Can a boom town be Green?
24 June 2007
On Sunday 24th June, Green Party Principal Speaker Siân Berry took part in a debate in the turbine hall at Tate Modern. Entitled, "Can a boom town be Green?", The Tate has hosted four related debates this month about the changing face of London, organised by the Architecture Foundation.
"The Washington Post recently described city workers as the 'haves and have-yachts'. Stories of excesses such as private ice rinks and long waiting lists for Ferraris entertain us daily in the gossip columns. But not everyone benefits from a boom, and most of us aren't taking part in the bonus bonanza," said Berry.
She noted that the gap between the rich and poor is growing wider, "Within sight of the City banks, a quarter of employees in London are trying to live off little more than the minimum wage of £5.35 per hour and, despite London's huge wealth, fifty-two percent of children in inner London live in poverty compared with 28% in England as a whole.
"So how do all these facts and figures relate to the Green Party? "Well green politics isn't just about ecology and carbon footprints, it's about social justice too.
"Big changes are going to have to occur soon and fast if London is going to sustain itself in the future," Siân warned.
"A boom town that is not also green will simply not work for any of us in twenty years time. The fact is, cities like London can only continue to grow if we change how we live in them," says Berry.
"These changes include cycling and walking more and - crucially - reducing the demand for travel. For London not to simply grind to a halt in twenty years' time, we will need to have as many people cycling as are currently using the tube network."
"Greens would reimagine cities as a network of urban villages. People living in them would have work, home, shops and essential services within walking distance, and small local businesses would thrive," said Siân.
"The boom doesn't have to be cancelled, but the goal of economic growth shouldn't be what defines a city like London. We are asking for trouble if we don't consider the health and quality of life of all our citizens, and our long term future in a changing climate. It can be done, but we need new approaches to make sure we do it right."
The other participants in the debate were Alex James from Blur, Professor James Woodhuysen from De Montfort University, Alejandro Gutierrez from Arup Urban Design, and Sunand Prasad, President elect of RIBA. It was chaired by Newsnight's 'ethical man' Justin Rowlatt.
Watch the debate at: www.debatelondon.com
