Hindsight is a wonderful thing. In 1912, when The London Society was founded, the architects, planners and grandees that made up the membership could have had no inkling of the changes the coming century would bring. The automobile was only just making its presence felt, but the idea that whole swathes of the city would be sacrificed for the convenience of drivers was unthinkable, as was the prospect of an enemy’s bombs laying waste to centuries of history. London of the Future, a new publication launched by the society this autumn, shows that it is still in rude health.
The City, seen from the beach by Oxo Tower Wharf
‘London of the Future’: a book exploring London in 100 years
London of the Future displays how The London Society, just like the city it celebrates, is still capable of great leaps of thought and imagination. However, the flip side is that progress is not always progressive, and there’s a long list of threats to tackle if the capital is to retain its global crown.
‘East Bank, a new cultural quarter and “creative cluster” for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, opens in 2023’
The jumping off point is the society’s original publication, also called London of the Future and published in 1921 just as futurism and science fiction were starting to incite and instigate social and cultural change. Some of the predictions contained in that book hit home – city-centre airports and the Channel tunnel, for example, or how the demand for housing and the perils of pollution might be addressed. Other speculations fell short of conjuring up an attainable future.
'The varied gardens on the roof of Goodman’s Fields, Aldgate, offer a tantalizing glimpse of a greener city.'
This new architecture book undertakes a similar exercise: ‘How could and should the city be improved by 2123?’ Perhaps the target now seems a little too distant, given how quickly technology can change society, as well our collective inability to carry out even the shortest of short-term plans. However, it’s certainly insightful to see what experts in various fields think will happen (as well as what needs to happen).
An AI-generated illustration from London of the Future
Introduced by Peter Murray, founder of New London Architecture and current chairman of The London Society, the book’s 18 essays include contributions from Sarah Ichioka, Jude Kelly, Hugh Pearman, and more. The topics range from conservation to food security through to AI-generated futures, tackling the inequality ingrained into the city’s fabric, as well as the perennial problems of housing provision and climate change.
'The Hoxton Press Buildings (2018), a primarily residential development in Hoxton, east London, by David Chipperfield Architects and Karakusevic Carson Architects'
Critics often complain that London gets disproportionate attention compared to the rest of the UK, but then it also has a disproportionate impact on the country’s economy. London of the Future shows that although futurology is still very much an inexact science, it still has a role to play in shaping the world of tomorrow.
London of the Future, The London Society, £40, available from Amazon
-
The Emory, RSHP’s first luxury hotel in London, is a rising starNew London hotel The Emory presents the perfect showcase of RSHP’s signature functionalist style and hospitality group Maybourne’s elevated luxury
-
‘Born in Oasi Zegna: The Book’ looks back to the house’s Alpine rootsPublished by Rizzoli, ‘Born in Oasi Zegna’ looks towards the Oasi Zegna natural territory in the Italian Alps, where ZEGNA opened its first wool mill in 1910 and has since fostered a thriving natural ecosystem of more than 500,000 trees
-
The New York art exhibitions to see nowFrom MoMA to the smaller spaces, here are the best New York art exhibitions to catch before they close
-
The Emory, RSHP’s first luxury hotel in London, is a rising star
New London hotel The Emory presents the perfect showcase of RSHP’s signature functionalist style and hospitality group Maybourne’s elevated luxury
-
Inside Harry Handlesman's Manhattan Loft Gardens penthouse in LondonManhattan Loft Corporation CEO Harry Handlesman's Manhattan Loft Gardens penthouse in London goes on the market for £17.5m
-
Architects collaborate on geometric extension to radically re-shape a London houseMediterranean influences, earthy tones and quirky angles abound in this geometric extension and the soaring living spaces of this reconfigured Victorian townhouse
-
London’s Reciprocal House complements an existing Norman Foster extensionReciprocal House by Gianni Botsford replaces a north London Victorian structure, preserving its early Norman Foster extension and bringing the whole to the 21st century
-
Stephen Friedman Gallery by David Kohn is infused with subtly playful eleganceStephen Friedman Gallery gets a new home by David Kohn in London, filled with elegant details and colourful accents
-
Henry Wood House’s postmodernist bones are refreshed by Nice Projects in LondonNice Projects breathes new life into the Henry Wood House in London, offering ample flexible office spaces for modern workers
-
‘Bio-spaces’ exhibition at Roca London Gallery celebrates biophilic design‘Bio-Spaces: regenerative, resilient futures’ opens at the Roca London Gallery as ‘a call to action to stop designing nature out’
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2024: London’s bold, bright and boutique home renovationsDon’t Move, Improve 2024 reveals its shortlist, with 16 home designs competing for the top spot, to be announced in May
