Living Streets: King's Cross (Camden)

King's Cross Neighbourhood Forum

2012-02-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

A meeting today decided to form a King's Cross Neighbourhood Forum, which would be authorised to develop a 'Neighbourhood Plan' under the Localism Act 2011. This Neighbourhood Forum, once approved, would develop a vision for the future of the King's Cross area covering the same area as the 'Placeshaping Area' of King's Cross - across the Boroughs of Camden and Islington and TfL roads, focusing on the transport hub at King's Cross-St. Pancras.

The chair of the King's Cross Development Forum undertook that his coordinating group would submit a bid under the new Act to form a resourced Neighbourhood Forum for King's Cross, with a constitution and with at least 21 local members who live or work in the area. If you live and work locally, please feel free to join the forum and make yourself known to me or Hugh at KXDF.

At the meeting, I also saw plans drawn by (film educationist) Jeremy Ross, former Stanle Building resident, which demonstrate how to remove the King's Cross One-Way Traffic System (the 'Gyratory'), which will be of interest to Bikes Alive and other local groups and activists. Jeremy kindly offered to make copies of the plans for us in future.

From the meeting: Audioboo soundclips from Meeting Room 2 at Camden Town Hall tonight:

KX Neighbourhood Forum (mp3)

KX Neighbourhood Forum 2 (mp3)

KX Neighbourhood Forum 3 (mp3)

KX Neighbourhood Forum 4 (mp3)

KX Neighbourhood Forum 5 (mp3)

For the Gyratory-lovers, a sound clip from Monday evening...

Greg C

King's Cross Development Forum 9 February

2012-01-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

King's Cross Development Forum is a long established local group which is considering becoming officially constituted as a Neighbourhood Forum under the new Localism Act 2011. Planning structures are changing and resources are scarcer, and local government capacity is increasingly challenged under the new funding regime. A process of working with KXDF may be one effective way to work locally for safer and more pleasant streets where we live and work in the King's Cross area.

Advantages may be
- a better more cogent and more traceable line of communication on local issues.
- the appearance, at least, that local groups are better heard or more comprehensively and responsibly consulted by local government.

Disadvantages may be
- a tendency for local government skills and capacity previously used in responding to change being transferred to the voluntary sector - ie unpaid/retired/voluntary interests usurping the work (and expertise) of skilled council officers.
- a possibility that resources are not available to carry out well-intentioned community improvements.

Attending the meeting on 9 February would be a way to further investigate the possibilities.

Meanwhile, David Engwicht posits some DIY tools and strategies to bring the environment back to being a social space:
Wave to motorists. (Shaking your fist just tells them to go faster.)
Put something intriguing in the street.
Encourage local businesses to connect with the street by placing an activity or linger node outside their premises.

GC

Bad Gyrations

2012-01-24T01:49:00.000-08:00

Kings Cross Town Centre, largely known for the King's Cross Traffic Gyratory System, is composed of a mix of transport, commercial, residential and other uses with public spaces and highways. The town centre straddles two boroughs and contains public highways (streets for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport) which are part of strategic Transport for London motor transport routes (TfL Red Routes and TLRN roads) also used by greatly increased numbers of pedestrians. King's Cross town centre is made up of streets with an important public realm function, where local and travelling people (from across London, UK Europe and the world) all use streets to walk, live, shop, access amenities and entertainments, and to access and interchange between transport modes.

The Mayor says 'his' TfL gyratory system cannot feasibly be improved without major investment, and yet some of the largest redevelopment projects in London - like King's Cross and St Pancras International stations, King's Cross St. Pancras Underground Northern Ticket Hall, Regent's Quarter, and even the recent Gaylord's proposed Hotel at 1-11 Euston Road - all directly face these streets. The developers of King's Cross Railway Lands have built a huge private boulevarde. To date, investment in the public realm has been in the form of consultant reports, (including an ignored 2008 pedestrian safety audit), and some minor changes to three road junctions, still in construction. The public bridge across the station has become private. Tenants in the town centre on the gyratory seem disenfranchised or disinterested - how could the centre be regenerated to better suit the needs of the people who use this area?

