Have the cities' red-light district turned green?
London (scroll down to read more)
Despite having held a reputation as London’s lascivious centre for the past few decades – the sexual inhabitation of Kings Cross actually occurred at the turn of the last century, a moment when Victorian London loosened its corset, breathed a sigh of relief, and put sex back on the agenda.
Although the red-light district endured the tumultuous first half of the century, the 1970s sent a wave of immorality across the capital, putting Kings Cross on a bullet train to Barbarism. With tales of alfresco intercourse, back-alley solicitations and ankle-injecting hobos reaching the press, Kings Cross became a breeding ground for struggling artists, vagrants and itinerant intellects.
Now however, due to a mid-90s government directive, the Cross has begun to clean up its act. With the opening of the St Pancras International Eurostar terminal the area has attracted some big name institutions looking to take root, including The Guardian and the University of the Arts. In addition (following a £250m cash injection) Kings Cross Central is set to welcome a heady selection of markets and boutiques, 2,000 residential plots and 5 million sq ft of office space. These days, those with more licentious dispositions are probably better off heading north to Camden, south to Vauxhall, or of course, the bright lights and dropped tights of Soho are only ever a few stops on the tube away.
Writer: Teo van den Broeke
Despite having held a reputation as London’s lascivious centre for the past few decades – the sexual inhabitation of Kings Cross actually occurred at the turn of the last century, a moment when Victorian London loosened its corset, breathed a sigh of relief, and put sex back on the agenda.
Although the red-light district endured the tumultuous first half of the century, the 1970s sent a wave of immorality across the capital, putting Kings Cross on a bullet train to Barbarism. With tales of alfresco intercourse, back-alley solicitations and ankle-injecting hobos reaching the press, Kings Cross became a breeding ground for struggling artists, vagrants and itinerant intellects.
Now however, due to a mid-90s government directive, the Cross has begun to clean up its act. With the opening of the St Pancras International Eurostar terminal the area has attracted some big name institutions looking to take root, including The Guardian and the University of the Arts. In addition (following a £250m cash injection) Kings Cross Central is set to welcome a heady selection of markets and boutiques, 2,000 residential plots and 5 million sq ft of office space. These days, those with more licentious dispositions are probably better off heading north to Camden, south to Vauxhall, or of course, the bright lights and dropped tights of Soho are only ever a few stops on the tube away.
Writer: Teo van den Broeke
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architecture 08 Jun 2009
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