Thames Gateway - Flood Life
The dangers of Man’s unsustainable habitat are no longer the delusions of environmentalists; it is plain to see to even the most misinformed layperson that Man’s ever expanding population (over 6 billion), coupled with increasing consumption, cannot go on forever. We cannot keep drawing on finite resources- coal, oil and gas, to fuel our infinite consumption. Our planet’s natural capital (water, minerals, oil, trees, fish, soil, air etc.), is steadily being depleted. Already the strains are beginning to show; extinction of various species at an unprecedented rate, rising sea levels, increased flooding, storm, soil erosion and drought, through the agency of global warming. Imbalances exist not only in our relationship with the Earth, but also in our relationships with each other. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening, and in many “developing” countries simply surviving is a struggle. Life-styles and consumption differ sharply around the world: if we were all to live like the average North American we would need five planet Earths to support us. However, if we all lived like the average Pakistani we would need less than one. All of the above represent a challenge to rethink how we live, an opportunity to reshape our relationships with each other and with this planet we call Earth. The time is for innovation, for creative solutions, for people to use their greatest resource – their minds, to push things forward. The Life in the Balance competition is an opportunity to experiment, to try out ideas and in the process to evolve new ones. For our team, it represents an opportunity to pool resources and experiences from around the globe and to explore ways of working across different time-zones.
Context
London is one of the world’s key business and financial centres, and at 7.7 million has the largest population of any European city. London is a magnet for migrants, both from within the UK and without, and the natural growth rate of its population is one of the highest in the UK. House-building has recently been in decline, while the demand for affordable housing in the south-east continues to grow. In response the New Labour government announced plans for an ambitious new housing initiative- up to £5 billion for affordable housing, and £610 million start-up funds for the Thames Gateway area in the south-east. There is the potential for the Thames Gateway to deliver 200 000 new homes.
The Thames Gateway is the area of the River Thames east of London. The official dedicated area extends as far west as the City, along through Greenwich, Dagenham, Gravesend and as far out as Southend-on-Sea and the Isle of Sheppey. The site of our project, is Deptford Creek, where the River Ravensbourne joins the River Thames, just west of Greenwich Borough Centre. Deptford Creek was home to a power station and other heavy industries. However, these have now been dismantled and the area is under considerable development pressure. The Government is encouraging high-density developments on brownfield sites such as these. There are programs for environmental and housing improvements, as well as for major new residential developments. Deptford Creek is also a node for cultural and creative industries as exemplified by the Laban Centre for Contemporary Dance built on an adjacent site.
The Thames Gateway will be subject to a high influx of new residents, as the Government pours millions of pounds into the development of the area. The number of households in Greenwich Borough is on the increase even before the Gateway scheme has begun: from 1991 to 2004 the number of households increased from 86 500 to 93 200. This is estimated to rise to 105 400 households by 2011. Between 70% to 80% of this increase is due to single person households – especially between the ages 30 and 64.
Tools
Decentralisation
Decentralisation is about choice and responsibility. Decentralising production and services means that they become flexible and context-specific. It means participatory budgeting and settlement-level waste-disposal committees. Decentralising decisions and resources means that people become active agents in their own and their world’s development.
Interconnection
The world is a mind-bogglingly interconnected place. With increasing globalisation our actions have consequences that can ripple across the globe. An off-the-grid community is well-nigh impossible (possibly also undesirable), as there will always be inputs and outputs to and from any community. This should not be denied, but rather the interconnections should be acknowledged and embraced. A settlement should not be looked at in isolation, but in the context of this larger whole. At the same time, its decentralised status will give it a full knowledge of its responsibility to the world, and of the world’s response to it. In these terms, absolute consumption must be curtailed.
Small loops
Smaller loops enable people to have more control and responsibility over their environment. Small loops mean local shops that are within walking distance, compost from houses being used in local parks, or waste water used to irrigate local agriculture. It means producing and consuming locally. It means a smaller loop between production and consumption. It means people in a community, relying on and supporting one another.
