Transport for London housing units

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Transport for London housing units

Mismatches Vulnerable groups Demographic/Urban growth
Policies and regulations Local policies Land Building capacity Governance
Promotion and production Public promotion Public-private partnerships

Main objectives of the project

London's housing crisis, marked by a lack of affordable homes and escalating prices, has been intensified by the city's rapid population growth. Middle-income families and key workers face significant challenges in finding affordable accommodation. Transport for London (TfL) responded by establishing a property development function in 2012, later expanded in 2016 to address the housing crisis. TfL plans to develop 10,000 homes on its landholdings, focusing on mixed-use developments near transport hubs. By autumn 2019, TfL had secured permission for 3,500 homes and planned to submit applications for over 6,000 more. TfL's strategy effectively combines affordable housing initiatives with revenue generation for public transportation, underscoring its dual benefits.

Date

  • 2016: Implementation

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: Transport for London

Location

Continent: Europe
City: London
Country/Region: London, United Kingdom

Description

The housing crisis in London represents a significant and ongoing challenge, characterized by a severe shortage of affordable homes and escalating property prices. Over the past few decades, the city's population has surged, driven by its status as a global economic hub and cultural capital. However, this rapid population growth has not been matched by an equivalent increase in housing supply, leading to a substantial imbalance.

As a result, many Londoners struggle to find affordable accommodation, with middle-income families and key workers particularly affected. The cost of both renting and buying homes has soared, pushing many residents to the outskirts of the city or even beyond. Additionally, the availability of social and intermediate housing has not kept pace with demand, exacerbating issues of overcrowding and homelessness.

In 2012, Transport for London (TfL) established a property development function aimed at optimizing the use of its landholdings to generate revenue for reinvestment into the city's transport network. In 2016, under the direction of a new mayor, this remit was expanded to address London's intermediate housing crisis. Thus, TfL was set to increase the amount of afforadble housing units in the city. The 75-person property development team at TfL is responsible for building communities through mixed-use developments around transport hubs, and for increasing the supply of social and intermediate housing units.

TfL owns 5,700 acres across London, primarily in outer London and near the transport network. The team has identified over 300 acres suitable for 10,000 homes, with 50 percent of the portfolio allocated for intermediate housing units. TfL employs various delivery models, including direct development, joint ventures, and disposals, collaborating with local authorities, landowners, and the broader development industry on a site-by-site basis.

By autumn 2019, TfL had secured permission for 3,500 homes and had an additional 1,180 homes submitted for planning. In the following six to nine months, it aimed to apply for more than 6,000 homes. To ensure the quality of development, all projects are reviewed by the Mayor’s Design Advocates before planning approval is sought. This projects are calles “Small Site, Small Builders”,because they are located in specific, yet little plots in the city. However their impacts are huge, solving one of the central issues in the public agenda of Londoners.

In Morden, a south London neighborhood, TfL has combined its landholdings with those of Merton Council to create a 20-acre development opportunity near Morden tube station. This scheme will be funded by Merton Council, TfL, and the GLA’s land fund. The goal is to create a new town center that reflects evolving trends in living, working, and leisure, based on the principle of healthy streets. Forty percent of the 1,070 new residential units will be affordable housing. The scheme also aims to enhance the attractiveness of the local center by connecting Morden with its surrounding green spaces.

TfL's strategy is exemplary as it not only promotes affordable housing but also generates revenue to support public transportation. Additionally, it integrates public transport and sustainable mobility as key features of future communities residing in its housing developments.

The Whole Housing Approach, UK

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The Whole Housing Approach, UK

Mismatches Cultural suitability Vulnerable groups Gender
Policies and regulations National policies Local policies

Main objectives of the project

The Whole Housing Approach (WHA) is a comprehensive strategy designed to address the housing and safety requirements of individuals affected by domestic abuse within a local community. It integrates various housing tenure types and support initiatives essential for aiding victims/survivors in maintaining or obtaining secure housing. The overarching aim of WHA is to enhance the accessibility of safe and stable housing across all housing tenure categories, including social, private rented, and private ownership. It encompasses facilitating transitions from refuge services and temporary accommodations to more permanent housing solutions. Furthermore, WHA strives to provide a diverse array of housing options and tailored initiatives for individuals impacted by domestic abuse, empowering them with the choice to either relocate or remain in their current living arrangements.

Date

  • 2018: Implementation

Stakeholders

  • Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA)
  • Standing Together Against Domestic Violence (STADV)

Location

Continent: Europe
Country/Region: London, United Kingdom

Description

In the UK, the Femicide Census, a collaboration between Karen Ingala Smith and Women’s Aid, has revealed that 75% of women killed by current or former partners in 2016 were murdered in their own homes. Victims of domestic abuse reside in various types of housing, and a significant number of them, along with their children, become homeless each year in efforts to seek safety. Consequently, there is a pressing need for affordable and secure housing solutions.

Standing Together Against Domestic Violence (STADV), a London-based domestic abuse service, has been instrumental in pioneering the Coordinated Community Response approach in the UK. Alongside housing associations Gentoo and Peabody, STADV co-founded the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) in 2014, a nationwide initiative aimed at enhancing the housing sector's response to domestic abuse. Furthermore, STADV is a key partner in implementing the 'Whole Housing Approach' project, launched in 2018, which involves multiple agencies, domestic abuse services, housing providers, and local authorities across three pilot sites in England.

