an administration hell bent on peoples interests and not their own greed, could work wonders.

 

I’ve lived in London for most of my life but recently returned to Devon where I’d resided for a period in the 1980’s. My wife Julie and I purchased a Bungalow and converted it to make it accessible because of my disability, for the record I’m confined to a wheelchair because of MS. We spent a small fortune doing it up but the change has been positive for our lifestyle. In many ways the difference can be immortalised by one word: Space – I’ve suddenly got bucket loads of it. Whether it’s my living space, my time to breathe to listen, or just the countryside and coastline that surrounds me, this move and big country is proving good for my body and soul.

To populate one of the walls we brought this cracking print called Blue and Gold, which depicts Europes night sky from space. It’s quite addictive staring at all the balls and pockets of white which show the growing urbanisation of the continent. The UK has some big nuggets of blue meaning lots of open space and not a lot of people, but they’re the usual suspect areas such as the Highlands, Wales, the spine of the country the Pennines, stretching up to the Scottish borders and dare I say it the South West. Other than that it is as though the country has been daubed in white paint by a cranky artist: London to the power house north, is basically one big splurge of light and there seems very little escape from it whichever compass point you look at. It’s estimated that by next year 91% of UK residents will be living in cities or attached connurbations and accordingly its affecting both our mental and physical health. A recent study found people exposed to long term air pollution in 6 US cities were increasing their chances of contracting lung disease by smoking the equivalent of 20 cigarettes a day. In addition, Global urbanisation has massively reduced access to greenspace and there is growing evidence supported by the charity Mind, that it’s affecting our mental health and well-being. It’s a big double whammy and dangerous for us to ignore.

By the time I left London after 30 years it’s skyline had changed dramatically and the design and build culture for residential developments had become endemic there and pretty much everywhere else across the country. We lived in one of those new blocks in a small 1 bedroom flat. First impressions were good but looking back it was a sterile development with little outside recreational space. After the horror of Grenfell the whole estate went into lockdown as suspect cladding was removed and darkness reigned over us. Scaffolding and plastic sheeting took away our light and we sweltered in an energy zapping summer. Although we had several parks in the near vicinity, we were straddled by two major roads, an over ground tube station which sat directly below the Heathrow flight path and a service road directly below our bedroom window – it was always busy and forever noisy. How much polluted air I breathed in that period I dread to think, but you often don’t have time to think when you are in the thick of it – it’s only when you’re out, that things become clearer. Sitting out on my decking area now staring out towards Woodbury Common able to breathe lung fulls of sweet air and hear the constant chatter of birds is a total contrast to what I had before. Ok, I can still hear the drone of the M5 which is nearby and the railway line to Cornwall is visible and audible. In addition the sky has a steady stream of aeroplanes. I downloaded an app so I can tell where they are going to or coming from. It’s fascinating but sobering when you consider the air pollution they bring. Most are flying 6 miles up in the sky heading too and from the Canary Islands or somewhere else in Iberia, so it’s just the vapour trails you see unlike in London, where I could literally wave at incoming passengers from my tiny balcony, as their planes descended to land.

To be honest, I’m no spring chicken and my priorities have changed since I took a job at The Independent back in 1989. Back then the world was my oyster and I loved London and its vibrancy, but that was before globalisation, its transformation and the breakdown of it’s communities. I’m happy to be in a calmer, cleaner place but all is not lost for my birth town and it’s carbon footprint. Urban architecture can take many guises and some creative town planners, assisted by an administration hell bent on peoples interests and not their own greed, could work wonders.

It wouldn’t cost much to transform walls into hanging gardens or to create roof top gardens on most high rise projects, giving life to any structure. Perhaps architects should be taking a leaf out of Stefano Boeri book and designing gardens in the sky or vertical forests. This brilliant concept makes tree top living a reality and would be beneficial for any city, helping reduce Co2 and rising temperatures. Changes to Town planning and taking it in a green direction could help transform people’s lives, bringing greater wellbeing and reduced mental stress. It wouldn’t quite be living in the sticks, but it would allow people space, a chance to breathe and their own bit of big country.