REWILD EXAMPLES
Tower Hamlets, London
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets was selected to test out ReWild with YARD’s playful approach to learning about rewilding using augmented reality, because of the diversity of its environmental and socio-economic conditions. The Borough has a diverse population with many families and children; a concentration of Biodiversity Hotspots for Planning (BHP); diverse open, green, and blue spaces; relevant green or rewilding projects; and data about deprivation. Also, datasets and maps were easy to access, and the size of the site was appropriate for exploration both by environmental scientists and children.
The pilot phase was developed in collaboration with Bow School, which is one of the 119 schools in Tower Hamlets. It was chosen because of the students’ age group (between 12 and 16 years old) and mixed gender, the school’s approach to learning and readiness to incorporate experimental workshops and activities in their learning programme. Importantly, the school is state funded which enabled children from diverse backgrounds to be part of this project.
Tower Hamlets sits on the north bank of the River Thames comprising an area of 2158 ha (21.6km2) of which 240 ha – 12.13% - consists of greenspaces. It is close to the key financial and cultural hubs such as the City of London district. It includes much of the redeveloped Docklands area, part of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Victoria Park, which spans approximately 86 ha in the north of the borough. The greatest natural element in the Borough is the River Thames and the network of inland waterways that are important for a range of species.
Tower Hamlets has a population of around 310,300 people and is expected to be one of the fastest growing boroughs in London over the next ten years. The borough continues to have one of the youngest populations in the country with a median age of 31.6. The borough is ranked 27th of 317 in the England Deprivation Index, placing it within the 10% most deprived areas in England. 51 per cent of children in Tower Hamlets live in poverty, the highest rate of any local authority in the UK.
The health of people in Tower Hamlets is significantly worse than the London and England averages, with healthy life expectancy at birth being nearly ten years lower than the national average. Levels of physical activity in Tower Hamlets are lower than both the London and England averages, while levels of childhood obesity are significantly higher. Better connection with nature through rewilding can help with many of these challenges.
Bow School is located in a built-up urban environment, with numerous green spaces of varied biodiversity value in proximity. It is within 500m of four Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation and is also adjacent to the Lea Valley and River Thames’ tidal estuaries.
The combination of features provided a great environment for learning about rewilding.
On this website you can find insights from piloting ReWild with YARD in London, including the creative process that students from Bow School in Tower Hamlets undertook to rewild the neighbourhood around their school.
You can explore their design investigations and solutions on the interactive map below, as well as findings from our environmental and biodiversity analysis.
