2018 / Poplar Need(le)s / A – Ideas
Rapid urbanisation and change in communities can lead to an unhealthy environment as well as social and economic
instability. London’s district of Poplar with its rich and diverse immigration history provides the case study for this
project as it explores the relationship between the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic.
Based on rigorous research of the chosen site, Poplar Need(le)s proposes an innovative design approach to resilience
of cities and their communities, by combining physical solutions from the fields of urban design and landscape
architecture with the theoretical principals of urban acupuncture. It provide a new vision for Poplar where local
communities are engaged in small scale interventions through collaborative processes, In order to realise this vision, a
three phase plan is devised and executed by the Poplar Need(le)s team within a 10 year period:
1. Poplar Needs – an analysis of the site in order to find urban ‘stress points’ for potential intervention and the
introduction of the Acubox – a conceptual exploration of modular installations, designed to be stacked on
top of one another using the simplest of structures.
2. Poplar Wants – Community Involvement and Bottom-up Approach. This phase incorporates receiving
feedback from the community about the Acubox prototype and adapting it accordingly.
3. Poplar Owns – once established, the project is handed over to the community. The process can be flexible
and will up to the community to decide how to organise themselves to bring about new Acubox
interventions.
