Anyone remembering the high flying idea of the Garden Bridge over the Thames? For all non-Londoners: It was a private proposal for a pedestrian bridge over the Thames in London, the attraction was mainly designed as an uber-green play space across the river between Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges. Awesome!
I was surprised when I read it was an idea of actress Joanna Lumley. Google her. What can I say, a truly interesting and colourful personality. And this project was strongly supported by the-then-acting Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
An adorable project, I did love the idea. Yet, after many rounds of trying to secure funding, it turned out that there was nothing to be had, it was simply too expensive to realise and was binned. After £53m (including £43m of public money) investment research that was. Wow, how do you get that sort of money in the first place, methinks? Nevertheless, I guess you could have pulled that investment off by establishing it as a London tourist attraction.
But this failure isn’t what I want to talk about. I rather want to direct you towards another, shall we say, more sustainable, yet maybe none the less expensive project.
It’s the Camden Town Highline Project.
Instead of creating new structures, I am joining the forces of advocating to embrace existing structures and to give them a new life line. Existing structures have a story to tell, and if skilfully done, they are a far more interesting way of enticing our attention and engagement.
What is the “Camden Highline”? Well, it is an unused Train Track in North London parallel to currently operating train rails connecting Camden Town with King’s Cross. The project will be transforming this disused railway into a new green artery for London. The idea is to turn an abandoned but fit for purpose structure into a sustainable green space. To improve rather than replace. It will be a space where you can stroll above ground, enjoy a beautiful landscape and walk or cycle safely along without being disturbed by traffic. Or to use the words of the initiators: “Where others may see dead space, we see limitless potential. Rather than tearing down a structure to rebuild something completely new, we’re taking an existing space and re-imagining what it means for Camden.”
I have read comments of people saying “I’d rather not like to have the Camden Highline but have the additional track used as another functional train track so I can get faster to work”. Maybe that was a joke. But hey, everyone has their own preferences at a certain stage in their life.
There are some global examples to be followed: The last time I was in New York was about 10 years ago. I was in the Meatpacking District and discovered their “Highline”. An amazing place of disused rail train sections brought back to life as a green artery of “highline” walks making use of those closed down over-ground train line tracks. A new way of experiencing the city promenading on an elevated level, watching hectic life going on just some small distance beneath you and enjoying the serene calm above.
So you can imagine how excited I was when finding out that a similar project is just around the corner of my house, a footstep away from Kentish Town!
I think we need more urban transformation projects like the inspirational “Camden Highline” to make our cities greener, more diverse and healthier.
If you’d like to know more about the project, I suggest you visit www.camdenhighline.com
And if you can, please contribute any amount you are able to to make this visionary project fly: Become a Friend of the Camden Highline, make a one-off donation and stay informed about the latest news and developments.
Thank you!
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