Landscape architect, urban designer, director Novell Tullett - Bristol based practice of designers
Once I went on a trade mission to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia! My diary entry for 21 11 2015 reads: “I ran the gauntlet of 6 lanes of stationary traffic to Chinggis Khan Square. An immense space paved with lethal, slippery, polished granite where armies of workers were brushing the snow from the surface with besoms. A child waves at me and says hello. As a foreign woman with white hair I really stand out, everyone is dark headed, even the old folk! The contrasts in population are extreme, the “snails” homeless men with black plastic sacks on their backs full of collected recycling and elegant, fur-clad women gingerly tottering on high heels in the icy streets.” What are the most extraordinary places that you have worked in? And what sort of encounters did you have there? Here we focus on changing up the level of nature in our towns and cities. The trip to Ulaanbaatar was one of a lifetime and an eye opener in terms of how far the west has come in urban design, city structure and creation of green infrastructure especially when juxtaposed against issues in Mongolia. Of course, there are many factors in play that affect how cities are designed and in Mongolia, sandwiched between Russia and China, the climate ranges between -20o c and +20o c - one of the key factors in the possibility of establishing trees. Nine years after my trip, the British Embassy got in touch asking Novell Tullett to provide a strategy for the reimagining of the London Road, a highway to be renamed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of UK-Mongolia association. We provided an overview that looked at the issues to begin with: · Highway dominated with minimal pedestrian realm · no sense of place – large areas of featureless parking · weak connections to adjoining Dung Gol – river natural environment · no sense of arrival at key buildings · low quality infrastructure, lighting, balustrades etc · windswept, poor microclimate Our strategy provided a series of initiatives that would address those problems and create a more memorable experience for local people using the street. Key areas were targeted to make the best use of available funding. Examples of changes to the street were proposed showing what a greater or lesser level of funding could achieve. Our key ideas were to: · increase tree planting for summer and winter interest · extend and increase accessibility of the pedestrian realm · improve interface with the river corridor · highlight key buildings such as the Institute for the Blind · enhance the microclimate and make the surfaces more sustainable · increase opportunities for absorption of surface water