Cross River Park: an incubator for Climate Change Prototypes

We propose a pilot project to demonstrate how innovative architectural projects can be developed to reduce carbon emissions, increase economy and create benefits to local communities. We will design architectural prototypes that can reduce carbon emissions and create strategies to increase physical activity and healthy lifestyles in a community.

The project will be sited in the Cross River Park in the Thames Gateway. This area is situated at the site of the newly proposed Thames Gateway Bridge that links Beckton in the north with Thamesmead in the South. Our proposal is to make The Cross River Park into a test bed for experimental climate change projects. It can become an incubator for future change in the entire Thames Gateway.

Urban Prototypes will link different stakeholders and expertise (ecologists, environmental engineers, health workers, economists) to create new organisational forms. Prototypes are tested with stakeholders, local residents, politicians and business leaders through scenario workshops.
Scenario Testing allows for conflicts to be played out, new partnerships to be formed and prototypes to be shaped to meet local needs.
Action plans will set out how prototypes can be realised in terms of management, funding and policy.

The work of the research will be uploaded to a publicly accessible website and allow members of the general public to contribute to the future of the area in which they live.