has of course been a terrible time for us all, it has offered an
opportunity - perhaps not seen since wartime - to pause, reflect,
reset, and move forward as a better, cleaner and more equitable
com
No doubt 2020 has been a challenging year for the property
sector, with developers having to pause site work and manage new
regulations and ways of working. But often, challenge brings
opportunity, and one of the most significant outcomes of living
through a pandemic - and perhaps most unexpected - has been the
growing realisation that we have a chance to completely reset wide
ranging aspects of the way we live and work.
The enforced 'time out' has had a startling effect. In March,
the European Environment Agency reported a significant drop in air
pollution, particularly in major cities, as lockdown measures
vastly reduced traffic. Glasgow's most polluted street, Hope
Street, saw a 50% decrease in pollution within the first two weeks
of lockdown. With air pollution a major contributor to certain
chronic illnesses, this staggering drop in pollution was
immediately felt by many.
The question now posed to policy makers, planners and citizens
alike, is how to sustain this new-found air cleanliness without
impacting negatively on city centre businesses and workers who
often rely on cars to commute, due to gaps in public transport
provision.
We at FORE have long championed cycling as key to creating a
clean, healthy, egalitarian city where people no longer breathe
unsafe, polluted air and where travel to work is accessible to
those without access to a car.
Other cities such as Amsterdam have managed this in style;
however it is fair to say that there is a lot of work to be done in
the UK to make cycling the default norm. Our weather isn't always
conducive, our infrastructure often doesn't support cycling, and
despite the excellent work being done by organisations such as
Cycling Scotland, we still have a fairly car-centric society. We
can't control the weather, but we do have jurisdiction over the
rest.
For cycling to work, it needs to be easy, straightforward and
safe for people to commute by bike. People need a place to shower,
to change, to securely store their bikes. We are delivering
all this in our 94,000 sq. ft. Glasgow City Centre building
Cadworks, with our ambition to set the gold standard for all office
buildings. Our vision is for Cadworks to become the norm - a place
where cyclists are supported and celebrated.
We are building the country's first cycle-in access ramp,
storage for a large number of bikes, cooling areas and ironing
stations. In fact, in a first for a Glasgow development, the
only parking we are offering is for disability vehicles and a small
number of electric vehicles.
And we are pushing for the broader city infrastructure to change
too - more cycling lanes, more support for cyclists.
We support an incredible local social enterprise, Soul Riders,
which supplies bikes to vulnerable people, allowing them access to
education and work, and a healthier lifestyle.
There is still much to do. In the UK, we rely heavily on cars to
get around. And our entire societal value system needs to
change so that cars are no longer perceived as vital, or as status
symbols, so that we value careful stewardship of our fragile
environment over what kind of car you drive.
Whilst Covid-19 has of course been a terrible time for us all,
it has offered an opportunity - perhaps not seen since wartime - to
pause, reflect, reset, and move forward as a better, cleaner and
more equitable community.
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