12/16/2023 0 Comments London global city space postwar film![]() The elevated walkways are poorly lit and considered unsafe places to walk. Communal terraces have been sub-divided by residents to create defensible spaces. The layout of the estate is confusing, resulting in poor legibility and often a sense of isolation. Coupled by lack of sufficient investment by previous estate management companies, most of the estate has declined over the years and is in much need of regeneration and reimagining. Sadly, through poor design many of the interventions did not work well for the residents and resulted in many unintended consequences. Other parts of Thamesmead, built in the 1970s and 1980s, moved away from this model and focused on building more typical suburban street layout of cul-de-sacs. ![]() The first swath of development created concrete towers and low-rise homes, elevated from the ground to protect from flooding, and connected by walkways and terraces to encourage mobility and community interaction. In many ways the estate is an early example of nature-based solutions in use. ![]() As the estate is situated on the Thames floodplain, these open spaces were also designed to hold flood water in the event of extensive tidal flooding, which prior to the introduction of the Thames Barrier in 1984 was a significant risk. It had an ambitious plan to be a utopia of affordable housing with green spaces and lakes for residents to enjoy. It was conceived to address the post war housing crisis and tackle some of the problems associated with tenement living. Thamesmead is an architecturally iconic public-housing estate, designed and built by the Greater London Council in the 1960’s.
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