A new report published by the City of London shows living, working and visiting the Square Mile will be very different in the years to come.
Home of the Monument, commemorating the Great Fire of London in 1666, the City of London could see a radical shake up of its business image with a new vision for innovation, inclusion and sustainability.
The Square Mile: Future City is the work of the City Corporation’s Recovery Task force and includes a new ‘business ecosystem’ which will encourage tech businesses into the silicon square mile.
The newly rebranded Small Business Research and Enterprise Centre, replacing the City Business Library, will open on 10 May to support start-ups and small businesses.
With vast numbers of workers still working at home, the City is quiet and the report looks at how it can make better use of empty business space. It is looking at how buildings are used in the future to be more sustainable, flexible and adaptable.
The City Corporation is aiming to provide at least 1,500 new residential units by 2030.
The Square Mile of the future will need the right communications, energy and transport infrastructure including 5G coverage across the City by 2022. Renewable energy solutions are also in the mix to get the area to net zero carbon emissions.
Planning and Transportation Chair at the City of London Corporation, Alastair Moss, said:
“There is no denying that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed some ways of working and accelerated some positive trends that were evident already in urban centres such as the City of London.
“The City will continue to adapt and prove resilient due to our robust fundamentals. We will work even more closely with the property sector to promote increasingly sustainable, flexible and adaptable buildings that people will thrive in. It will also be essential to continue to future-proof our supporting infrastructure, create more amazing public spaces and accelerate plans to make our streets more accessible.”
The changing balance of business, residential and leisure will have impacts on the way that buildings are designed with safety in mind. Responding to the report, Jim Glockling, Technical Director at the FPA said:
“The City of London paints a picture of urban renewal that is exciting and visionary. Just as the historic repurposing of mills to accommodation required special fire safety consideration, so too will the change of use of office blocks and shopping centres where methods, materials, layouts were never intended to support accommodation, sleeping risks, cooking activities and stay-put evacuation policies.”
To read the full report visit: The Square Mile: Future City