Working with the Nature
“Nature” is often seen as either “useful” to us, or useless. The Thames Gateway is to occupy both north Kent and south Essex, areas renowned for their marshes and wetland habitats. In response to these wild areas, planners have unveiled a range of ideas, all seemingly aimed at turning them into “amenities” for people, retaining a semblance of nature but criss-crossed with paths, walkways, cafes and education centres. They do not seem to possess the philosophical apparatus to justify the existence of wildness in any other way. It is our contention that just as Man justifies his existence simply and amply by the fact that he is, so the natural system is amply justified by and for itself. Paradoxically, it is just when it is at its most wild and most “useless” that it can benefit people the most, for it remains a release and an untouchable beauty, even if never physically visited. It remains to be seen whether such wildness can survive in south-east England for much longer.
Issues
Flood risk
The Thames exhibits its tidal property as far upstream as Teddington (90km from the sea). Deptford Creek is of course also tidal and an area at risk of flood. However it is protected by substantial flood defenses (eg. the Thames Barrier) which guard against 1-in-1000-year floods. Floods from the sea depend mainly on storm-surge combined with a high tide, which can have disastrous consequences (eg. the flood of 1953). Global warming scenarios indicate increased storm severity and frequency, which, coupled with sea-level rise, the post-glacial rebound “sinking” of southern Britain and the funnel-effect of the Thames Estuary, may make current flood defences obsolete by 2030. The rate of sea-level rise is a hotly debated subject. Currently rising 6mm per year, conservative estimates might place it at +1m by the end of this century. The current flood defenses will need to be improved in 2030, if the current level of protection is to be maintained. If this strategy is pursued then as sea-levels continue to rise, so flood defences will need to be continually improved. The consequences of this to other parts of the River / coastline are unknown – after all, the water needs to go somewhere.
Flood Life conceives a softer flood barrier. Instead of simply shutting out the flood waters, water is allowed onto the land by a series of curving waterways, and temporary reservoirs which allow the water to pond and recharge the groundwater. Planting and rubble help the storm surge deplete itself through small openings.
Riverside houses draw on marine technology, to enable dwellings to respond to fluctuations in the local environment. Flotation tanks of plastic or metal provide buoyancy, and house are "moored" piles. This enables the houses to move up during floods and then return to a "stop" affixed to the piles which prevents them settling into the mud.
Bio-diversity
The Thames River is the largest continuous habitat in Greater London, and more then a 100 species of fish have been recorded in it. The Thames and its estuary support a number species including the Grey Heron, 1% of whose British population is present in London, but which suffers through lack of nesting places in tall trees. Among many others, the Sand Martin, the Humble Bumble-bee, and the Black Poplar are all present. The bio-diversity of the riverside has decreased due to pollution, encroachment of inter-tidal habitats by built development, and insensitive flood defences.
The soft planted and rubble flood barrier provides a varied habitat to encourage a wide bio-diversity back into the Thames Gateway. The planted barrier would be home to a variety of plants. The Black Poplar, along with other trees with binding roots and which love the water (eg. willows, alders) could be used to bind banks and protect against soil erosion, as well as supplying wood for bio-fuel (although none of these trees makes particularly good building timber) and possibly nesting places for birds. Existing concrete flood defense walls could be clad in timber boards to provide niches for plant and animal life and thus boost ecosystems.
The linear nature of the river inspired the creation of “wildlife corridors” parallel to it and forming an interconnected eco-system. If undisturbed, these corridors could be vital lifelines, providing running links out into the countryside; it is a challenge to ensure their continuation, but the city benefits conversely in its care for that which is not itself.
Population density & “Ecological Footprint”
Population density is commonly thought of as the number people divided by the area of land the settlement occupies. However, this approach does not take into account the ecological footprint of each inhabitant, which can be thought of as the amount of land needed to support a single person. This calculation includes the area needed not just for habitation, but for food-production, energy generation, water purification and waste disposal. We find that if this is taken into account, the definitions of “high-density” urban populations can be put into context. For instance, Flood Life, in using what would otherwise be “useless” flood-prone land for innovative dwelling, which incorporates most of its own energy-generation and waste treatment, frees much more land for other uses, and its overall ecological footprint is relatively impressive. In relation to our arguments on decentralisation and interconnection above, we find this gives justification for a settlement to do all that is possible within a limited site, and yet still have some reliance on what happens beyond its physical boundaries. Our concept is not to produce a fortress, but a cohesive, responsible and local community of settlements.