GC

Bikes Alive 9 January 2012
Bikes Alive 23 January 2012

Reclaim-Street

King's Cross Go Slow

2012-01-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

Living Streets KX is a local group, working closely with Living Streets Islington, and with other local groups like KXDF and FoAS to try to make Kings Cross streets safer and more pleasant places to live, work and play.

The Go-Slow action was organised by Bikes Alive. (e-mail bikesalive@london.com)
If you’re on Twitter, you can keep up to date by following Living Streets KX at @livingstreetskx and @BikesAlive or look for Kings Cross / Go Slow / #friendsoftheformergyratory...

After the first Bikes Alive event (which involved around 200 people, including pedestrians), the organised wrote on their wordpress site:
"We need to make it clear that the current lethal priorities of Transport for London will not be tolerated, and if the only way an existing road system can be made safe is to take it over and exclude motor vehicles – at least for an hour! – so be it"
The police presence was as friendly and accommodating as it was on the previous occasion.

The organisers at Bikes Alive wrote: "we’re expecting pedestrians (including many Kings Cross locals, who also suffer from the current road system in the area) to be part of the action. So please don’t be too cycle-centric, and be prepared to move – or not move – at a pace which suits them too! Since we’re trying to change the balance on our roads to a more human and more humane one, do come with a smile on your face, and in good voice."

Vigil at King's Cross

2011-12-20T12:43:00.000-08:00

A vigil was held to remember road accident victims in King's Cross tonight. Living Streets Islington campaigner, Caroline Russell, said that the deaths on bicycles at the adjacent site - in front of the Lighthouse building on King's Cross Square in the town centre - ranged from Leslie Michaelson fourteen years ago to the recent death of Min Joo Lee. She said there had been sixteen cyclists killed and over sixty pedestrians killed this year in London - the situation is unacceptable. She implored the community to consult with and work with Transport for London.

A costly TfL "Crossing Removal Progamme", another campaigner noted, would help keep motor traffic moving, at the expense of pedestrian safety.

The group londonersonbikes.org.uk notes that transport is one thing the Mayor of London really does control, and suggests that Londoners "vote with their bikes" at elections on 3 May 2012. Will this help save King's Cross' town centre?

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King's Cross Town Centre and "Friends of the (former) KX Gyratory"

2011-12-13T04:50:00.000-08:00

The Mayor of London, responding through TfL Officers, says the 2008 Living Streets report was 'superseded' by the 2009 Buchanan consultants' report (which uses older, more favourable data for 36 months to December 2007 - prior to the opening of St Pancras station and the Northern Ticket Hall) and that TfL's current 'Junction improvements' scheme is based on a 30% increase in footfall for the Olympics (which, with changes at London Underground Northern Ticket Hall and the Stations since 2007, must have occurred long ago).

The Mayor has no plans to improve the gyratory, and there is a Mayoral election approaching. A Kings Cross Neighbourhood Forum formed under the new Localism Act (Nov 2011) could direct local changes next year.

King’s Cross Junction (2)

Question No: 3268 / 2011

Caroline Pidgeon

Three years ago a report titled ‘The TfL PERS and CSA 07/08 Category A Station Audits King’s Cross and St Pancras Stations Final Report’ included a clear recommendation that TfL should “reduce traffic speeds around the [Euston Road/Gray’s Inn Road/Pentonville Road/York Way] junction” in order to improve safety. Can you explain the reasons why you discarded the advice that was presented to you, and what factors you took into account when choosing to do so?

Written response from the Mayor

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Written answer provided on 9 December 2011:

The report contained a number of short–term actions, including re-freshing road markings and repairing defects. Most of these were acted upon immediately after publication. The report also contained a number of longer-term aspirations and issues requiring more in-depth investigation.

In May 2009, TfL published the ‘King’s Cross Traffic and Pedestrian Study’, which set out TfL’s response to the longer-term issues raised. It included high-level proposals for a number of initiatives to improve the King’s Cross environment, which were subsequently translated into preliminary designs that could be discussed with stakeholders and implemented.

