Scattered Satellites

Charles Benjamin Purdom

[Sir] Leslie Patrick Abercrombie

by Franz Sdoutz

1920 'Satellite Towns round London'
Charles Benjamin Purdom

» […] as part of the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in February 1920, the [Garden Cities and Town Planning] Association mounted a conference on Satellite Towns for Greater London. A proposal was made for a system of twenty-three satellite towns around London. « V.) 4

• http://cashewnut.me.uk/ [… 2]
  http://www.archive.org/ 2

1943
'The County of London Plan'
by [Sir] Patrick Abercrombie

» […] London has been divided into marked residential areas, the purpose of which was to identify those areas with a "high proportion of obsolescent property", in relation to others that were used with more regularity. « I.) 1

Despite its rendered meaning this truly magnificent graphic artwork equivalents a [mind]map of popular urban conditioning - of passed on territorial imprints, manifest through toponyms and their administration.
In the course of urban identity-restoration IX.) 5 this mapping conceptualises the "Twin City of London and Westminster" to form a "cellular" plural[ent]ity of distinct discrete sites III.) 2 and thus projects "growth" by clusters of [exactly such] offshoots.

"[…] Our plan is an idea, a plan for something that is living, something that is growing." III.) 3

• Video
  http://www.archive.org/ 2
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/
  http://www.utopialondon.com/ 2
• Plans
  'The County of London Plan explained by E. J. Carter and Ernö Goldfinger' 1945 http://books.google.at/ […]
  http://www.flickr.com/
  http://www.gardenvisit.com/ 2 […]
  http://www.rudi.net/ […]
  http://www.cbrd.co.uk/
  http://sunfoundation.tumblr.com/
  http://www.iwm.org.uk/ 2
  http://www.archnews.co.uk/ [PDF]
  http://www.topsoc.org/
• Model
  http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/

1944
'Grater London Plan'
by [Sir] Patrick Abercrombie


Based on a policy of containment [already pursued in the 16th century] a permanent Green Belt should limit that vast "uncharted sea" of terraces …

• http://www.nzdl.org/
  http://website.lineone.net/
  Neighbourhoods 1 2 3 4 5
• PDF
  http://jph.sagepub.com/
  http://www.tcpa.org.uk/
• Video
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/

1964
'The South East Study'

» […] since the end of the war the population of London, far from attaining the stability envisaged by Sir Patrick Abercrombie, had increased at an unprecedented rate […] « VIII.) 6

London [still] spread …

• http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/

1967
'A Strategy for the South East'

» With the need to preserve a widened Green Belt, urban development could be confined to specific axes [corridors …] « VIII.) 7

London channelled …

• http://books.google.at/

1970
'A Strategic Plan for the South East'


1976
'London Docklands Strategic Plan'

• http://www.docstoc.com/
  http://www.british-history.ac.uk/
  books.google.at/

1979
Thatcherism […]

• http://www.lddc-history.org.uk/

1995
'Thames Gateway Planning Framework RPG 9a'

my copy from [404]

2004
'The London Plan
Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London'
Advised by [Lord] Richard Rogers as chief advisor on architecture and urbanism to the Mayor(s) of London (2001 – 2009)

Still in the green …

my copy from [404]

'London Thames Gateway'
my copy from [404]

2006
'The Thames Gateway Interim Plan'



my copies a b c from [404]

• http://www.audacity.org/

2008
'The London Plan
Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London
Consolidated with Alterations since 2004'

my copy from […]

2009
'The London Plan
Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London
Consultation draft replacement plan'

my copy from […]

2009
'The Thames Gateway Core Vision November 2009'

by [Sir] Terry Farrell

• my copy from 404 + 'Shaping London'
  my copy from 404
  http://www.building.co.uk/ [Text only] 2 [Text only]
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/
  http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/
• http://www.audacity.org/

2010 'The Thames Estuary: An Integrated Approach'
PDF from http://london.gov.uk/ [404]

'June 2010
The Mayor's Outer London Commission:
Report'

» […] considering the case made by a number of stakeholders for a high-speed, contiguous orbital transport system [… the comission] concluded that a "star and cluster" model (see Figure 1) offers a more effective and practical model to meet the needs […] characterising outer London. Orbital movement around London can also be facilitated by developing and improving strategic interchanges and ensuring the most is made of existing links. « XVI.) 9

• http://www.london.gov.uk/ PDF

2011
'THE LONDON PLAN
Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London
July 2011'

Not green at all …

• http://www.london.gov.uk/ PDF download

2011
'DRAFT SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE
THE ALL LONDON GREEN GRID NOVEMBER 2011' XVI.) 10

• http://www.london.gov.uk/ [403] my copy from …

2011 (January)
'A new airport for London, Part 1 – The Case for New Capacity'

• Part 1: my copy from … http://www.london.gov.uk/
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/

2011 (November)
'A new airport for London, Part 2 – The economic benefits of a new hub airport'

• Part 2: my copy from … http://www.london.gov.uk/
• PDF from http://www.parliament.uk/

