Footways x Camden Green Loop Panel Discussion

On the 30th November 2022, we hosted a panel discussion chaired by David Harrison to discuss the Camden Green Loop, a project which seeks to connect Kings Cross, Euston and Camden Town with a growing network of interventions that enable the public realm to better serve local resident and business communities.

We invited a group of panellists to discuss their thoughts on the project and provide their opinions on the future of Camden. The panellists were as follows:

· Zoe Avison — Policy Analyst, Green Alliance

· Cassie Adoptante — Young person and ambassador for Global Generation

· Adam Harrison — Camden Councillor

· Jan Kattein — Jan Kattein Architects

· Ellie Cosgrave — Director of CIC and Research, Publica

Here are some of the key discussion points from the evening:

Q: How has Covid-19 impacted the discussions and policy surrounding neighbourhood design?

Ellie: I guess my hope is that Covid allowed us an opportunity to understand two things. One, that the entrenched methodologies and ways in which we think about public space are not the only ways things have to be done. And the second thing is about the willingness to be experimental and not letting the perfect design solution be the enemy of action.

Q: What is the councils attitude towards public space and what response can you give to fellow panellists about how you will act moving forward?

Adam: I think a lot of it does come down to politics and political direction. Having black and white policy on the page helps us to deliver some of the bigger strategic challenges. However, in recent years we have engaged with our communities in new ways. In 2019, we held a Climate Citizens Assembly which was the first in the country that had a demographically representative proportion of the population, advising Camden on what we should be doing to address the climate emergency, a large proportion of which was about open space, how many trees we have, segregated cycle lanes and electric vehicles. Moving forward, teams are working closely together to ensure we address climate resilience.

Q: Do you have any ideas about improving engagement with young people and children?

Cassie: I think it really depends because especially with how young people are perceived these days it can be quite off putting to get involved with community, however, youth groups help a lot. I was a young person when I first joined Global Generation, and that’s the first time I had the opportunity to spread my wings and express myself. I think it really comes down to asking young people what they want, because I know things change a lot with trends. You would be surprised with how often young people have the greatest ideas and innovations.

Jan: The nice thing is, when you work with young people they don’t feel impeded to dream and they put propositions, proposals and thoughts forward that an adult might edit out in their mind before they say it.

Q: How is the council going to improve connectivity?

Adam: Again I do like to talk about our policy which guides our decisions, and our policy has a hierarchy of users, so we try to address walkers first, then cyclists, then public transport users. We are now coming forward in the Camden Town area with what we’re calling the Cross Camden cycle way which will create a safe cycle route across Camden which doesn’t quite exist yet.

Q: What can we learn Zoe, about the worlds greenest cities where sustainability is a priority? Can we think of a few examples which we might take and copy?

Zoe: I think one of the really interesting example is Singapore. It’s a city state and one of the most densely populated cities on the planet, yet they manage to live alongside nature in quite an interesting way. They’ve developed 170km of nature ways which are corridors of canopies and shrubberies that act as highways for birds and other wildlife. In Camden, we need to think about using our space more carefully and fairly really when we talk about how many people have got cars, and rebalancing the space between the cars, nature and people. There’s a lot more potential for rebalancing in favour of greenery. I think what’s important to do is recognise that greenery is important infrastructure.

Q: How do we get the community to maintain and respect green spaces and not neglect them?

Ellie: Were the community involved in choosing the plants and planting them? If not it will be difficult to foster that love and attachment. If the consultation process is built in from the beginning of the project with the appropriate level of expertise, the community should feel more involved. It’s important to understand what are the barriers to people taking ownership of their space? We need to understand very clearly and systematically who it is we intend to provide infrastructure services for, particularly around social mobility.

Jan: Green spaces are often misunderstood and seen as a visual amenity which is when they become uninteresting for communities to get involved with. Once we can rethink green spaces as having a social capability or capacity, suddenly it becomes normal and attractive for people to look after them and create them in the first instance.

The discussion was followed by a Q&A with the audience in which local business owners and residents could state their thoughts, concerns and queries. This panel discussion was just one of many events which will help to develop our Camden Green Loop. To find out how to get involved please visit our website: https://camdengreenloop.notion.site/Camden-Green-Loop-49b3c6ae290d49148786b0ff24e08267