TfL began consultation on three schemes to provide pedestrian and cyclist improvements at three key junctions in May this year and will begin construction of these during December 2011.

King’s Cross Junction (4)

Question No: 3270 / 2011

Caroline Pidgeon

Further to MQ (1875/2011), you said that one-way systems where there is “evidence of poor performance, particularly in terms of safety” and where there is “a strong local consensus for change” are prioritised for removal. You added that schemes to remove gyratories must be feasible in engineering terms and those that have funding from external sources such as redevelopment schemes are prioritised. Do you think the King’s Cross gyratory system is performing well, particularly in terms of safety? If not, what steps will you take to ensure the removal of this gyratory system, in line with your policy?

Written response from the Mayor

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Written answer provided on 9 December 2011:

TfL is implementing schemes to improve road conditions at three key junctions in Kings Cross. These are:

At Euston Road/Pancras Road, extending the footway and installing new tactile paving on both sides of the road. Extending the pedestrian island on Euston Road to make it easier for pedestrians to cross. (Advanced stop lines (ASLs) are present in the existing layout). This element of the scheme is designed to accommodate a 30 per cent predicted increase in pedestrian footfall over this junction during the Games.

At Euston Road/York Way, extending the footway on the western side. Installing new Advanced Stop Lines for cyclists and tactile paving and changes to the signal control to a left ahead and two straight ahead movements at Euston Rd EB.

At Pentonville Road at its junction with Kings Cross Bridge and Caledonian Road, installing new tactile paving on either side of Pentonville Road and widening two existing pedestrian crossings on Caledonian Road and Kings Cross Bridge to accommodate a greater number of pedestrians. Provision of new Advanced Stop Lines for cyclists on Caledonian Road.

In general I support the removal of gyratories, wherever feasible, and where funding can be made available. The gyratory is complex and at a key location on the Transport for London Road Network. TfL does not currently believe that it is feasible to remove it. The very significant levels of funding that would be required to undertake such a task is also not available. However, all key junctions, such as this one, are kept under constant review.

Islington KX and Euston Circus Update

2011-12-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday 8 December I presented for Living Streets King's Cross at Living Streets Islington's branch meeting, at Islington Town Hall. My short presentation joined two others on removing gyratories at Archway and Highbury Corner. Although it is widely accepted that the replacement of gyratory systems with more liveable, walkable streets is very good for neighbourhoods, for economic vitality of local areas and streets, for environmental and air quality, much work is needed to promote these regeneration schemes beyond cosmetic changes, especially given the disenfranchisement of those who work and live on the existing gyratories.

Now that Islington borough has 20MPH streets, we can follow the initiative in King's Cross, including the Mayor/TfL controlled 'red routes' as a next step. The CNJ story about reclaiming the Olympic Lanes as cycle lanes in King's Cross had been noticed in Islington.

Formation of a 'Friends of the (former) King's Cross Gyratory' group was jokingly discussed as a way of balancing the burgeoning Friends of Regent's Canal group. Afterwards, excellent (home-made) festive season delicacies were enjoyed with drinks.

Euston Circus
Our group was asked (via Camden Streets and TfL Programme Planner, Joanne Elmer*) to comment at Palestra on TfL proposals for Euston Circus (replacing Design for London's scheme). Propoerty Developers British Land have commissioned Hyder and McAslan to design improvements on the bridge over Euston Road cutting and pavement widening and planting is proposed as part of the s106 planning gain agreement. An anticipated 2000 additional pedestrian movements from Warren Street Station to the development on the north-western corner is the design basis, and LEGION traffic modelling was used. It is unclear whether overall vehicle movements would be reduced with fewer vehicle lanes and given future the two-way Tottenham Court Road. Future southbound contraflow bus lane passengers on the footways were not yet taken into account.

The 'smoothing traffic' agenda at TfL was discussed as "increasing vehicle journey time reliability".

