(Urban) park life

London folk might recall last summer when Trafalgar Square was temporarily transformed into an ‘urban park’ as part of Visit London's campaign to encourage more green spaces in city areas.  The result looked and felt very refreshing ...

[IMAGE VIA BBC]

So is this just another so-called ethical trend?  Whilst more green spaces in urban areas suggests the potential for improved air quality, at best some people may view this more as a bold art installation and at worst another example of greenwashing.  Sideskipping a thorough discussion of the greenwashing debate here, from an aesthetic perspective I like the fusion of the urban with the rustic and rural and have been noticing an increasing number of projects playing with this idea.

Adidas for example have been directly inspired by the guerrilla gardening movement for their Grün campaign (interestingly guerrilla gardening has actually been around since biblical times in one form or another, but I won’t digress – you can find more background here).  On the one hand, Grün is a whole range of recyclable sportswear products (eco substance box ticked) … 

[IMAGES VIA ADIDAS ORGINALS]

Then last month it was translated into an appealing merchandising thematic at their Adidas Original stores to bring an air of naturalness to the fixtures and displays …

To bring the campaign to life further Adidas also collaborated with Dazed & Confused Magazine.  I popped along to the opening of the photo exhibition on Old Street a few weeks back and was rather impressed by what I saw …

The exhibition was energised by an appealing combination of electro music and free drinks and the action spilled out onto the streets very quickly …

What I like about this campaign is the way that it was truly lived and successfully executed through multiple touchpoints.  From a brand perspective guerrilla gardening—with all its quasi-rebellious (grass) roots and political undertones—also chimes nicely with the Adidas ‘Impossible is nothing’ philosophy.

Within architecture, there’s also a number of interesting urban eco developments underway including New York’s renovation of High Line (defunct since 1980) …

 

[IMAGE VIA THE HIGHLINE]

Fraser Braodway’s vision for Sydney – due for completion by 2030 …

[IMAGE VIA INHABITAT]

And Arup’s mission to transform Dongtan, China into an eco-city, with completion phased across 2010-2050.

[IMAGE VIA WORLD ARCHITECTURE NEWS]

Whilst the greenwashing debate will inevitably continue—where the eco credentials of public and private projects will rightfully come under increasing scrutiny—I for one will be looking forward to the prospect of taking a nice leisurely stroll through the world's urban parks.

Comments

[fredrik sarnblad]

Hi Marcus...how about a new post? It's been a while and I enjoy reading them ;)

Fredrik

[golublog]

This does seem to be a trend. I like the idea of temporary green spaces but they really do not solve the bigger problem, it's more there just for the statement.