DID YOU KNOW that London is getting a floating village?

The following was submitted for publication as a part of Tania Sole’s ongoing Redwood City-Woodside Patch blog, “Did You Know”:

What with sea level rise, climate change and an ever increasing population, cities all around the world are looking at floating communities as one possible answer. Ijberg in Amsterdam is considered to be at the forefront of an organized movement that really started centuries ago with fisherman living on their boats. According to the Dutch they came to Sausalito in California to learn about floating homes. But the fear the early critics of Sausalito had was that the Sausalito community would end up looking like the communities of boats tied up side by side in Hong Kong. However the reality is that today’s floating communities have all of the amenities of their land based counterparts.

From Hong Kong to Sausalito and Amsterdam, floating communities are taking off. The most recent announcement came from London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, who revealed last week that Carillion Igloo Genesis had been selected to design a floating community that includes homes, restaurants, cafes and bars on fifteen acres of water at the Royal Victoria Dock site. The architects for the floating village are dRMM, led by Professor Alex de Rijke who presented his studies on floating villages to the prestigious Venice architecture biennale.

In the official London press release the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “This site has the potential to become one of the most sought after addresses in the capital while breathing new life back into London’s waterways. Carillion Igloo Genesis’ scheme will create a unique mixed use development providing a range of commercial activities within a high quality water environment for Londoners and visitors, creating jobs and raising the profile of London’s Royal Docks.”

Chris Brown, director of Carillion Igloo Genesis said: “Living in a floating home you’ve helped to design is a dream lots of us have. By combining the floating home experience of our Dutch collaborators with our custom built business we hope to make these dreams come true in Royal Victoria Dock for a few lucky Londoners. East London’s place on the tourist trail is growing fast. It’s about to be joined by Europe’s largest floating village, with floating markets, creative workspace, events and watersports.”John Carleton, Executive Director of Markets and Portfolio at Genesis Housing Association, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Carillion-Igloo in this exciting and innovative regeneration project. Through Genesis’ involvement in the bid, we’ve been able to secure a higher allocation of affordable housing within this scheme, which chimes closely with our mission to deliver diverse, mixed tenure developments in London and the South East. Drawing on our expertise in running other high profile London regeneration projects we aim to create a sustainable and thriving community.”

https://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2014/07/mayor-announces-developer-to-build-royal-docks-floating-village

Does your city or town need a floating community?