York Stone and asphalt surface treatments, seating options and Liquidambar plantings were discussed, particularly adjoining the UCL hospital corner cafe curtilage. There will be green walls cladding the reverse of the new advertising billboards. Will anyone want to sit there on the bridge?

TfL Programme Planner Joanne Elmer told me that Camden's public realm design team (Sam Monck, Simon Piper et al) will meet monthly with Transport for London designers and the consultants to refine the design. Following detailed design in March, construction is planned to begin in October 2012.

Kings Cross Town Centre

2011-12-07T05:27:00.001-08:00

Plans (or more accurately, a lack of effective public realm planning) for Kings Cross Town Centre and Kings Cross Square were discussed last night with Camden Councillor Paul Braithwaite and chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, Caroline Pidgeon.

King's Cross Forum member Hugh Lake pointed out the lack of coordination and ineffectiveness of Camden's Placeshaping Strategy for the area, which ignored aspects of transport and development south of the square. The GLA Transport Committee chair admitted in the meeting that the Mayor and Transport for London were not tackling the area adequately, nor were Boroughs.

It was noted that the TfL plans for cosmetic junction improvements (due for completion next year) were based on a report (Buchanan consultants) using data which predates the reopening of St Pancras International Station in 2007 (see pages 14-26).

Notes

Camden's plans for Kings Cross

2011-11-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

"Predominantly north of Euston Road" was the phrase which jumped out at me from Councillor Sarah Hayward's cabinet portfolio report on Placeshaping King's Cross to Camden Council at the Town Hall on 7 November (Agenda p48). The community consultations in October 2011 (where Cr Hayward was not present) and in October 2010 strongly emphasised the need for permeability north-south across Euston Road (especially with the council relocating) and east-west across King's Cross station and York Way into Islington.

Although Camden says it wants to capitalise on "the opportunities presented by King's Cross Central and the 2012 Olympics" - and certainly its deal with the developer to move the Town Hall offices to Building B3 in Pancras Square will do that by selling off the Town Hall extension, the council's strategy commitment to improving cycling and walking, street environment and air quality and in the borough apparently stops right at its office doorstep.

A deputation from London Cycling Campaign (see LCC response to Placeshaping) to Council at the Town Hall on 7 November elicited a non-committal response from Council about working with TfL to improve streets and crossings in King's Cross. Council would not even review the planned cosmetic and piecemeal junction improvements on Euston Road, which it says TfL aims to complete in January. Councillors were interested to know from LCC about a corporate manslaughter claim against TfL, but did not express any willingness for council to work harder or more closely with TfL on improving the King's Cross transport hub area, beyond leaving everything to council officers in its transport department. (York Way and Pancras Square do not bode well.)

Another deputation in favour of increasing the diversity of sexual entertainment licences held that a 250m cordon proposed around premises would conventionalise sexual entertainment types to lap dancing and pole dancing. This rather than encouraging more diverse gay, women only, couples and bisexual entertainment for sexual stimulation, which might be tolerated with a 100m or 50m cordon in Camden. The latter subtle and diverse forms of entertainment for sexual stimulation, it was suggested by council however, may be so normal as to not require licencing.

Back to King's Cross; Camden councillors said Transport for London were highly resistant to the removal of the King's Cross Gyratory System, and councillors seemed unwilling to take the removal any further. Transport for London has "doubled the capacity" of King's Cross St Pancras Underground Station in the midst of Camden, without improving (or adequately future planning) the connections around the station or across the main roads - who knows about the 20 new streets Camden is to adopt? Those accessing King's Cross (a promised world-class destination in the making) are finding Camden's public realm here seriously underwhelming and deadly. The Mayor of London is unresponsive.

The political relationship between Camden and TfL (and also with the Mayor of London) is complex - especially Camden's relationship with TfL on the Red Routes, on (motor) transport, parking, and on street Skip and Scaffold licence incomes. Users of the public realm, those who want to walk and cycle and breathe safely and healthily - while living, working, shopping or playing in King's Cross - are suffering.

