The Urban Renewal of London

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Was the urban renewal programme of the London docklands development corporation successful?

Urban renewal is the planned upgrading of a deteriorating urban , involving rebuilding, renovation, or . It frequently  to  of  demolition and rebuilding of blighted areas.

The London docklands is an area of in east London that has suffered from a declining economy since the Second World War due to severe bombing in the area. From between July 1981 and March 1998 a major regeneration programme took place reforming the docks from a huge derelict area into a desirable place to live. Huge corporations have set up in the dockland's canary wharf and many people have moved into the surrounding houses to work in the newly set up specialist jobs. Over the past 20 years, the population of the docklands has more than doubled and the area is now a major business and residential area housing many people who commute into central London daily. Also seeing as the Olympics will be held in the east of London come 2012 it is essential to reinstate the docklands to one of the integral cogs of British economy.

Although its influence in the area was undoubtedly very strong, The London docklands development corporation powers were in practice limited. It had powers to acquire land by agreement or compulsory purchase and, in the case of the large amount of land in the public sector; there were powers for it to be vested in the Corporation by the Secretary of State. This ensured a supply of land for development. Also it had powers, and the resources, to provide new (or refurbish the existing) infrastructure.

The great stretch of former upper docks from St Katharine's by the Tower of London, past Surrey Commercial Docks, through the East and West India and the Royal Docks to Barking, was the world's largest port. These docks grew and developed over 200 years and more. Growth was particularly fast in the 19th century bringing a muddle of factories, poor housing, and new communities. It was an area which enjoyed a unique economic lifestyle based on the growth and prosperity of traditional port activities including ship repair, heavy engineering, food processing, warehousing and distribution. Industries grew up based on the import of raw materials - tobacco, timber and skins. By the mid-1930s the docks were at their peak. More than 35 million tons of cargo was being handled each year, carried by 55,000 ship movements and served by more than 10,000 loaders. In all, some 100,000 men were dependent on the Port of London for employment, of whom more than 30,000 were employed by the port itself. For a number of complex technological, trading and management reasons, the port's prosperity began to dramatically decline in the post war period. The great expansion period of enclosed dock development, which had culminated in the opening of the King George V Dock in the Royal Docks, by the King himself, on 8th July 1921, was over. For the first time, Government started to consider the implications and consequences of possible closures and alternative uses.

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The docks were originally built and managed by a number of competing private companies. From 1909, they were managed by the Port of London Authority, or PLA, which merged the companies in a bid to make the docks more efficient and improve labor relations. The PLA constructed the last of the docks, the King George V, in 1921, as well as greatly expanding the Tilbury docks. German bombing during the Second World War caused massive damage to the docks with 380,000 tons of timber destroyed in the Surrey Docks in a single night. Nonetheless, following post-war rebuilding they experienced a ...

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