STREETSCAPE GUIDANCE

HOME
INTRODUCTION
PART A
A vision for London’s streets
PART B
From strategy to delivery
PART C
New measures for new challenges
PART D
Balancing priorities
PART F
Appendix
PART E
Physical design and materials
SECTION 6
Introduction
SECTION 7
High quality footways
SECTION 8
Carriageways
SECTION 9
Crossings
SECTION 10
Kerbside activity
SECTION 11
Footway amenities
SECTION 12
Safety and functionality
SECTION 13
Street environment
SECTION 14
Transport interchanges
Streetscape Guidance
[Part E – Physical design and materials] Street environment 304
1. Improve management and maintenance
Some of the most dramatic changes to the
quality of our roads can be achieved by simple
changes to existing maintenance regimes.
2. Improve access
Public space is just that. It is by definition open
and accessible to all. There should therefore
be a presumption in favour of public ownership
and adoption. Unless there are specific reasons
against this for safety or other concerns.
3. Improve amenity
Greening
All highway landscape improvement proposals
should be practical, feasible and sustainable and
promoters should work with our arboriculture
and landscape team to identify opportunities and
management strategies for the Green Estate.
Scrubland can provide a valuable ecological
function in the urban landscape. Existing areas
of green infrastructure planting should generally
be retained, except where a safety inspection
identifies a need for remedial work.
Lighting
Improvements in lighting should be considered
for spaces which have existing problems in
visibility and perceived security. Good lighting
can encourage more people to use leftover
spaces and can complement other connectivity
and aesthetic improvements across the area.
Temporary art installations
Public art may be considered for leftover spaces
which are well overlooked and relatively well
connected with a reduced risk of vandalism.
Installations that are locally resonant or support
local talent are preferred.
4. Reimagine the space
A suite of measures could be introduced
together to help transform a space into a
destination in itself. This may include creating
new uses for the space, such as community and
play facilities, places to live or commissioning
artwork. Proposals of this nature will require
community support, such that any design for a
new public space provides for the local area.
Figure 296: Wild flowers planted next to the
carriageway
Figure 297: A bridge undercroft beautifully clad
in metal sheets and gabion cages
Figure 298: Anthony Gormley public exhibition
‘Event Horizon’