Hot off the press – the new London National Park City map
We love our work here at Dennis Maps and we’re very proud of one of our recent achievements, the printing of the new London National Park City map. It’s a large-format, folded map, printed on the best stock on the same press as the Ordnance Survey Explorer maps, using bright Pantone inks.
Social enterprise Urban Good, which works to improve the urban environment, raised money for the project through crowdfunding. They collaborated with Ordnance Survey and Greenspace Information for Greater London to create a beautiful map that would inspire Londoners to get out and enjoy their natural surroundings.
You may have seen the map on BBC Countryfile’s special Cities episode, which featured Woodberry Wetlands, a wildlife haven just a stone’s throw from the tower blocks of Stoke Newington.
If your impression of London is that it’s a concrete jungle packed with buildings and roads, thronged with people and congested with traffic, you’ll be surprised to learn that 49.5% of London is estimated to be green and blue space! That includes public parks and woodland, playing fields, front and back gardens, reservoirs, rivers, canals and ponds.
As we pointed out in our #GetOutside post, you don’t have to drive miles to the countryside to have an adventure outdoors. The London National Park City map reveals the urban landscape, showing where you can walk, sail and play many kinds of sports.
You’ll see at once that this isn’t anything like the London maps you’re used to looking at, as the focus is not on the streets and the famous landmarks. What is immediately striking is the sheer amount of green.
You’ll quickly get your eye in, and start to spot the many walks and outside activities highlighted in fluorescent orange. Then you’ll notice the familiar circular symbols for tube and railway stations, and you will easily be able to plan the start and end of your adventure near public transport.
Turn over the London National Park City map, and on the reverse you’ll find a giant atlas of London packed with fascinating facts about its parkland, woodland, rivers, hills and foxes (there may now be as many as 10,000 of these creatures living in the city).
Plus twenty ideas for exploring London you may never have thought of or even knew were possible in the city – come face-to-face with a goat at a city farm, for example, pitch your tent at a campsite, or go white-water rafting on the River Lea!
In 2019 London will become the world’s first National Park City, taking inspiration from the UK’s rural National Parks, where natural beauty and wildlife are protected. A National City Park is a large urban area that is managed in order to enhance its living landscape and provide a better quality of life.
The aim is for London to become greener, with more natural wild spaces, and reduced flood risk due to more planting. Also healthier, with better air quality, and with more experiences available outdoors, which will connect communities and improve standards of everyday life.
Revitalising the way the city relates to its natural environment is at the heart of creating the National Park City. Developers, clubs, community groups and individuals will be encouraged to join in with the ‘micro-greening’ of London, by creating living roofs, quiet green spaces and ‘greening’ their front gardens.
Thousands of copies of the London National Park City map have already been distributed. To get your own copy for just £4 (with free shipping in the UK) and find out how much green and blue surrounds your neighbourhood, visit the Urban Good website.
And you can keep up-to-date with the latest news and share the photos of your explorations of London’s great outdoors on social media by using the hashtag #NationalParkCity.