Town hall services move across the A501

2011-11-02T04:47:00.000-07:00

Living Streets Kings Cross group members are concerned that the Transport Strategy for B3 has not properly prioritised or addressed the planning of safe and enjoyable walking, cycling and public transport access for people approaching the council offices (B3) via the public highways onto which this building fronts.

Our group was alerted by a local campaigner Lee Baker to the possibility of commenting on the new Camden borough offices in King's Cross, which will move from Bidborough Street across to King's Cross Central "building B3" to save money. We thought this would reduce the accessibility of the Camden services building on foot and by bicycle, despite this being a brand new building in the King's Cross funded by Camden as a tenant. We wrote the following deputation statement for Thursday Evening's Planning meeting:

Deputation Statement on 3 Pancras Square (Planning Application 2011/4090/P Plot B3, 3 Pancras Square)

Living Streets Kings Cross group promotes and campaigns for safer, more enjoyable streets where we work and live in King’s Cross, in the vicinity of King’s Cross Station. Living Streets King’s Cross group requests that Camden - through planning obligations (section 106) agreements - make its future offices highly accessible to the walking, cycling and public-transport-using public, including all ages and abilities, and including newly arrived international passengers. Living Streets Kings Cross group asks that Camden ensure that surrounding streets are measurably safer and more pleasant to use than those currently existing and planned, in keeping with Camden's Planning Strategies, and that Camden planners make it safer and easier to walk to new Camden offices at Pancras Square, especially, to make it safer and more pleasant crossing under the station tunnel, from St Pancras Station, from Pancras Road, from Camley Street, from Goods Way and from Euston Road.

The planning obligations (s106) associated with outline planning consent in 2008 for King’s Cross Central were that the streets would be safely walkable and easy to cross for diverse pedestrians and cyclists, connecting the entire Kings Cross Central area with the remainder of the borough, north, south east and west. Planning consideration has now been narrowed to the footways onto the roads outside B3. We are concerned about a reference in the current planning submission to new bus and coach drop-off facilities at B3, to avoid 'road crossing' (6.62) and would conflict with core strategy and with pedestrian, public transport and cycle access. The bus bays would therefore replace the existing safe walking access for schools and other groups to the Council offices currently available in Euston Road with unnecessarily motor-vehicle-dependent access. This contradicts Camden's strategic plans for improving walking, pedestrian and cycle accessibility, air quality and the environment (Core Strategy Document CS11, CS13).

The cosmetic junction improvements (‘extended pedestrian island’) planned by TfL London Streets for 2011-12 at Euston Road and Pancras Road junction seem pitifully inadequate to address the 2008 safety report UPR/T/029/08, and will be obsolete for the 2012 Olympics and when B3 is complete. There are no improvements proposed for crossing the dangerous junction of Camley Street, Goods Way and Pancras Road in front of B3 where Emma Foa was killed. (See 2008 report) (see also page 47 of public reports pack)

Camden’s recent cosmetic (s.106 funded) improvements to York Way are already obsolete, and the road remains unnecessarily unsafe. Group members are concerned that Camden is not planning these public areas including Pancras Road, Camley Street, Goods Way to be effective, pleasant or sufficiently safe, and that planning for these areas should be of a coherent and excellent international standard, rather than piecemeal and inconsistent.

The walking and cycling access standards for proposals for B3 and Kings Cross Central are not in accordance with the Kings Cross Place Plan developed and agreed by Camden with the community (Matthew Furness et al). The group requests that pedestrian and cycling access standards be of an international standard befitting such an internationally significant location. The current standards are compromised and inadequate.

In all, Living Streets Kings Cross group members are concerned that the Transport Strategy for B3 has not properly prioritised or addressed the planning of safe and enjoyable walking, cycling and public transport access for people approaching the council offices (B3) via the public highways onto which this building fronts.

DIY King's Cross

2011-10-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

It is increasingly apparent that agencies - LB Camden, LB Islington, Network Rail and Transport for London - are reluctant collectively to make King's Cross streets in the area around this internationally unique transport hub into a safer and more pleasant set of places to live and work.

