STREETSCAPE GUIDANCE

HOME
INTRODUCTION
PART A
A vision for London’s streets
PART B
From strategy to delivery
PART C
New measures for new challenges
PART D
Balancing priorities
PART F
Appendix
PART E
Physical design and materials
SECTION 6
Introduction
SECTION 7
High quality footways
SECTION 8
Carriageways
SECTION 9
Crossings
SECTION 10
Kerbside activity
SECTION 11
Footway amenities
SECTION 12
Safety and functionality
SECTION 13
Street environment
SECTION 14
Transport interchanges
Streetscape Guidance
[Part E – Physical design and materials] Street environment 308
The Edible Bus Stop ®
London, UK
Making the most of spaces through urban greening
Key functions
Opportunity
There are many small underused public spaces across
London, that if enhanced through urban greening, could
help to make London a more pleasant city in which to live
and work. The Edible Bus Stop ® , an urban design group,
saw an opportunity to transform a small poorly managed
patch of amenity grass, into a new public garden maintained and
managed by the community. In 2013, with help from London Borough of
Lambeth and funding from the Mayor of London, the group designed and
delivered the Mayor’s first pocket park on Landor Road, Lambeth.
Benefits
Changing underused grey spaces into dynamic green spaces through
clever design and planting can improve public perception of the public
realm, and foster community cohesion and civic pride. Other benefits
can include food growing and enhancing biodiversity. There are also welldocumented
links between making the public realm greener and more
pleasant and boosting the local economy.
Implementation
The Edible Bus Stop ® undertook extensive community outreach at every
stage of the project, galvanising support from the outset. The group
reimagined the entire area; creating large robust planting beds out of
discarded granite kerbstones; adding new bespoke oak seating, and with
Images courtesy of © 2014 The Edible Bus Stop ®
the community planted edible plants, including herbs, strawberries,
five fruit trees and rainbow chard. It has given local residents a space to
come together and enjoy, and has encouraged them to take ownership,
volunteer to help maintain the space, and grow what they wish. It has
given the street an asset, making the space a place and the streetscape
more pleasant and friendly.
Applying in London
One of The Edible Bus Stop’s ® ambitions is to create a series of small
green spaces along transport routes starting with the length of the 322
bus route. Working with other local community groups, it has already
applied the concept in spaces in West Norwood and Crystal Palace, on
the 322 route. It hopes to set a precedent with its Edible Bus Route and
roll out the concept across London’s transport network and beyond. The
approach is transferable to thousands of other underused, amenity spaces
scattered across London’s streetscapes. Small-scale improvements, as
demonstrated at Landor Road Pocket Park, have created positive impacts
on the local community’s wellbeing and contributed to a cleaner, greener
and friendlier city.