Ikea Burbclave Going Up Outside London
April 15th, 2012Via: The Week:
The Swedish furniture company will begin focusing on more than just home interiors as it designs and builds a residential area outside of London
Ikea is truly expanding its horizons with its next project. Instead of designing bookcases and chairs, the Swedish furniture company is making a whole neighborhood. Its property-developing unit, LandProp, has purchased 27 acres of unused industrial land outside London, on which it plans to develop a residential area, dubbed Strand East, for some 6,000 people.
Research Credit: almaverdad2
Posted in Economy | Top Of Page
Kind of ashamed to say I like this idea for new development — all infill, no destruction of habitat, streets made for people and not cars — even though the Ikea part is creepy. Lord knows affordable family living spaces are in short supply in London and all other big cities. From one of the linked articles in The Week’s summary:
“How will it be different from other neighborhoods?
For one thing, it will be car-free except for buses and ambulances. All cars entering the neighborhood will have to park in a vast underground garage. The area will also have a generous number of public areas and squares, and more pedestrian walkways. Ikea will encourage the establishment of farmers’ markets and flower stalls, while keeping out check-cashing shops and other “common signals of neighborhood blight …. ‘”
Sounds lovely from the vantage point of Southwestern American exurban garbage sprawl! Of course the developers out here just “cut and run” — destroy the habitat and land, put up ugly stucco boxes that start falling apart two weeks later, and then leave the speculators and underwater mortgage holders to deal with it all. Ikea is apparently going to be the landlord of this place, long term.
Dear Ikea-
Nobody questions your expertise in packaging engineering. You are second to none. However, people are dynamic unlike static cartons of unassembled furniture. Therefore, stuffing 6,000 dynamic units into 27 acres not only won’t work, but it will become a crime infested blight virtually overnight when people realize you have left them zero personal space.
Good luck- you’re gonna need it.
Reminds me of all the projects in the 1950-80’s UK, tower blocks, inner city shops under them, nice areas to drive home along….
@steve
im sure that theres more to it than whats immediately apparent, especially w/ the rise of privatized police/security ala snowcrash burbclaves.
maybe its just product testing. human product
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/merciless-ikea-memoir-flatpacks-a-punch-1820541.html
Well at least they will be close to the every curious Tavistock Institute of insanity.