SAVE LONDON FORTHE UK

摘要

In the present political culture, big ideas often fail to get support. From an economic point of view, there is a fear that large-scale, ambitious public ventures (such as the Olympics, Channel Tunnel and the Dome) are unpopular and will fail.There is a history of such endeavours being targets for media criticism and, rightly or wrongly, the public pick up on these.There is also vested interest, the 'Nimby' factor which can act as a powerful deterrent to large-scale projects.Yet despite the prevailing culture against big thinking, there are now the major issues of global warming and climate change to contend with.This has the potential to affect London and South-East England and, by extension, the economic engine that drives the whole of the UK.rnRising water levels present a unified threat to the entire Thames Estuary. During the 1980s, the Thames Barrier was raised on average once a year, but in 2003 it was raised 19 times, and was recently closed for the 100th time. Clearly this is an issue, but how best to strengthen London's flood defences? Different responses come with different town planning, placemaking, economic and landscape implications. In all scenarios the existing barrier remains, but with walls that continue out to the sea, or just the landside of Tilbury to keep the shipping lanes open, or out in the estuary. Yet what is missing is a perspective that considers the challenge holistically to forge a truly integrated big idea. Even though the area has been declared the largest regeneration site in Europe, there is nothing that unifies the estuary. However the threat of rising sea levels should be enough to coordinate a response that is both large scale and imaginative.rnThis threat is not only to the existing urban, physical, infrastructure and buildings, but also to the future. Where do housebuilders build? How do you plan the Thames Gateway? Indecision and lack of thinking on a big scale could easily lead to a degree of stagnation and affect the growth, vitality and future possibilities for London. The scale of the response needs to be at the level of international global competition between world metropolises, and London clearl/has some serious rivals emerging. From the Far East, Middle East and South America, other cities are beginning to challenge London. To preserve its current pre-eminence and secure both the city's future and that of the UK will require a response on a truly imaginative scale.