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LONDON OF THE FUTURE | A thought-provoking book addressing concerns of pollution and housing
3 Jul 2023
What will London be like in a hundred years’ time? This new book asks the same question that The London Society sought to answer in its original, 1921 edition.
A century ago, LONDON OF THE FUTURE was a visionary work containing an eclectic and ambitious series of essays that predicted city-centre airports and Channel tunnels, as well as addressing concerns such as pollution, housing and access to public space.
This brand-new version of the book, published by Merrell, features contributions from experts in various fields, among them architects, engineers, urbanists, journalists and campaigners, sets out how London could and should improve by 2123.
This is the most important book on London to be published this year - support it to be a part of the debate about the future of our city.
There are fascinating insights from Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, who is a current member in the House of Lords and a patron of the hate crime charity Stop Hate UK. She writes compellingly in her chapter Daring to Dream.
The campaigner who has promoted reforms of the police service, addresses one of the city’s biggest challenges: the urgent need to strengthen the relationship between its people and its police.
Some of the issues covered by the original book remain relevant today, but there are many new considerations that the 20th-century authors could not have foreseen. Will London become a Venice-like heritage park for tourists, or be an independent state? Could local food production feed the capital?
How will we need to adapt to climate change? Will we become a techno-utopia, with Londoners’ lives in perfect harmony with artificial intelligence? How do we achieve a London that is fair and equitable for everyone?
Over the course of eighteen essays, LONDON OF THE FUTURE presents a fresh series of ideas for the 21st century and beyond. It will stimulate debate among architects, developers and planners, and also provide food for thought more generally, in a world where change will be required of everyone.
As chair of The London Society, Leanne Tritton, says in her foreword to the book: “We anticipate it will provide much-needed provocation about the future of our wonderful city.”
The London Society is a forum for debate on the future of London. Established in 1912, it organises events, arranges visits to a variety of buildings and institutions, and sponsors the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London’s Planning and Built Environment.
