Autumn 2016 Urban Design Group Journal 140URBAN ISSN 1750 712X DESIgn FOOD AND THE CITY URBAN DESIGN GROUP URBAN DESIGN GROUP NewsUDG NEWS the members of the Executive Committee, library (in pre-internet days) I saw a copy of regional representatives and our Director Urban Design Quarterly, and a promise of Robert Huxford for all of their efforts, as an interesting career. well as the new members of the Executive What do I get from the UDG? Some 25 Committee, and Paul Reynolds, who is now odd years later, I am still playing at design the UDG Secretary. As chair, I find myself in and – here is the best bit - I have not the enviable position of being surrounded stopped learning. Even though more people by a wealth of design talent that shares a can see that streets make great places to common objective and interest in the built live, the development industry is now famil- environment. Magic! iar with the perimeter block, and we believe What attracted me to urban design? that Manual for Streets 2 has nailed it, there I have a long addiction to 2000AD - a are as many challenges facing designers 1970s science fiction comic (and still go- now as there were then. Some are new, and ing strong) - which portrays a futuristic some a variation on a theme,... enter the dystopian, dysfunctional life in city blocks UDG. within mega cities that cover most of our So what am I currently interested in? urban areas. The vision was fascinating and The mega city future? Tall buildings? Driver- foretold initiatives such as the elimination less buses? No, it is the bin and how the of smoking from public spaces; 'Mega City relatively straightforward need for servicing One' banished smokers to special smokato- development can negatively impact upon VIEW FROM THE riums. I have an ambition to get one of the everything else. It is not a sexy issue and Chair – COLIN authors to explain themselves to the UDG I do not have a passion for refuse trucks one evening… But this wasn't my princi- themselves, but ask yourself: how often has PULLAN pal motivation. As with most designers, it your building, street space and material was opportunity. Having never quite got to specification been compromised by bin grips with physics or creating modernist stores and the turning requirements of a Lego houses (other bricks are available), thirty tonnes monster? As the new chair of the Urban Design Group architecture was not for me. Planning was • (UDG), I would firstly like to thank my interesting - my degree is in planning - but I Colin Pullan, Urban Design Director, NLP predecessor Katy Neaves for her work over soon discovered the Joint Centre for Urban Planning the last two years. Also, thanks are due to Design at Oxford Polytechnic where in the and cities. But another change has had a The final change has been about eco- THE DIRECTOR’S far greater impact. It is illustrated by the nomics. These very large container ships NEWS stunning view from Louie’s apartment, of have reduced the cost of international the North Lamma anchorage area in Hong freight so that the combined costs of haul- Kong – part of one of the busiest seaways in ing a container by road from factory-to-port the world. and port-to-distribution depot are the In July, Louie Sieh, convenor of the Urban The ship pictured is a container vessel same as shipping the container half the way Design Book Award, relocated from London built in 2012, capable of carrying 13,000 20 around the globe. Factory workers in the de- to Hong Kong. We were pleased that she foot ISO shipping containers, up to 80,000 veloped world are in direct competition with agreed to continue in the role, even though tonnes. It takes the vessel about 4 weeks people in developing countries who are paid she is now far away. The internet has made to travel from China to Europe, through the just a few dollars a day. They have contrib- it as easy to contact someone on the other Suez Canal. Containerisation and container uted to the long-term decline in traditional side of the planet, as the other side of an ships are city and nation changers. Contain- manufacturing communities, such as the office. The internet is changing business erisation led to the closure of traditional Rust Belt in the USA and the north-south practice, lifestyles and the shape of towns docks, and thirty years later some are divide in the UK. Equally they have brought now among the most valuable real estate, jobs, opportunities and increased income although many are still wastelands. to those living in developing countries. The The articulated lorries that transported impact of containerisation shows the impor- containers became the dominant crite- tance of understanding urban design at a ria in highways design, with the width of global level. We should also remember the streets and junction radii dictated by their importance of maintaining contacts, friend- dimensions. Unfortunately some