Sustrans first project (the Bath-Bristol Path, National Route 4) was a great success. I see it as a primarily a commuter route. If using it for leisure, you would need to be a sport cyclist. It is too boring for …
Was Edinburgh’s new town planned by a landscape architect? Yes. One could argue that the term ‘landscape architect’ was not invented until 1828 and could not apply to a competition design submitted in 1766. But the term ‘architect’ did not …
The brilliant landscape architecture of Edinburgh New Town Read more »
Ian McHarg’s legacy to the landscape architecture profession was threefold: He wrote a brilliant book, on Design with nature (1969) He made an important contribution to the development of Geographical Information Systems and one of his students, Jack Dangermond, developed the …
Ian McHarg’s legacy to landscape architecture & landscape urbanism Read more »
Inspired by James Kunstler’s Ted talk How bad architecture wrecked cities (video above) I am planning some blog posts on Bad landscape architecture. Much of it, of course, is designed or commissioned by architects. But you can’t blame them. They have no …
Bad landscape architecture 1: Creekside non-village in Deptford, London Read more »
Greenways are a key aspect of landscape planning for London’s green infrastructure and the city has been building greenways since they were included in the 1943-4 Abercrombie Plan. They include medieval alleys, garden streets, shared streets, pedestrian streets, canal towpath …
‘Giant Hands’ at the Ca’ Sagredo Hotel on the Grand Canal during Venice Biennale 2017. The sculpture Support is by Lorenzo Quinn (an Italian and a son of actor Anthony Quinn). The hands were modelled in resin-coated polyurethane foam and based on …
You’ve got to hand it to the Grand Canal in Venice Read more »
Cambridge tops the lists for UK economic growth and cycle commuting. It is near the bottom of the list for car ownership. With 29% of trips done by bike it is far ahead of other UK cities but still behind …
Cambridge greenway cycleway planning, review by Tom Turner Read more »
These paths are all cycleways. They are not all greenways. Sustrans National Cycle Route NCN1 on the Isle of Dogs is not a greenway, not a green street and not a promenade. It is a badly conceived, planned and designed …
However good the design, Victoria Tower Gardens is the wrong place for London’s Second Holocaust Memorial: It is a classic London park, made before sport became a dominant aspect of park design. It was designed for local residents to …
Save Victoria Tower Gardens from London’s Second Holocaust Memorial Read more »
Regent’s Park is a brilliant work of landscape composition. On what must have been an unremarkable site, buildings, land, water, trees, wildlife and gardens have been composed into a place that should by on many London visitors’ bucket lists. It …
