Trafalgar Square Redevelopment

'World Squares for All' provides a detailed masterplan for the environmental improvement of Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square, Whitehall and the environs in Central London. It aims to improve pedestrian access and enjoyment of the area whilst enhancing the settings of its buildings, monuments and spaces.

The masterplan area is familiar the world over. It contains a World Heritage Site - the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey - and such national emblems as Big Ben, Nelson's Column and the Cenotaph. Yet despite this heritage, it is a largely unfriendly environment, dominated by motor vehicles, its squares reduced to traffic gyratories. It provides few amenities for Londoners and fewer facilities for the thousands of people who visit each year.

A long period of research involved two major studies of traffic and pedestrian movement and consultations with more than180 public bodies and thousands of individuals. One of the tools utilised was the plan model of London developed by Space Syntax at University College, London, which demonstrates the potential for connectivity and pedestrian access at street level. This research led to the development of two possible strategies, which were launched at a public exhibition in Whitehall in November 1997. The response was overwhelming support for change.

Any project of this kind is a balancing act, which must promote a genuinely integrated solution to cater for the many needs of our cities. This holds true for any historical environment attempting to sustain contemporary urban activities. The proposals are not anti-car but they are in favour of redressing the balance between pedestrians and vehicles. Cities such as Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam have shown how the containment of traffic can contribute to the economic and cultural vitality of city centres.

The first phase to be implemented focuses on Trafalgar Square and the surrounding areas. As part of a comprehensive programme of detailed improvements, the northern side of the square will be closed to traffic and the National Gallery reconnected with the main body of the square, creating a broad pedestrian plaza in front of the building.

Client: Transport for London
Consultants: Atkins Design Environment and Engineering, Davis Langdon & Everest , Peter Walker and Partners, Speirs & Major (External Lighting), Feilden & Mawson, GMJ Data Presentation, TPS Schaal