2011 (November)
'Thames Estuary Airport Masterplan'
by Foster + Partners

• http://en.wikipedia.org/
  http://www.archdaily.com/ 2 3
  http://www.dezeen.com/
  http://www.designboom.com/
  http://www.halcrow.com/ [404] my copy from…
  http://www.airtransportpubs.com/
• Video
  http://youtu.be/ 2
• 'Boris island'
  http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/
  http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/
  http://www.thenational.ae/ [404] my copy
• On the bandwagon
  http://thamesestuaryairport.com/ my copy from 404

Lower Lea Valley

• http://www.terryfarrell.co.uk/ 2004 [404] my copy retrieved 28.09.2013
  Opportunity Area Planning Framework PDF 2 [January 2007, my copy}
  http://www.london.gov.uk/ OLSPG PDF [20 June 2012, my copy]
  https://vimeo.com/

"Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park" [2012 Summer Olympics in London]

• http://en.wikipedia.org/ 2
  http://www.olympic.org/london-2012-summer-olympics

Olympic and Paralympic Transport Legacy Action Plan

• http://www.london.gov.uk/ PDF [16 March 2012, my copy]

Vertically challenged [...]

• https://www.youtube.com/ [recorded 2 June 2014]
  https://www.youtube.com/ [published 8 April 2015]
  https://www.youtube.com/ [recorded 12 June 2013]

Further Alterations to the London Plan [2015]

• http://www.london.gov.uk/ PDF [March 2015, my copy]

"Gateways" and "Corridors": towards a more linear expansion …

• http://www.lboro.ac.uk/

1941
Ludwig Hilberseimer

• JPG
  http://digital-libraries.saic.edu/

1942 'A Masterplan for London'
Modern Architecture Research Group [MARS = British CIAM Group]
Plan [published] by Arthur Korn and Felix James Samuely III.) 11

• http://www.archplus.net/
  http://designmuseum.org/
  http://www.jstor.org/
  http://books.google.at/
  http://en.wikipedia.org/
  http://www.academia.edu/
  http://www.oxforddnb.com/ PDF from ...
  http://www.bcu.ac.uk/ PDF from ...

References

1. 'Instant Cities' by Herbert Wright published by Black Dog Publishing London 2008
   
   Img. _02 [page 17] Patrick Abercrombie, 'The County of London Plan' 1943
   1 Caption for Img. _02 [page 16]
   According to http://cup2013.wordpress.com/ drawn by Arthur Ling and D.K. Johnson in 1943.
2. IN:
   'New Towns: The British Experience' edited by Hazel Evans, published for the Town and Country Planning Association by Charles Knight & Co. Ltd. London 1972
   
   '2 "The new town movement" ' by Frank Schaffer [page 11 - 21]
   
   Img. _03 [page 19] Diagram of the 'Grater London Plan' 1944; there are various versions all ascribed to Abercrombie …[?]
   http://books.google.at/ ['Urban Geography' page 191]
   http://www.macalester.edu/
3. IN:
   'The modern city revisited' edited by Thomas Deckker published by Taylor & Francis, 2000 http://books.google.at/
   
   'Towards the functional city? MARS, CIAM and the London plans 1933-42' by John Gold [page 80-100]
   
   Img. _10 [page 81] 'Master plan for London' 1942
   11 With the MARS group in disagreement, the main contributors to the final published version [according to John Gold] seem to be: Arthur Korn, Arthur Ling, Christopher Tunnard, Felix Samuely and Maxwell Fry.
   » [...] Acting largely independently of the rest of the Group, Korn brought matters to a speedy conclusion. Recovering the only existing copy of the preliminary drawings to have survived bomb damage, Kern put together the final plan, with Samuely supplying material on costings and on the rail proposals, and Fry helping with the drawings. Given a standing invitation from de Cronin Hastings for MARS to contribute to the Architectural Review's 'Destruction and Reconstruction' series, the essence of the MARS plan appeared there in June 1942, although publication of the full set of drawings awaited the appearance of Maxwell Fry's book Fine Building in 1944. « [page 91]
4. 'The Proud City' Film [1945 according to http://www.utopialondon.com/] 'The County of London Plan' from 1943 shows in the background. Available online from: http://www.archive.org/
   
   3 Text narrated by [Sir] Patrick Abercrombie
   2 The past framing the future as a matter of course:
   "London of course used to be a collection of scattered village communities […] " Text narrated by J. H. Forshaw. The Film also exemplifies the "neighborhood unit principle” [Clarence Arthur Perry 1929 …] for London.
   See also: The Growth of London
   The notion of London as a "metropolis of villages" connected by high streets was still conveyed to me in the 1990s …
5. 'From Garden Cities to New Towns: Campaigning for town and country planning, 1899-1946' by Dennis Hardy published by Taylor & Francis, 1991 http://books.google.at/
   
   Img. _01 [page 148] There are at least three versions of that diagram prepared by C. B. Purdom. Compare to: 'The Building of Satellite Towns' by C. B. Purdom published first 1925 […]
   4 [page 148, 149] Probably referring to:
   'International Garden Cities and Town Planning Conference at the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition, Olympia, London, S.W., on February 16th, 17th, and 18th, 1920' … http://books.google.at/ b ?
6. 'The New City - PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING' by Ludwig Hilberseiner, [With an Introduction by Mies van der Rohe], published by Paul Theobald Chicago 1944 http://www.archive.org/
   