highway ships and goodwill, the world over. We wish authorities still require high street junction Louie well in her new home. designs that are HGV focused, rather than • people focused. Robert Huxford WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER Look out for December events on the UDG DIARY OF EVENTS Food and the City website! A focus for regeneration? A catalyst for stronger communities? A contribution to Note that there are many other events reduced food miles and environmental run by UDG volunteers throughout the UK. Unless otherwise indicated, all LONDON impact? A means to improve the health For the latest details and pricing, please events are held at The Gallery, 70 Cowcross and wellbeing of the population and check on the UDG website www.udg.org.uk/ Street, London EC1M 6EJ at 6.30 pm. reduce obesity? Featuring the theme in events/udg Urban Design 140. URBAN DESIGN ― AuTUMN 2016 ― ISSUe 140 greenblue.com [email protected] 01580 830 800 increased leaf canopy urban tree planting and Enables successful of research & expertise Supported by 25 years the industry! tree pit products in The most innovative The key to success is below ground trees space than establised diverse benefits to urban brings such long lasting What other element 1 Autumn 2016 What other element Urban Design Group Journal brings such long lasting 140 ISSN 1750 712X diverse benefits to urban URBAN space than establised trees DESIGN FOOD AND THE CITY Contents The key to success is below ground The most innovative tree pit products in the industry! Supported by 25 years of research & expertise This issue has been generously sponsored BOOK REVIEWS Enables successful urban tree planting and increased leaf canopy by GreenBlue Urban 40 — Re-framing Urban Space, Urban design for emerging hybrid and high-density COVER conditions, Im Sik Cho, Chye Kiang Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, Brooklyn, New Heng and Zdravko Trivic York. Photography by Elizabeth Reynolds 40 — Rethinking Smart Cities From the 01580 830 800 [email protected] greenblue.com URBAN Ground Up, Tom Saunders and Peter DESIGN GROUP FUTURE ISSUES Baeck URBAN DESIGN UD141 Africa 41 — T he End of Automobile Dependence. GROUP UD142 Health, Ageing and Urban Design Peter Newman and Jeffrey Kenworthy Urban Design Group UD143 Estate Regeneration 41 — Also Received: CHAIR Colin Pullan 21st Century Garden Cities of PATRONS Irena Bauman, Alan Baxter, UPDATE To-Morrow, A Manifesto, Philip Ross Dickon Robinson, Helle Søholt, Lindsey 3 — Kevin Lynch Memorial Lecture, and Yves Cabannes; Whitelaw and John Worthington Sir Terry Farrell Context, Architecture and the Genius 3 — Industry and Urban Design of Place, Eric Parry Office 4 — Street NW Manchester 4x4 Urban Design Group 4 — The Byzantine Peloponnese 42 — PRACTICE INDEX 70 Cowcross Street UDG Study Tour 47 — EDUCATION INDEX London EC1M 6EJ 6 — Urban Design Group AGM 49 — EN DPIECE Tel 020 7250 0892 7 — Urban Design Library #19 Plant room, Joe Holyoak Email [email protected] 8 — My Favourite Plan Website www.udg.org.uk VIEWPOINTS Editorial Board 9 — Safeguarding Quality via Permission Matthew Carmona, Richard Cole, in Principle, Matthew Carmona Tim Hagyard, Joe Holyoak, 10 — Street, Not Highway, Design, Michael Sebastian Loew, Daniela Lucchese, King Jane Manning, Chris Martin, 12 — Influencing Inequalities in Urban Malcolm Moor, Geoff Noble, Renewal, Rowan MacKay Judith Ryser, Louise Thomas TOPIC: FOOD AND THE CITY Editors 14 — Food and the City, Jane Manning Louise Thomas (this issue) 16 — Food and Urbanism: Connecting Urban [email protected] Design and Food Space, Susan Parham and Sebastian Loew 19 — Edible Urbanism – London’s Next [email protected] Foodie Trend? Elizabeth Reynolds Book Review Editor 21 — The Productive City: Urban Agriculture Jane Manning on the Map, Katrin Bohn and André Viljoen Design 24 — T owards an Indigenous, Sunlit, Rooftop trockenbrot Food Production, Oscar Rodrigeuz (Claudia Schenk and Anja Sicka) 28 — Urban Farming and Family Farms, www.trockenbrot.com Olusola Olufemi 31 — Edible Eastside, Jayne Bradley Ghosh Printing Henry Ling Ltd 34 — Allotment of the Future, Helen © Urban Design Group ISSN 1750 712X Grimshaw and Jie Lu 36 — The Food Parliament: An Infrastructure Advertising enquiries for Resilience, CJ Lim Please contact the UDG office 39 — Food and the City Reviewed, Jane Manning Material for publication Please send text by email to the editors. Images to be supplied as jpeg URBAN DESIGN ― AUTUmn 2016 ― ISSUe 140 2 LEADER Living with Brexit Events this year have triggered changes in the In this issue of Urban Design, we explore the way that we view other people. The use of public topic of Food and the City, expertly curated by space and places of social gathering appears to Jane Manning: it is a good example of how the be, and perhaps has become less safe, given the Brexit vote is causing uncertainty.