London – Designer Camille Walala has re-imagined London's Oxford Street as car-free, demonstrating how colour and nature could be used to create happier and healthier cities.
Th project envisages the high-traffic shopping street as ‘pedestrianised, plant-filled and people-focused', with geometric designs and architectural structures that house plants and water features.The decision to make the space car-free and offer extensive seating areas looks to further wellbeing in the densely urban area. Walala has also created an AR app for viewers to experience her design proposal via smartphone.
'This project is my what-if portrait of the city of tomorrow, and my own projection of what the London I love might one day look like,' explains Walala. She adds: ‘In times such as these, when the future is uncertain, [and] strain on mental health is high… I believe it's crucial to hang on to what hope we can for the future.’
In a similar vein, our Urban Wellness Market discusses why consumers are demanding higher levels of urban health for their post-Covid-19 future.