Public London: Ten Years of Transforming Spaces
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, New London Architecture (NLA) presents Public London, an Insight Study, exhibition and program of events exploring the transformation of public spaces in London over the last decade.
The program follows key initiatives, people and projects that have lead the changes in attitudes towards the way streets, squares, green spaces, rivers and parks are designed, delivered and used. Besides looking back over the past 10 years, Public London will also cover future key challenges related to creating and maintaining civilised spaces in a city with a rapidly growing population.
Ten years ago, at one of NLA’s first exhibitions, a program titled Mayor Livingstone’s 100 Public Spaces was examined. The program focused on creating or improving 100 urban spaces in London with the goal of demonstrating the effect that improved public space makes to city life. Today, Public London will look back on how many of those 100 spaces received the attention the needed. It will additionally look into solving the obstacles that hinder delivery of well-designed streets and spaces such as complexity related to funding, ownership, design, procurement and maintenance.
As part of the event NLA will be working with guest curator and public space expert Sarah Gaventa, to create a temporary playful installation entitled Never Mind the Bollards. The installation will explore how Londoners experience ordinary public spaces such as streets and pavements as well as investigate the hidden histories of London’s street furniture including bollards, grave markers, manhole covers, historic cobbles, telephone boxes, odd signs and London’s Plane Trees.
Public London will be open from Wednesday 23 April – Saturday 11 July 2015.
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