RECONNECTING NEIGHBOURHOODS, MAKING SPACE FOR PEOPLE
by Ashleigh Gill
Poplar East, a predominantly residential area, is undergoing major regeneration (fig 1). Isolated by two artery roads and the river Lee (fig 2), it is threatened by a surge in population posed by three developments with a potential for socio-economic divide. Using the climate urbanism studio framework (fig 3), these considerations are addressed through the community zone (fig 4); assessing current land use (fig 5), shared resources of streets, community space and green space to create three goals (fig 6): - Promote active travel - Enable economic resilience - Reduce carbon footprint, increase social activities. Waymarking and reducing car access (fig 7) creates an active travel route guiding people through the community zone, reconnecting neighbourhoods and linking existing green spaces creating a new linear park 80% larger than the existing four spaces. An urban roof farm sited on a new building creates a point of contact between existing and new communities; opportunities for upskilling, interaction and carbon reduction from locally grown food. A mall offers economic resilience for existing residents, targeting small businesses that can operate from kiosk style spaces. Finally, introducing local currency Poplar Pound (fig 8) can reward people for shopping locally, encouraging money to stay in Poplar.
