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When you picture London in the future, what do you see? If you’re an optimist, you might imagine a city where pubs are allowed to stay open past midnight and rents that don’t cripple your bank balance. And if you can’t be bothered to think about all that, a bunch of architects have already done it for you.
In a competition, New London Architecture (NLA) asked architects to design concepts that would transform London. They had to be ‘innovative and aspirational’, looking to the future of London as a ‘resilient, 24-hour’ city. Now 25 shortlisted designs have been revealed, and they certainly are ambitious.
The designers’ future aspirations for the Big Smoke included the ‘Attenborough Line’, a cable car that would ferry people around the city while pedestrians walked on a verdant ‘super highway’ below; a ‘Music Gym’ where people could go to play instruments; and a Tinder-like app that would match Londoners-in-need with empty buildings, sort of like the Room of Requirement.
This is all quite pie-in-the sky stuff where money would be no object, but it’s nice to see people come up with fascinating and innovative ways of making London a better a place. You can see the full shortlist of ideas online here and vote for your favourite.
The shortlisted concepts will feature in an exhibition inside the London Centre in September, where they will be presented in front of the jury and then open to a public vote. Winners will be announced on September 17 and invited to present their concepts at the London Real Estate Forum on September 25. The winner will receive a £10,000 prize fund.
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