One possibility for the holistic redesign of the area as a circulation system is not to leave it to 'fall between the stools' of these various agencies with their separate bureaucratic problems and resource limitations but to drive the process through a local group pf stakeholders.

The process could be modelled on what Sustrans calls DIY Streets :
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/liveable-neighbourhoods/diy-streets

and the 'Placecheck' method could be used for basic assessment of the streets.

Placeshaping - Shaping future King's Cross

2011-10-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

King's Cross Placeshaping Workshop (20 Oct 2011, hosted by LB Camden Placeshaping, at the Camden Centre in the Town Hall)

This short list (pictured) of priorities for the future of King's Cross was assembled, all in response to the draft from October 2010 workshops and more recent documents drafted by LB Camden (pdf). Each group represented communicated its issues for the Vision for King's Cross. These were prioritised for importance and for desired engagement with 'Camden Placeshaping team'.
(Following an an unsuccessful touchy-feely draw a crest exercise)

The red dots here indicate partcicpants votes for importance of issue (12 dots per participant allocated as they wished)
Coloured Stars show the groups' desired (voluntary) resource commitment to each issue - except that police are not voluntary (9 per participant allocated as they wished)

Looks like the gyratory is of key importance, but then, that was clear years ago. Safety in the public realm on the (motor) traffic system which forms the armature of this urban area is unsurprisingly fundamentally important, especially in light of recent casualties on it.

Howewer, it seems that Camden does not have it within its scope or capacity to influence this, nor even to ensure that its planning requirement for public access across King's Cross station ("Battle Bridge" - top right) can be upheld against Network Rail, which now considers it unnecessary.

Greg

Attendees:
Participating Residents / Consultees: 7
representing:
Living Streets King's Cross 1 (Greg)
King's Cross Development Forum 1
Camden Square Neighbourhood Association 1
Camden Community Radio 1
The Calthorpe Project 1
King's Cross Brunswick Neighbourhood Association - Youth Services 1

Resident and Lib Dem Campaigner Lee Baker

Participating police officers in uniform: 2; PC Jonathan Oran, Sgt. Gary McGovern

Non-participants
Council Officers: 5
Facilitators: 2

There was an undertaking that Placeshaping document draft would be redrafted with these priorities and resources in mind, with Head of Shaping Services "Helen" and Matthew Furness leading at LB Camden. The exercise seemed to revisit many issues from the October 2010 workshop.

www.camden.gov.uk/theme/clearleft-camden/ccm/navigation/e...

King's Crossings

2011-10-17T04:17:00.000-07:00

Should there be a connection between King's Cross Square and King's Cross Traffic Gyratory? There is one already, in that many users of the stations cross the roads in order to use the surrounding area; shopping, residing temporarily or permanently, working, going to entertainments and recreation, etc.

Motor vehicles on these busy roads, which are part of the "arterial" and "ring road" road transport systems "A501" and "A5200" have had a history to date of dangerous and violent physical contact between users of the road , and also produce noise, pollution and an arguably anti-social effects every day for the ambiance of these public spaces, and affecting the people who visit or live in the area, and those who work in or visit shops and businesses in the area.

The licensed operators of heavy vehicles are not personally responsible for the environmental impacts of these vehicles, and even in a conflict or deadly accident, may be exonerated as merely 'inadvertent'. Does the responsibility for care of these public realms rest solely with the collective publics, then?

One part of King's Cross' the public realm here, the square, is managed by Camden/Network Rail/King's Cross Redevelopment, however another, the roads A501 and A5200, are managed exclusively by Transport for London.

King's Cross is currently the focus of local debate about traffic danger on junctions which could be potentially far safer and far more pleasant to walk through (and even to shop in). King's Cross Square is the subject of recent discussion about (privately funded) public art in this prominent London public space, where even the responsibility for maintaining dangerous icy pavements in front of bus stands is ambiguous.

