The Sustainable City chronicles London’s eco design innovation
Urban areas provide the best environment for ultra-low-impact living; that's the premise of Harriet Thorpe’s new book, The Sustainable City, which brings together the architecture that's shaping London’s quiet green revolution

Taran Wilkhu - Photography
When it comes to the planet's future, the news is not good. Yet if you chose not to simmer in the relentless soup of negativity, The Sustainable City is a welcome call to arms. Written by Harriet Thorpe, formerly of the Wallpaper* architecture desk, with photographs and portraits by photographer Taran Wilkhu, The Sustainable City is a deep dive into London’s well-established role as a place of innovation and invention in the face of adversity.
Phoenix Gardens Community Building, Office Sian Architecture + Design (photograph by Taran Wilkhu)
The adversity, of course, is climate change. As Thorpe points out, the construction and occupation of buildings are responsible for a vast, seemingly insurmountable chunk of global emissions. Add in all the accompanying traffic and industry, and cities account for around 60 per cent of all global resources.
So why are cities considered the glittering jewels of a zero-carbon future? Thorpe addresses this paradox in her introduction, ‘How can a city be sustainable?’. The answers, broadly, are space, pace, planning, and resources. Denser living reduces emissions from transport, freeing up green spaces to promote health and biodiversity (and even food production). Careful planning that acknowledges the importance of connectivity as well as the embedded value of existing buildings, makes density work even harder.
15 Clerkenwell Close, Amin Taha Architects (photograph by Taran Wilkhu)
The Sustainable City sets out to bring statistics to life. It identifies six key factors behind sustainable architecture and development – use timber, re-use existing buildings, make structures self-sufficient, enhance the incorporation of greenery, lead the way with energy reduction (and self-generation) and, finally, ‘create places that people care about’.
Parsloes Park, Yinka Ilori (photograph by Taran Wilkhu)
The last is evidenced in many of the case studies, which are drawn from a mix of projects large and small, built in and around London over the last two decades or so.
Taking in private housing, offices, open spaces, and community-focused structures, the book captures a time of change. In particular, it highlights the point when left-field self-builders and eco evangelists suddenly found themselves many years ahead of the curve.
Cork House, Nimtim Architects (photograph by Taran Wilkhu)
The Sustainable City is highly recommended, a toolbook for change that should spur practitioners on to do better, whilst also giving potential clients enlightenment and inspiration about the power of quiet change.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Private House, Hugh Strange Architects (photograph by Taran Wilkhu)
Taran Wilkhu and Harriet Thorpe
INFORMATION
‘The Sustainable City: London's Greenest Architecture' by Harriet Thorpe & Taran Wilkhu, Hoxton Mini Press, £30, hoxtonminipress.com
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
The Sialia 45 cruiser is a welcome addition to the new generation of electric boats
Polish shipbuilder Sialia Yachts has launched the Sialia 45, a 14m all-electric cruiser for silent running
By Jonathan Bell
-
Tokyo design studio We+ transforms microalgae into colours
Could microalgae be the sustainable pigment of the future? A Japanese research project investigates
By Danielle Demetriou
-
What to see at London Craft Week 2025
With London Craft Week just around the corner, Wallpaper* rounds up the must-see moments from this year’s programme
By Francesca Perry
-
A new London house delights in robust brutalist detailing and diffused light
London's House in a Walled Garden by Henley Halebrown was designed to dovetail in its historic context
By Jonathan Bell
-
A Sussex beach house boldly reimagines its seaside typology
A bold and uncompromising Sussex beach house reconfigures the vernacular to maximise coastal views but maintain privacy
By Jonathan Bell
-
This 19th-century Hampstead house has a raw concrete staircase at its heart
This Hampstead house, designed by Pinzauer and titled Maresfield Gardens, is a London home blending new design and traditional details
By Tianna Williams
-
An octogenarian’s north London home is bold with utilitarian authenticity
Woodbury residence is a north London home by Of Architecture, inspired by 20th-century design and rooted in functionality
By Tianna Williams
-
What is DeafSpace and how can it enhance architecture for everyone?
DeafSpace learnings can help create profoundly sense-centric architecture; why shouldn't groundbreaking designs also be inclusive?
By Teshome Douglas-Campbell
-
The dream of the flat-pack home continues with this elegant modular cabin design from Koto
The Niwa modular cabin series by UK-based Koto architects offers a range of elegant retreats, designed for easy installation and a variety of uses
By Jonathan Bell
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?
Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
By Emily Wright
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in Oxford
The Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
By Shawn Adams