The City of London is developing a cultural quarter along and around the mile-long spine of heritage and arts attractions between West Smithfield and Moorgate. At one end of the Culture Mile will be a new £322 million Museum for London. Near the other end will be a £288 million Centre for Music on the old museum site. The vision will take 10-15 years to realise, and by that time the Smithfield Meat Market will have moved to Dagenham. Will we get a new Covent Garden - or something even more interesting?
Meanwhile the City is working with the Museum, London Symphony Orchestra, Barbican Arts Centre, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and a growing numbers of other partners and venues to coordinate and extend current cultural offerings. During the summer of 2019 there are a host of free performances, festivals and events with 100 plus on one weekend alone.
The aim is to make the City an even more attractive location for financial, tech and creative industries, whose leaders and workers want more than efficient office space; for Londoners and other visitors; and for the growing number of City residents, and for communities in nearby boroughs.
The arrival of the east-west Elizabeth Line in 2021, together with north-south Thameslink and Tube connections at Farringdon, will make this one of the best connected locations in London.
When we moved to the area 20 years ago it was all very different ... and I'm excited by the way things are developing. But as a former Evening Standard planning correspondent the journalist in me feels that people don't know enough about the area or what is planned.
This time around I'm not seeking to reveal secret and destructive plans that will horrify conservationists and mobilise activists. Well, I haven't seen any yet. What I do think we need are more ways to explore the rich heritage of the area, inspire people about the future, connect up organisations and activities, and provide opportunities residents and local groups to contribute.
This is an exploration into Then, Now and Next, using different types of maps, photos, videos and other media. How could we make this more than the sum of its historic, cultural, creative parts? How could we help develop a Cultural Commons that is an environment for conversation, creativity and collaboration? I'm going to do what I can, with help from my son Dan, and invite others to join in.
David Wilcox david@socialreporter.com