Could these public realms be more harmoniously connected? Could there be a better balance between pedestrians and vehicles in these important spaces, despite the Mayor's preoccupation with (motorised) traffic, in line with Transport for London promoting walking and cycling?

new from King's Cross Environment

More on the call for a corporate manslaughter claim here in the Guardian Bike Blog.
Response in Drawing Rings Around the World blog with some useful data like this:

Imminent workshops on the King's Cross Place Plan - although unlikely to address the Camden-Islington separation, may be another opportunity to discuss some of these issues about managing the public realm in King's Cross. rsvp!

Wild Food

2011-10-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

King's Cross Forage
Wild food walk - foraging on a radius around Camley Street Nature Reserve on a two hour walk, we found innumerable things growing in unexpected nooks by roads, along the canal, in ambiguous abandoned parts of road reserve, and on housing estates.
Six of us set off on a Thursday morning with a long forked birch stick, some books to identify species, a bucket and a blanket.

Some of our locations and finds included;
St Pancras Station road reserve on Pancras Way - a variety of nettles

At London's newest large street, King's Boulevarde, we found Plane Trees, and spoke to a keen street warden, and discussed the potential for guerilla planting some edible plants on the Boulevarde where Eat Street was setting up for the Central St Martin's students...

Grapes near Battlebridge Canal Basin

Local fishermen were catching (small) fish - mentioning pike, perch, dock, bream.

King's Cross Wild Grapes!

Many salads, including rocket and nettles were discovered, and flowers, like miniature Daisies... on the towpath

Blackberries were found growing on Goods Way, opposite the old Petrol Station

Cherries in Fyfe Terrace
Pears in Killick Street

A bucket of large apples was collected from trees in Birkenhead Street - shared with residents, and for Rubies in the Rubble..
Cherries in Judd Street....
Now to wash and process everything!

page 1

page 2

Addendum 24 October
Map to print double sided on A4 and fold to pocket-size!
Great Work Jeannine and friends

Sounds of London

2011-08-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

London Sound Survey

Bertolini on Multi-level Perspectives on Urban Transition

2011-07-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

Luca Bertolini (author with Tejo Spit of Cities on Rails SPON 1998), is talking in Perth about landscape pressure (especially on public transport) in urban transition. He says there are many approaches, including both carrrots and sticks, from political actors to social movements, which can be engaged in transition, the urban densification of the kind which we could say is occuring in King's Cross, and which is outlined in the chapter about King's Cross in the 1980s and 1990s in his book.

Bertolini gives the example of redevelopment and transition in Amsterdam, including the perhaps little-remembered unbuilt proposals for highway developments in the sixties even in the city centre. He mentions the roles of various actors in arriving at the present conditions of this now exemplary 'bicycle city' which is widely admired as a model city for sustainable development.

Just a few of the points which stood out to me - and which he promises to develop in his paper for the Congress (#WPSC) - are;
- exogenous development - the approach which puts development outside of the city, (Amsterdam South and beyond?)
- transition pathways - how these connect with environmental pathways
- necessity of cut and cover development in Amsterdam - which necessitated destroying and rebuilding infrastructure at enoroumous investment cost

The 'moments of change' Bertolini is discussing are a reminder, in my view, that there are difficult compromises to be negotiated between many actors (formal and informal) in redevelopment - and a continual balancing of stakeholder interests. The view of planners should indeed be widened, and rather than educating the public or planning students to "ask the right questions" - as one planning educator suggested yesterday - planners might do the harder work of observing a wider range of stakeholder views.

St Pancras-Somerstown-King's Cross Improvement Scheme

2011-06-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

20mph speed limit areas and zebra crossings are some of the measures proposed by L B Camden for an improvement scheme in St. Pancras, for which feedback is currently being sought.

Plender Street market, St. Pancras Way (unfortunately only the west side to the north, ignoring advice from the 2008 pedestrian audit about station access) and some junctions will be changed or simplified, in what seems an inexpensive scheme which will be unlikely to attract attention.

Comments and discussion of the documents?

see Camden Website

LDF (Local Development Framework Nov. 2010)

Issues on the Streets of King's Cross

2011-06-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

Two hours of constructive chat with Islington King's Cross Cops

Local police web chat

(06/16/2011)

Thursday June 16, 2011