London – Planning Integrated Communities

Abstract

The term ‘regeneration’ has become ubiquitous in urban planning and is often used loosely to describe many urban interventions, including those of a purely commercial nature that renew (and often destroy) urban fabric purely for private profit. There is nothing inherently wrong with development for profit, but regeneration should imply something subtler, complex and multi-faceted. If, as urban practitioners, we ignore the social dimension of urban change and fail to redress existing imbalances then we are complicit in perpetuating social inequalities. Urban regeneration should be driven by an agenda to improve social wellbeing. As practitioners we have a moral imperative to address inequalities and develop design strategies to remove barriers to social integration, real or perceived.

On the surface, London appears to be a multi-cultural city without the political or stark socio-spatial divisions that are seen, for example, in the banlieues of Paris. There are wealthier and poorer neighbourhoods of course but, due to its history and post war planning policies, most neighbourhoods are socially mixed. The divisions in London, however, are subtler and fine grained. The city is open (and indeed there are few, if any areas that are too dangerous to enter) but perceived barriers exist – invisible lines that divide the city, isolate some of its inhabitants and inhibit social mobility. This paper will look at the conditions that create divisions in London and will examine strategies that can break down the physical and psychological barriers within cities. It will use the Kings Cross regeneration scheme as a central case study.