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Titre L'espace public des Docklands : quand le privé fait la ville / The public spaces of the Docklands : urban development and the private sector
Auteur Perrine Michon
Mir@bel Revue Géocarrefour
Numéro volume 76, no 1, 2001 L'espace public
Page 31-38
Résumé anglais In the 1980s, the Docklands, an immense abandoned zone adjacent to the City of London, become the largest site of urban renovation in Europe. Through the impetus of government authorities, this repulsive area became a centre of investment and indeed speculation. Complete freedom was given to the developers : no master plan guided the development and no regulations controlled the height of buildings or the use of land and the isle of Dogs was granted the status of an 'enterprise zone' for ten years. The Canary Wharf Tower, which symbolises the transformation of the Docklands, is the most emblematic construction resulting from the principles which guided the areas redevelopment. The urbanism born of this policy of deregulation raises the question of the role of architective and public places in the creation of urban areas. Taken alone, architecture, irrespective of the quality of the volume built, is shown to be incapable of creating an urban form and especially urbanity. However, public areas, as both places and linking mechanisms of urbanity, appear as the indispensible framework for the creation of an urban fabric and as an essential structural element to produce a lasting sector of the city.
Source : Éditeur (via Persée)
Article en ligne http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/geoca_1627-4873_2001_num_76_1_2503