Beyond the Pandemic
We expected change when we launched in 2019, but no one was expecting that.
The pandemic gives us an opportunity to pause, reflect and reshape our future. Things might naturally go back to normal, and there’s certainly groups with deep pockets who want to force back the status quo, but we think they’re unlikely to succeed because what was ordinary now feels other worldly.
Taking a flight or even crossing a city for a basic introductory meeting, being in a festival crowd, a daily commute in a packed train if the other end is a screen you already have at home. Most disconcerting of all, many have found that their jobs are non-essential, messing around while often lower paid and insecure work is what keeps the wheels on the car. We’ve been exploring these changes and how our existing alternative.camden projects can maximise their potential in our Beyond the Pandemic series.
Click the links below for more details on our thoughts and plans, see here for our vision of the future, or check out the full series here. We’ll be posting there going forwards so subscribe for the latest.
A change in the way we work
Remote working has been held back by productivity and technology concerns; the pandemic has proven these unfounded. There will be a push for a baseline of remote working, both from the top (to achieve cost-savings by reducing office overheads) and from workers themselves (who won’t accept daily commuting without good reason).
We will expand our Camden Collective project and offer more low-cost flexible workspaces to help Camden adapt, and protect the high street by turning vacant retail units into temporary community spaces. Find out more.
The 15-minute city
Work location (not necessarily from home, but closer to home) will be defined by where people live rather than where their employer is based, with huge repercussions on workspace, transport, High Streets and the way cities operate. With more workers embedded into their home communities It will lead to the 15-minute city, which brings homes, work, leisure, learning, community and public services into the radius of a 15 minute walk, an eminently sensible concept for the future of our cities.
To prepare Camden for this change we will deliver our Drummond Street and Camden Highline projects, which come together to complete the Camden Green Loop. New connections between Euston, Kings Cross and Camden Town will help those communities to realise the benefits of nearby developments, which all too often do not provide the promised economic opportunities to nearby neighbourhoods. The Green Loop is a visitor destination as well as a local asset, condensing some of North London’s most exciting attractions into an accessible day trip.
Beyond the Pandemic is an ongoing series is available here
