LI conference

The subject of the conference this year was 'housing, land use and community'. It was a lot of talk about the role of a Landscape Architect and the recognition of the role of the Landscape Architect. Or the lack of recognition of the Landscape Architect. How small amount of landscape architects are involved in housing and street design. Partly down to the developer - but also down to Landscape Architecture. Housing is not a good interesting project for a lot Landscape Architects.

For me personally I am not bothered about recognition for the Landscape Architect, as long as what we do affects people and places in a positive way. I do agree with the fact that we need new innovative landscape around housing in this country and landscape that works with housing and not against it.

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Good housing that has been around for while - The Lane, Blackheath.

Swedish cool housing in Stockholm - Hammarby Sjostad (Go Sweden - it has been around for years!)

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(Below is list of challenges and questions that came up in the conference or things that I think might relate to it.)

Challenges and Questions to consider

Can good landscape help the life time costs of estates?

Promoting trees in urban landscape - see them as an asset and not a liability

Community spirit linked to good proud landscape

Density - Intensity and landscape

Space before architecture and landscape

Giving residents confidence in managing / taking charge of their space - challenges of jealousy, increase of costs?

Gated developments - good or bad?

Pushing the boundary of the estate

View onto the landscape from the buildings instead of looking in - can create a new angle of landscape

Managing a housing landscape - increase in costs, giving tenants a share - promoting a proudness in the surroundings

Food growing - allotments - keeping chickens etc.

Importance of infrastructure relating to landscape

Importance of landforms and natural environment to be considered more in landscape

The importance of playing fields for kids to play

Opportunities to promote and teach kids about local biodiversity in the landscape

The importance of bringing the natural environment back into peoples life

Housing and the natural environment

Natural estates??

Link between an increase in green space and a decrease in vandalism and violence

Active - Natural - Interacting Landscapes

What if food growing

I think a lot of people have heard of the what if - project. Where food is grown in big grow bags on a vacant lot in Shoreditch. This is new way of bringing a housing estate together and helping to bring a sense of community. It is interesting to compare to the well established allotments at the Crown estate.

A good way of temporally testing out the idea of food growing without large scale investment in allotments. It would be interesting to see if anyone dares to give hens a go as well?

Crown estate

As part of the LI conference I went on a site visit to the Crown Estate allotments by Regents Park. In terms of estates it was quite a posh one (if there are posh estates?). The allotments were sunken down in the middle of of a courtyard with apartment blocks on the sides. It was fenced off, but still looked ok on a sunny, bright autumn day. Underneath the allotments is a disused basin and it also has got an underground river running below it.

The allotments have been there since 1940's and are very well established. There are no problems with vandalism on the allotments (there are minor problems on the estate landscape).

It was interesting to hear that the allotments are managed by the RHS - the land given over by the housing association. Since management is something that I think a lot of housing associations are concerned about when starting to consider allotments and urban food growing on their estates. Basically the RHS rents out the allotments and a few RHS members with allotments on the estate manages it for free. This is an option more housing association could consider.

There is no water collecting on the site and no promotion of Eco friendly running of the allotments - this is something that should be promoted.

I thought the allotments were great - but this was on an estate that is well managed and secure. With relatively good landscaping. It is more interesting to see how allotments and good landscaping can provide a sense of community on a run down estate? Then the challenge would be on.

serpentine pavillion

The temporary pavilions in Hyde Park have been very cool the last summers and I was really looking forward to seeing the one done by Frank Gehry. I like the materials and the way timber was used in different combinations. The positioning and the angling of the materials. The pavilion works well in the sunlight casting shadows and providing shade or sun - depending on what you feel like.

It would have been interesting to see how it worked in the rain. How the rain flows on the planes on the roofs.

It was busy with people relaxing - steps and balconies done and positioned to where people feel comfortable sitting. I think the balconies were less successful - I wouldn't feel relaxed sitting there and I felt like I disturbed the girl sitting on one of them when I went to have a look at the view from one.

Overall I thought it was cool - quite natural and organic in a sharp way.