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Over the last few years we’ve heard approximately 300,000 bright ideas calling themselves ‘London’s answer to the High Line’, Manhattan’s elevated park. But only one has actually happened: Southwark’s ‘Low Line’, a route that runs alongside the Victorian railway arches linking Bankside, London Bridge and Bermondsey, taking in Flat Iron Square, Borough Market and Vinegar Yard. Now it’s getting a snazzy revamp to boost its profile and see if it can really compete with its famous New York cousin.
Last summer, the Royal Institute of British Architects launched a competition inviting architects, artists, engineers, ecologists and designers to submit their vision for the new Low Line. The winner has been revealed today. The grand plan is to transform this slightly disjointed path into a shiny new ecological walkway.
The victorious ‘Low Line Commons’ design will feature tree planting, community gardens and new wildlife habitats. The architects behind the concept, PDP London, also hope to encourage an influx of green businesses to set up in the area. Along with improving air quality and making the existing green spaces along the Low Line more accessible, the concept features sustainable drainage systems and rain gardens to prevent flooding.
So hopefully ‘London’s answer to New York’s High Line’ will soon just be green, not green with envy.
Find out how you can make London greener by joining our campaign: How to Build a Green City.