invite landscape architects to write a new version. For the penultimate line I suggest:
For want of a landscape architect a Garden Bridge was lost.
As discussed two years ago, the problem was that the Garden Bridge was in the wrong place.

• It should have linked a pedestrian origin to a pedestrian destination
• It should have linked a cyclist origin to a cyclist destination
• It should not have been located in a section of the Thames with Very High Scenic Quality
• The designer’s perspectives should not have ‘cheated’ by representing the scheme with birds-eye views. It should have been done with eye-level views from Waterloo Bridge

That said, I am sorry to see the Garden Bridge pass into the history books as a failed project. The Garden Bridge Trust and its designers showed real imagination, talent and drive. They just needed the help of an urban landscape designer.