   Img. _09 [page 153] 'A Diaggrammatic Sketch for London' 1941http://www.archive.org/
7. 'Milton Keynes: image and reality' by Terence Bendixson and John Platt, published by Granta Editions, Cambridge 1992 [reprinted 1998] http://books.google.at/
   
   Img. _05 [page 82] Diagram of 'A Strategy for the South East : A First Report by the South East Economic Planning Council' published November 1967;
   there are at least two different versions of that diagram VIII.) … [ ?]
8. ^ 'New Towns: Regional Planning and Development' by Pierre Merlin, published by Methuen & Co Ltd 1971 [First published 1969 as Les Villes Nouvelles by Presses Universitaires de France, Paris] http://books.google.at/
   
   Img. _04 [page 43] Diagram of 'The South-East Study' published by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government 1964 http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/
   6 [page 40 onwards]
   7 [page 48]
9. IN:
   'LONDON : THE UNIQUE CITY' Revised Edition by Steen Eiler Rasmussen, published by The MIT Press, Cambridge, London 1982 (original edition in Danish, London 1934)
   'An Essay on London New Towns Modern and Ancient: A New and More Happy Ending but No End', by Steen Eiler Rasmussen 1978 [appendix, page 405]
   
   5 "[These] projects were regarded as a weapon in the war. They were supposed to strengthen the morale of the people by promising a better England for all after the war." [page 427]
10. 'The London Plan : Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London' published by the Greater London Authority February 2004 403 [my copy]
    
    Img. _07 [page 50] 'The Key Diagram'
    8 [page 49]
11. 'The Thames Gateway Interim Plan: Policy Framework' published by the Department for Communities and Local Government 22nd November 2006 404 [my copy] See also: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
    
    Img. _08 [page 27] 'The Thames Gateway Parklands'
12. 'Thames Gateway Planning Framework (RPG 9A)' published by HMSO 16 June 1995 404 [my copy] See also: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
    
    Img. _06 [inside cover] 'Thames Gateway Framework Diagram'
13. 'THE LONDON PLAN Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London July 2011' published by Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA
    
    Img. _11 'Source Centre for Sustainable Energy © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Greater London Authority 100032216 (2011)'
    Chapter 5 [page 147] http://www.london.gov.uk/
14. 'The Thames Gateway Core Vision November 2009' by [Sir] Terry Farrell
    my copy from ...
    
    Img. _12 » The Core Vision builds on the estuary’s unique assets… «
    Asset No. 3: 'Connected communities' [page 19]
15. 'Thames Estuary Airport Masterplan' by Foster + Partners promoted autumn 2011
    
    Img. _13 'New Thames Estuary Airport Masterplan' Netpic from http://www.designboom.com/
16. 'June 2010, The Mayor’s Outer London Commission: Report' published by Greater London Authority in June 2010 PDF from http://www.london.gov.uk/
    
    10 » Extending into the Green Belt?
    The Commission considered whether strategic extensions of provision for business activity in to the Green Belt was necessary to realise the economic potential of outer London. We have concluded that as a strategic principle this was unnecessary and wasteful in terms of the use of land and existing infrastructure. « [page 11]
    9 » Transport and outer London « [page 16]
    Img. _14 Label: » Figure 1: "Star and cluster" approach using existing links and improved strategic interchanges shown in orange « [page 17]
17. 'DRAFT SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE ALL LONDON GREEN GRID NOVEMBER 2011' published by Greater London Authority in November 2011 'PUBLISHED FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION THE LONDON PLAN (SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR GREATER LONDON)'
    403 my copy from …
    
    Img. _15 Label: » Figure 13 : Green belt and urban fringe « [page 57]
18. 'Olympic Legacy Supplementary Planning Guidance' published by Greater London Authority in July 2012
    http://www.london.gov.uk/ OLSPG PDF [20 June 2012 my copy]
    
    Img. _16 Lea Valley including Stratford (OLSPG Area)
    Label: » Figure 1.1 London context « [page 6]
19. 'List of tallest buildings and structures in London' by Wikipedia [last modified on 15 July 2015 at 03:20]
    
    Img. _17 'Tallest buildings in London.' Netpic [detail] from https://en.wikipedia.org/ uploaded by Ali Zifan, 15 February 2015 [retrieved July 2015]

Links

• http://en.wikipedia.org/
  http://www.cbrd.co.uk/
  http://www.inspiringcities.org/
• Abercrombie
  http://en.wikipedia.org/
  http://www.britannica.com/
• PDF
  http://www.knstwrk.nl/
  http://www.plymouthdata.info/
• Video
  http://www.youtube.com/ 2 3
  http://youtu.be/

File Log

• Very preliminary version - to be continued …
• Dates according to various sources … caution advised!
• Instead of retracing the British government’s ever shifting content, I've linked my archived copies … [October 2010]