Energy use and production
Annually, an average UK household uses 4.7 MWh of electricity. This is a major strain on any energy resources (renewable or non-renewable) that supply [electrical] energy. Energy demand can be decreased in a number of ways. Firstly, through technology: new products are emerging in the market that help reduce energy consumption from LED lights, to better insulation, to intelligent control systems for the heating and lighting of our homes. All of this can help reduce the demand. However, the biggest change will come from a change in attitudes and lifestyle: wearing an extra layer of clothing instead of turning the thermostat up, boiling only the amount of water you need, or switching the TV off instead of leaving it on stand-by. This can be encouraged by having visible metering of production and consumption. As each house would be producing its own energy through renewable sources, a meter would show the amount produced against the amount used. An intelligent system could control the consumption in a house, and reduce it (ie. dim lights, switch off certain appliances, warn the owner) when energy levels were low, indicating to the owner that more careful use of energy is required.
Governance
The settlements will be community-owned and -run. Responsibility for operation and maintenance will be devolved down to the community themselves. Each cluster of 50 houses will have its own representative, the representatives will collectively form a settlement-level committee. Since many services are decentralised down to the household level, settlement level committees will not need to deal with these issues. However the operation and maintenance of common facilities will be handled by the committee. It is hoped that over time the cost of these facilities will be entirely covered by community contributions and enterprises. Retail facilities will be owned and managed by the committee, the rent/sale of which can go towards a common community fund. The collection and sale of compost could be handled by the committee. The compost itself could be used for financially productive planting which can then be sold back to the residents or to the wider community. Surplus compost can be sold to neighbouring settlements.
Not only will this make for a flexible settlement and reduce the strain on the borough level governance, but it may also have positive social consequences. People will feel that they own their settlement, as they are actively contributing and managing it. Greater interaction will be required between people in the settlement, enabling a more close-knit cohesive community spirit to develop. Initially the skills to manage the settlement may not be present in the community, and training and facilitation from outside agencies may therefore be initially needed. However, over time this also could be phased out.
Implementation
The concepts of decentralisation, interconnection and working with an independently valuable nature are fundamentally to do with shifts in mind-sets and world-views. Implementation of the actual scheme would be done in a phased demand-driven manner. As the units and clusters are very much decentralised it would be possible to start with only a few houses and let the settlement grow over time. There are certain communal elements that would need a critical mass of people to be sustainable. Things such as mass transport systems would only be implemented once the demand for the system was created. The settlement would never be perfect or finished but evolve over time responding to change conditions and residents. It could conceivably “extend” down the River along the path of the Thames Gateway into a number of similar settlements, and begin to provide an alternative to the conventional housing programme already planned for this wild and flood-prone area.
Obstacles
Social
People seem rarely to alter their lifestyles so that they have a smaller ecological footprint. However, ‘being green’ is beginning to be mainstreamed. It now has a more fashionable image, and no longer something only for hippies or environmentalists. However, it is yet to be seen if people are willing to change their lifestyles. Perhaps the political and historical inertia of London will overcome attitudes to social change: we think people will be unwilling except on the most drastic grounds to leave their city and neighbourhood.
Economic
Though much of the technology and concepts have been used successfully separately in the past, the combination of them all together is still something quite new. Finding an investor willing to take the risk would be difficult. In the current financial climate, the markets are geared towards delivering fossil fuels. The market for renewable energy is small but growing. It is inevitable that the price for extracting and processing fossils fuels will eventually make them uneconomical. As world leaders begin to realise the pressing need for renewable energy sources, so the financial climate will become more attractive for renewable sources. At such a time, Flood Life will seem a lot more feasible. Insurers will also typically avoid land prone to flood, particularly after the Thames Barrier becomes obsolete (2030), which would discourage both buyers and developers from the project, but this too may find its solution in the inertia of the Capital mentioned above.
Technical
As well as successfully integrating renewable technologies to provide a more or less self-sufficient community, it is envisaged that there would be many technical hurdles to be overcome in the construction and upkeep of the buildings and the surrounding land. River and marine environments are notoriously difficult challenges, but have also been the scene of some outstanding triumphs.
Different climates and geographies
The concepts of decentralisation, interconnections and wildness of nature would be applicable in any situation around the globe. Self-reliance, at both household and settlement level, will mean that the viability of the settlement would be less dependent on outside circumstances. The specific interventions could be applied to other areas prone to flooding around the world. However, the extensive use of emerging technologies may mean that at the moment this concept has more relevance to inter-tidal settlements in developed rather then developing countries.