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Old Posted Nov 12, 2013, 2:13 AM
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A peaceful walkable oasis stretching 1,200 feet across the Thames

This New Bridge In London Has A Garden Growing Out Of It


November 8, 2013

By Ben Schiller

Read More: http://www.fastcoexist.com/3021300/t...wing-out-of-it

Quote:
Cities want more green spaces, but there's no place left to build. What's a municipality to do? If they're London, they look to the River Thames. It's one part of the city center that's relatively untouched by development.

- Like New York's High Line but built from scratch, the Garden Bridge would stretch 1,200 feet across the Thames, and contain a mass of flowers, grasses, shrubs, trees, walkways, and benches. The project's backers hope it will be a slow and peaceful oasis amid the chaos of Europe's busiest city.

- The concept comes from Thomas Heatherwick, the British designer who recently remodeled London's famous double-decked buses. His bridge design has large fluted piers that bulge at two points, creating more space for greenery. The span would go from the Temple area on the north side to the South Bank. Arup, the engineering firm, is assisting with the technical design.

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Old Posted Nov 12, 2013, 2:32 AM
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First and foremost it has to make sense as a bridge. Does it connect two places pedestrians want to cross? If not, it will end up an underused dead space.
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Old Posted Nov 12, 2013, 3:11 AM
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No problem there....tons of people in that area, and a half-mile cut off a lot of connections. Though it seems like a ped bridge next to the rail bridge to Charing Cross would probably have more demand, basically Waterloo Station and London Eye to the Trafalgar Square area. Or maybe both would benefit.

And please make it wider. The second picture looks like a traffic jam waiting to happen.
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Old Posted Nov 12, 2013, 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Cirrus View Post
First and foremost it has to make sense as a bridge. Does it connect two places pedestrians want to cross? If not, it will end up an underused dead space.
Sounds like it will be between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. It's a busy area so there are plenty of people, as long as it meets the Victoria Embankment near enough to the Temple tube station. There's nothing on the South Bank of the river just there, though.

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Originally Posted by mhays View Post
No problem there....tons of people in that area, and a half-mile cut off a lot of connections. Though it seems like a ped bridge next to the rail bridge to Charing Cross would probably have more demand, basically Waterloo Station and London Eye to the Trafalgar Square area. Or maybe both would benefit.
True, but there is already a pedestrian bridge to either side of the railway lines. And trains pulling in and out of Charing Cross every 3 minutes wouldn't exactly make for the tranquil oasis in the city that the designers envision.

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Old Posted Nov 12, 2013, 2:49 PM
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Originally Posted by 10023 View Post
Sounds like it will be between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. It's a busy area so there are plenty of people, as long as it meets the Victoria Embankment near enough to the Temple tube station. There's nothing on the South Bank of the river just there, though.
The northern end of the bridge would terminate above Temple tube station:


Image sourced from Heatherwick Studio: http://www.heatherwick.com/garden-bridge

It should provide substantial pedestrian relief to the Golden Jubilee Bridges (adjacent to the Hungerford rail bridge in your picture), and a more pedestrian-friendly route from the South Bank & Tate Modern to Covent Garden.
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Old Posted Nov 12, 2013, 3:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 10023 View Post
Sounds like it will be between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. It's a busy area so there are plenty of people, as long as it meets the Victoria Embankment near enough to the Temple tube station. There's nothing on the South Bank of the river just there, though.


True, but there is already a pedestrian bridge to either side of the railway lines. And trains pulling in and out of Charing Cross every 3 minutes wouldn't exactly make for the tranquil oasis in the city that the designers envision.

Oh forgot about those. So the other spot is a bigger gap.
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Old Posted Nov 12, 2013, 3:57 PM
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Reminds me of that documentary on Discovery Channel where they looked at cities 100 years after people disappeared completely.
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Old Posted Nov 13, 2013, 2:48 AM
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Agreed it should be widened, but other than that, it's an intriguing concept.
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Old Posted Nov 13, 2013, 3:46 PM
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The concept could also have a suspended tunnel under it for transit, and would be sure to keep cars off of them too.
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Old Posted Nov 13, 2013, 4:29 PM
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Originally Posted by M II A II R II K View Post
The concept could also have a suspended tunnel under it for transit, and would be sure to keep cars off of them too.
I don't think that would be feasible due to the limited available space on Victoria Embankment, pedestrian-only/limited routes on the south bank side, and the clearance height for London’s double-decker fleet (not many personal cars drive into Central London).

A segregated route for bicycles would possibly be more useful as cyclists outnumber vehicles on the nearby Waterloo Bridge.
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