Battersea Heartlands

Tiered Greenway

Developing the theme I was thinking about a tiered pedestrian/cycleway connecting the power station at ground level, to Battersea Park Rd at level 2 and a third level connecting Nine Elms to Victoria via a aerial walkway...

Connecting land and communities

Tier 2 is at Battersea Park Road level - a new cycle/pedestrian path. Tier 3 will bridge the road and connect Nine Elms to Pimlico, bring both communities into the heartland of the power station.

Following on with the Green Capillaries

I was also having a play around with this idea of pedestrian bridges and cycle ways raised above the railway line...it might be good if we have some sort of direct connection to the Battersea Power Station area from the Green Capillaries...

This is just a very basic Photoshop mock up, I find it helps me work out what is possible....(i'll need to mock up the "before" again as I forgot to save it)

I also know there is a tunnel that connects Battersea Park and Power Station running under the railways bridges, this would obviously be re-opened to play a key role in the riverside network.

Green Capillaries

I've been thinking about greenways above railway lines..

First as an overview, the idea of having a low cycle network and a high cycle network:

The High Capillary (HC) follows the rail in an L-shape from Victoria to Vauxhall. The Low Capillary (LC) follows the river.

Then connecting the two networks together either by plays in level, ramps or buildings:

Additional LC links have been added/indicated. Transitions from HC to LC are marked as dots. Buildings undergoing development adjacent to the HC line incorporate access to the HC in their design. On the Victoria side the coach house becomes a (secret) flat roof garden accessible only via the HC. Victoria station incorporates a Green Roof Park and what I imagine would be a commercial floor which gives access to the station below.

Looking at the idea of a building as a portal to the high capillary network:

The site is where the gas drums currently stand and is marked out for development by Wandsworth council. The building could be office space or residential flats. The development could fill the space or provide a sheltered Garden at the back of the building. The idea is that people working/living here have direct access to the HC.

The High Line for London

Summary from The High Line Symposium

Joshua David and Robert Hammond are the brains behind the Line, they first discovered the High Line railways in the early 00's. Up above the city they came across a "wild landscape" which had claimed a piece of the city of its own.

This is where the High Line sprang from, an Industrial artefact which had been conquered by nature in all its wild rugged beauty. It was an unknown entity which was under threat from developers but David and Hammond saw the potential and fought demolition orders, politicians, developers, local communities trying to convince them all the real value in greening the city in this way. By working out the economic value of the site they soon turned the tide of popular opinion and the High Line project was established.

This is a project which inspires and shows how two people can have a vision and with determination and hard work, that vision can be realised.

The key to the success of the High Line, beyond the tourists who visit, was their dedicated approach to the local community. They aim to prove that this is a place for all fractions of New York society. With the tag line "High Line: Your Back Yard Park", they strive to welcome those that perhaps did not realise that this is a place for them to visit and enjoy.

This should be our approach to Battersea and beyond, it should not feel exclusive but inclusive, a place for everyone to enjoy the river and the landscape...

Top 20 competition entries for the "London High Line"