Shaping Acton
Context Office formed a team with Freehaus Architects, BBUK Landscape, Momentum Transport and Volterra economic consultants to develop a wide-ranging planning vision for Acton in west London. This varied area is made up of residential streets, multiple town centres, parks and areas of industry alongside recent high-rise development. Further change is being brought by new HS2 railway infrastructure. The London Borough of Ealing asked us to take a ‘twenty-minute city’ approach to ideas, enhancing walking and cycling, access to amenities and economic benefits at a neighbourhood scale.
To understand the complexity and opportunities in Acton we undertook analysis of spatial and demographic issues, we met with local people, helped facilitate engagement events and worked closely with council officers. A combination of experiential studies and detailed GIS mapping allowed us to reveal the patterns that informed recommendations.
The community-led twenty minute framework for Acton is defined by a vision and guiding principles to shape development and investment in the public realm. Our multi-disciplinary team set strategies and proposals around five themes – cultural life and identity, improving connections, enhancing nature and biodiversity, safeguarding industry and employment, as well as encouraging growth based on local needs. We developed drawings to explain the potential of site-specific ideas such as new active-travel routes, improvements to green spaces and the integration of new developments. Several focus locations were chosen to illustrate priorities and exemplify how the strategies could be applied on the ground in the years ahead.
The twenty-minute framework for Acton was launched in January 2023 and can be viewed here
Client: London Borough of Ealing
Project team: Freehaus, BBUK Landscape, Momentum Transport, Volterra
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Building scales in Acton range from large industrial sheds to rows of terraced houses
A tree canopy study revealed the important contribution of private gardens and railway lands
Points where women reported feeling unsafe were mapped alongside urban features such as parks, railway bridges and underpasses
We used isochrone mapping to accurately assess twenty-minute round trips on local streets
South Acton is characterised by a range of housing blocks and recent redevelopment
The school holidays in Acton Park
Building trades employment at Stanley Gardens
Study of uses and vacant units in Acton town centre
Metropolitan open land at Old Oak Common and Wormwood Scrubs
Victorian railway housing at Old Oak Lane
Community allotments at South Acton
Strategies for landscape, ecology and climate
Strategies for active transport and connectivity
Strategies for economy, jobs and skills
Bollo Lane housing and local nature reserve
Spring in Trinity Way open space
Shaping Acton
Context Office formed a team with Freehaus Architects, BBUK Landscape, Momentum Transport and Volterra economic consultants to develop a wide-ranging planning vision for Acton in west London. This varied area is made up of residential streets, multiple town centres, parks and areas of industry alongside recent high-rise development. Further change is being brought by new HS2 railway infrastructure. The London Borough of Ealing asked us to take a ‘twenty-minute city’ approach to ideas, enhancing walking and cycling, access to amenities and economic benefits at a neighbourhood scale.
To understand the complexity and opportunities in Acton we undertook analysis of spatial and demographic issues, we met with local people, helped facilitate engagement events and worked closely with council officers. A combination of experiential studies and detailed GIS mapping allowed us to reveal the patterns that informed recommendations.
The community-led twenty minute framework for Acton is defined by a vision and guiding principles to shape development and investment in the public realm. Our multi-disciplinary team set strategies and proposals around five themes – cultural life and identity, improving connections, enhancing nature and biodiversity, safeguarding industry and employment, as well as encouraging growth based on local needs. We developed drawings to explain the potential of site-specific ideas such as new active-travel routes, improvements to green spaces and the integration of new developments. Several focus locations were chosen to illustrate priorities and exemplify how the strategies could be applied on the ground in the years ahead.
The twenty-minute framework for Acton was launched in January 2023 and can be viewed here
Client: London Borough of Ealing
Project team: Freehaus, BBUK Landscape, Momentum Transport, Volterra