In his pamphlet on air pollution in London (Fumifugium, 1661), diarist and gardener John Evelyn proposed gardens, nurseries and fragrant planting to provide health, profit and beauty for the city. By the late 18th century, William Pitt the Elder is believed to have first described parks, even then at risk of development, as ‘the lungs
From its origins in the Garden City movement via the Sustainable Development Goals of the 1990s, planning theory, policy and practice have grappled with the question of how best to align and integrate social, economic and environmental aspirations. The current National Planning Policy Framework (MHCLG, Feb. 2019) states that achieving sustainable development is the purpose
“A marvellous mixture of pleasure and convenience. Jumbled and delicious.” (Margaret Drabble, I love this dirty town (available on iplayer: BBC4 London Collection). London may be shrinking away and closing down, but Londoners are fast finding new ways to “connect” with each other, that mental health mantra which has particular poignancy at a time of enforced isolation. There are