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Update day 2008

In March, enablers gathered in east London for our annual CABE Space enabling update day. We discussed recent CABE Space activity and looked at large-scale landscape projects within the London region.

A number of themes and projects emerged throughout the day.

Walkable cities

Gehl Architects have a working methodology that is based on the principle that people’s priorities are the most important driver in the planning process for cities.

Lars Gemzoe of Gehl Architects outlined how creating a quality environment for people is paramount and must be considered before anything else in order to achieve a lively and sustainable public realm.

Watch the Lars Gemzoe presentation

Sustainable development

Herbert Girardet, director of programmes of the World Future Council, outlined how major cities need to rethink they way they are designed and used.

Watch the Herbert Girardet presentation

Olympic Legacy Park

The Olympic park will be in the region of 50 Ha, rising to between 100–125 Ha in its legacy form, establishing the largest urban park created in Europe for more than 150 years. The main design objective is to ensure that as much infrastructure for the legacy park can be put in place by 2012. The post-Olympic transition of the park will then provide a landscape of national stature that serves local communities, is well managed and has a sustainable business plan.

The desire is also to ensure that the park fits within the wider context of the Lower Lee Regeneration Framework, the Lee Valley Park Authority’s Strategic Park Development Framework and East London Green Grid.

CABE is providing design support and technical assistance to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in developing proposals for the London 2012 Olympics, this currently includes:

  • Joint CABE and Design for London design review panel
  • Technical advice on access and inclusion
  • Design and management of the Olympic Parklands
  • Skills development on design and masterplanning
  • Enabling support on architecture and sustainable design

Thames Gateway Parklands

CABE has been exploring, with support from LDA Design and Alan Baxter and Partners, practical ways by which the region’s landscape and natural heritage can be protected and enhanced at the same time as accommodating development, generating high quality employment and restraining the impact of climate change.

The importance of a landscape framework means that rather than having a park as part of development in the Gateway, landscape and environmental considerations can be at the forefront of the development process. Such a position has gained further weight recently with the proposal that the gateway should be considered a new Eco-region.

East London Green Grid

The Green Grid concept aims to provide new and existing East London residents and workers with a multi-functional network of strategic open space and in turn improved quality of life. This responds to the dual drivers of climate change and future development.

The aim of the Green Grid is to create a network of interlinked, multi-functional and high quality open spaces that connect with town centres, public transport nodes, the countryside in the urban fringe, the Thames and major employment and residential areas. The Green Grid envisages the creation of new public spaces, the enhancement of existing open spaces and improvements to the links in between.

Lee Valley Regional Park

The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is a statutory body responsible for managing and developing the 26 mile long, 10,000-acre linear Lea Valley Regional Park (Regional Park) - the only regional park serving London, Hertfordshire and Essex.

By virtue of its remit and geography, the Lea Valley Regional Park Authority finds itself at the heart of the Olympic project and is working with partners to deliver the venues on its land and secure a sustainable Olympic and Paralympic legacy for the region. It is also responsible for regenerating derelict and neglected land into high quality public open spaces and wildlife habitats of ecological importance, as well as preserving the region’s historical value.

The park plan and development framework now being produced will develop the authority's emerging vision with a clear statement of proposals and policies to inform the development of the Regional Park for the next five to 10 years. CABE Space is continuing to work with the authority in helping to develop the framework.