Urban Forms

• Physical Factors influencing London’s Urban Form:

  ·         River Thames: Acts as a physical barrier between north and south.

  ·         Thames Estuary: Proximity to the sea means that its land use is predominantly maritime in nature.

  ·         London is on the floodplain of the Thames, making the area flat which makes it great for building on.
• Human Factors influencing London’s Urban Form:

  ·         Land value: land prices decreases as you move further away from the city centre. As a result, the city centre is mainly used by high value business. The inner city was historically for manufacturing but deindustrialisation, combined with demand for housing and increased land price, means that London’s inner city is mainly high end residential housing, mixed with lower income housing typically owned by borough councils. This has led to significant intra and inter borough inequality.
• ·         Government policy: The greenbelt was established in 1955 and is a self imposed barrier on London’s growth.

  ·         Redevelopment projects have created secondary PVLIs across London, for example the LDDC project has arguably turned Canary Wharf into an edge city.
• ·         Fragmented form (i.e. not a concentric urban layout), service based industry, eclectic architecture (The Shard!), high diversity, but high polarisation, all point towards London being a post-modern western city!
• New Urban Forms:

  ·         Gentrified Areas: Notting Hill

  ·         Culture and Heritage Districts: Kensington “Museum District” is home to the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Or the West End!

  ·         Fortress Development: Heavy focus on security in London; increased CCTV, railings and boulders in public spaces, street lighting, anti homeless benches, and gated communities like Bishops Avenue which has 24hour security.