About financial districts

The conformation of a city highly depends on its history, heritage and development through time.
Zones are often identified, at times resulting in a differentiation between residential, financial and
religious/cultural areas.
Power and landmarks are often celebrated architecturally, with grand megastructures, similarly to the
impact architecture or “architecture of doom” (Cohen 1989) used by regimes as Nazism and fascism.

Today, big corporations and powerful organisations adopt a similar language, to affirm their importance
within an area and economy.
A contemporary version of the man-machine described in the movie the Great Dictator (Chaplin 1940)
wonders through these districts, with a lost contact with the true self as a mere result and mirror of society.
The financial City of London is an example of successful district where human scale and liveability of the
streets is lost within the tall structures, with almost no natural light touching the streets, people feel
oppressed, commuting in and out, stressed about their job.

London
As set by the Mayor of London in the Greener City Fund (Greater London Authority 2017) - established in
2017 as a reaction to the Greener London (Metternich 2016) a report by Campaign for Better Transport,
CPRE, Friends of the Earth, Green Alliance, Greenpeace, London Wildlife Trust, National Trust, RSPB and
WWF- London’s aim is to become the first national park city by 2050( Mayor of London 2017), a greener city
where connection to nature and environment is valued.
The detailed plan is a great initiative, which could potentially help towards a greener London.
Difficult to establish its actual future as new legislations might change its course within the next 30 years.

Most boroughs and independent organizations have developed throughout the years various
environmental plans, some more successful than others (Transition network -).
It appears though, that the initiatives outlined in the Greener City Fund (Greater London Authority 2017) are
far more present and achievable in residential areas compared to financial districts as people’s interest in
bettering a place often prioritize their area of residence.

Who could be in charge of creating liveable streets in financial districts?

Is there a way to enable the worker, to transform transit through grey, tarmac filled streets to a pleasing
experience?

Financial hubs: The city of London.

Localization of financial power has resulted in efficient movement of workers and synergy between businesses
(uncsbrp -). Some might argue these to be inconsiderate to local identity (report to the world health
organisation 2009) and not as efficient and stress free (Perry 2016) as it is claimed to for the 315,000 people
commuting every day (uncsbrp -).
As showed in figure 4, the typical morning and evening routine for a Londoner is to storm through a ocean of
people, all heading towards different directions, head down, no talking.
Does one necessarily have to hate going into work? (Perry 2016)
The intrinsic effect of order
To cite Alain De Botton (1969-present), Swiss writer dedicating most of his work to everyday life, “[…]Our love
for order is not without limit, as we will recognise when we stand in front of a multi-storey office building whose
every window consists of an identical square of reflective glass locked into an identical aluminium frame,
whose every floor resembles every other, which makes no obvious distinctions between right and left or front
and back and on whose surface not even a stray aerial or security camera is allowed to disturb the harmony
of a master grid” (De Botton p183-184).
Our perceived necessity of transforming cities into very ordered functional organisms has resulted in the
creation of very bland, bold and soulless districts.
The harmony and neatness, as described by Alain De Botton, subconsciously play with minds, to ensure
nothing exits the mastergrid (or masterplan).

The street
Streets are historically a place for people to meet, exchange, perform art, manifest and celebrate. During
the last century, street design has focused and prioritized vehicles to liveability. As a result, pedestrians and
cyclists have to share the residual space (Hawkes 2009).
In an environment such as the city of London, where up to 315,000 people walk in a day (uncsbrp, -), streets
are often considered as mere transit space. Streets are about 25-30% of urban land (Hawkes A., 2009).
Reconfiguration of transport methods would allow installation of green areas and public spaces for people
to linger and enjoy on their way to work.
Perhaps, the definition of a street as a “space between buildings, usually paved”( Cambridge Dictionary -)
should be re-conceived, not as space created by the void between buildings but as the connector of those.
The connection between a place and another, that essential part of many people’s everyday routine.

The importance of variety

Variety within a district is key to inhabitation and people wellbeing (Alock, Bentley, Murrain, McGlynn, Smith,
p27).
“Variety is not achieved merely by dumping a mixed bag of activities on a site. To work well, the uses should
give each other mutual support” (Alock, Bentley, Murrain, McGlynn, Smith, p27).
Positive social, economic and environmental outcomes should and could converge (Calthorpe 2017).

A human and nature successful district should take in account liveability of the place, people, as wel as
nature, should be enabled to inhabit the place. The catalyst could be small interventions such as green walls,
planters and generally installations which are not just mere decoration but green interventions to increase
biodiversity in the area for instance.

Green Spaces: The examples of Sheffield WestBar development and the Mobile Garden City

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Human financial districts

“We must attempt to find a system that while evolving enough coherence to function, retains enough
individual freedom and microscopic diversity to provide a pool of 21 adaptability and innovation so that it
can constantly evolve and restructure in the face of change. In other words, we seek to create a “learning”
society, since this, in effect, is the basis of a sustainable future.” (Allen 1998)
Most establishments within the City of London are commissioned by companies basing their capital on a
consumerist society (Consumption, consumer culture and consumer society 2017), therefore developed over
quick economic turnover and consumption of goods.
It is indeed challenging to promote greater synergy between people, nature, street and buildings, given the
priority to create majestic and efficient buildings (Allen P. M., 1998).

The model of Happy City, in which neighbourhoods and communities favourite sustainable development can
be transferred to financial districts, acknowledging that the attempt is to operate in areas mainly frequented
and funded by organisations basing their ethos on economic growth.
The presence of such organisations is perhaps the key reason why healthy financial districts are an area of
such little study.

The architect should study deeply the relation between outside, inside and neighbouring activities and
understand the relation people have with the transitional public realm.
Considerations should be pondered within early stages of a project (Alock, Bentley, Murrain, McGlynn, Smith,
p27) and initiatives such as small businesses at street level, implementation of colour, personality, green
pockets should be proposed to create a suggestive public realm.
As expanded in Architecture of Happiness (De Botton 2007) “High rise and grand architecture are admittedly
fascinating. Human scale and proportion with the surroundings and ground plane must not be lost” (De Botton
A., p184).
Sadly, the scale and proportions are lost within the City of London.

Perhaps architects should study the successes of vibrant boroughs and find ways to enable people to create
their own positive work environments.
Perhaps we should assume a similar approach to those used in schools, enabling children to embellish and
create their classrooms and gardens could be used to change a place of work to a place of learning and
understanding maintaining a pleasant productivity.

Individual happiness is not only related to higher consumption and wealth (Happy City -).
The city should be focusing back on human and nature, find the lost connection and create a more liveable
environment.
On shaping a future in which a commuter enjoys his daily routine, the streets he walks every day surrounded
by healthy nature.