The objective of this program is to enhance housing options for families impacted by domestic abuse through a holistic housing approach. By recognizing that families have varying degrees of need, the program aims to eliminate the necessity for them to become homeless in order to escape abuse. Across ten local authority areas in England, the project collaborates with specialist domestic abuse services, housing providers, private landlords, and financial institutions. Victims receive tailored support to enhance safety in their homes, and if necessary, facilitate relocation without forfeiting their social tenancy. The program also allocates funds to enhance safety, stability, and prevent homelessness. Tailored training programs have been developed to enhance the skills and knowledge of housing providers and landlords in identifying domestic abuse and offering appropriate support.

A significant challenge encountered was the need to align the diverse stakeholders required to maximize impact across existing organizational and systemic barriers. Typically, homelessness, housing, and domestic abuse services operate independently, leading to fragmented responses. To address this, a partnership comprising over 25 organizations across three regions was established. This involved assembling a dedicated team capable of articulating how organizations can collaborate effectively to identify and prevent domestic abuse at an early stage.

The program is financially supported by the Ministry of Housing and the Local Government Domestic Abuse Fund 2018-2020, having been awarded £1.45 million over an 18-month period.

Shepherdess Walk Housing

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Shepherdess Walk Housing

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

Shepherdess Walk is a contemporary residential development in central London, blending with the historical context of the area. The project features houses and apartments with a split-level design, offering spatial generosity and flexibility. The exterior spaces vary, including walled gardens for houses and panoramic views for apartments. The design draws inspiration from the historical terraced housing of Shepherdess Walk, with subtle variations in façades and a folding effect to create a connection with the surrounding Georgian terrace. The apartment building complements the larger post-war housing nearby. Both buildings are clad in brick, reflecting the local materiality. Deep window reveals and raw interior materials such as plaster, timber, concrete, brass, and steel add character and patina over time. Handcrafted elements like walnut handrails and brass ironmongery provide a tactile quality.

Date

  • 2015: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Jaccaud Zein Architects

Location

Continent: Europe
City: London
Country/Region: London, United Kingdom

Description

Shepherdess Walk is a new residential development in central London, located near to Old Street roundabout, on the border of Shoreditch, London’s technology hub and design district of Clerkenwell. Situated at the corner of Shepherdess Walk and Wenlock Street, the project establishes positive relations with the different historical conditions and formal qualities of the site to propose an unapologetically contemporary project for a terrace of houses and an apartment building with a strong sense of place.

A split-level section was developed in collaboration with Solidspace and has been applied to both houses and apartments. This configuration allows for the juxtaposition of rooms with different usages around double-height connected spaces, offering a sense of spatial generosity and continuity. The complexity of the section is not immediately apparent from the exterior with only hints given by the large-scale windows to the presence of the double height spaces.

The split-level arrangement introduced a strong potential for flexibility for the apartments, allowing for possible subdivisions within each unit with multiple access to the stairwell. This flexibility allows for a possible fragmentation of scale and an evolution of use through time to meet the demands of multiple occupancy, of children growing up, of partial rental of the unit, of working from home or just varying use of the different rooms.

Every dwelling has an exterior space with a variety of specific qualities. If the houses have rear walled gardens which echo the surrounding Georgian types the apartments have a diversity of exterior spaces which open up to spectacular views at the top of the building, incorporating views of London and it’s surroundings into the building. Shepherdess Walk has a rich historical heritage of terraced housing and fragments of the continuous Georgian frontages, still visible despite the heavy bomb damage suffered during the Second World War. The project draws on this historical fabric and reinstates three terraced houses on Shepherdess Walk in a contemporary reinterpretation of the type. Gentle variations of the façades enable a subtle closure of the street towards the adjacent park, giving both orientation to the open space from within the building and clarification of the boundaries of the streetscape. This slight folding echoes the geometry of the adjacent Georgian terrace, reinforcing the historical identity of the street. Facing on to Wenlock Street, the first house folds more sharply asserting its presence towards the south and opening the angle of the site towards a second apartment building. This shift in scale between the two buildings generates a vivid urban juxtaposition that reinforces the presence of the corner in the neighborhood.

The apartment building rises in scale beyond the houses to stitch the development into the context of bigger scale post-war housing which extend beyond

Both buildings are clad in a brick that was chosen to reflect the patinated materiality of the surroundings, once again stitching the development into its context. Slight variations to the pointing of the brickwork allow for a horizontal banding to the apartment building façade, directing the gaze along the depth of the street and marking an articulation in the bulk of the building. Deep window reveals emphasise the threshold between the intimacy of the interior spaces and the street giving a sense of weight and presence to the buildings. All internal spaces have been developed using a palette of raw materials, plaster, timber, concrete brass and steel which are designed to patinate with use, giving each space a specific and unique character which will develop through time. Handrails and ironmongery have been designed to offer a sensual tactile quality, using hand crafted traditional materials such as solid walnut and brass.

Authors:

Thames Reach Housing

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Thames Reach Housing

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

Date

  • 1989: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Richard Rogers

Location

Continent: Europe
City: London
Country/Region: London, United Kingdom

Description