2015 was the year London’s population reached 8.6 million, a peak figure last reached in 1939. The capital’s population is set to rise by a further 1.6 million over the next 20 years, and by 2050 may have reached 11 million, more than the current combined populations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The rising numbers will add exacerbate the shortage of housing in the capital, which the head of the London Housing Commission has described as “one of the biggest public policy failures of the last 50 years.”
A showcase for new ideas
A major exhibition highlighting new thinking on solving London’s housing crisis is currently taking place. Organised by New London Architects (NLA), “New Ideas for Housing” highlights more than 100 ways in which London’s shortage of housing might be addressed.
Ten of the 100 shortlisted ideas were selected as winning entries from a competition that attracted ideas from architects, contractors, manufacturers, economists and house builders.
Among the winners were:
The Urban Darning Project
Employing the sewing technique for repairing holes or worn areas in fabric, the project aims to encourage small residential developments in central London to ‘fill-in the gaps’ of the urban fabric.
Supurbia
This idea has twofold approach: redeveloping local main streets and parades as mixed-use places with increased housing and amenity provision; and allowing owner-occupiers of semi-detached homes to develop their land, creating rich diversities of housing.
Investing in London’s Future by Learning from its Past
Drawing on London’s former leasehold system, this idea suggests that separating the cost of housing as a physical product from land costs would make it more affordable to build and buy houses.
MegaPlan for a MegaCity
The originators of this idea suggest that in order to meet the shortfall in housing by 2050, less than 4% of ‘edge land’ (the inner belt running from the inner London Green Belt to the M25) would need to be released from the Green Belt.
Wood Blocks
This idea proposes scaling up the growing appetite for self-build homes. A structural, weatherproof, thermally- and acoustically-insulated shell would be built by a developer / housebuilder, which could then be partitioned and fitted-out by new owners, delivering faster and cheaper housing.
The ideas are described in greater detail in a publication accompanying the exhibition. The NLA Insight Study also examines the current state of play in London’s housing supply, addressing the barriers around planning, land, funding, construction, procurement and design.
New Ideas for Housing
Exhibition dates: Thursday 15 October – Thursday 17 December 2015. Opening time: Monday to Friday: 9.30 am – 6.00 pm; Saturday: 10.00 am – 5.00 pm.
Address: NLA, The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT
http://newlondonarchitecture.org/
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