CONTENTS
Living cities Issue 329 November/December 2021
1 WELCOME
FEATURE STORY
4 A MATTER OF TIME Laura Haynes imagines city life through a prism of
past, present and future
CONNECTED LIFE
8 A NEW AGE Regenerative cities are the key to the crises of our times,
writes Herbert Girardet 12 TROUBLED WATER Brendan Montague takes us back to the Great Stink of
Victorian London 14 LIFE IN MUMBAI’S WASTE MOUNTAINS Saumya Roy meets residents who are trying to solve
the city’s waste problems 17 NEWS 18 A CENTURY-LONG TRAFFIC JAM James Marriott describes how oil has shaped our cities 20 DRIVING HOME REALITY Tona Merriman shares news of a ‘subvertising’
campaign 22 SPACE MATTERS Civic planning needs to put communities first, urges
Adnan Shafi
POSITIVE ACTION
24 EQUALITY – OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE The path out of growth addiction starts in our cities,
writes Mothiur Rahman 28 THE GLASGOW EFFECT There is a cure for the city’s ills – democracy, argues
Ellie Harrison
Cover artwork by Cat O’Neil / Killington Arts
www.killingtonarts.com
29 CONNECTING WEALTH AND HEALTH
Matthew Brown explains how Preston is leading the way 30 ECOLOGIST NEWS 31 BUILDING BLOCKS
COP26 promises focus on a previously neglected issue, reports Catherine Early 32 DRIVING OUT CARS
Nicolás Eliades reviews some leading car-free city campaigns
ART & CULTURE
34 SETTING THE STAGE FOR BETTER PUBLIC
TRANSPORT Ellie Harrison tells the story behind her show Bus Regulation: The Musical 37 MIND THE GAP Dancers celebrate a special tree 38 WEEDS OF CONNECTION PL Henderson is inspired by the work of street artist
Mona Caron
WISDOM & WELLBEING
40 POSITIVE GROWTH
Nat Mady shares tips on urban gardening 42 ROOTS IN THE STREETS
Paul Wood is on a quest to find great urban trees in Britain and Ireland 44 URBAN RECOVERY Bringing Nature into our cities is vital to improve
mental health, writes Stephen McMurray 47 LISTEN IN A piece of sound art in London invites us to come
closer
2 Resurgence & Ecologist
November/December 2021