OF ROADWORKS.

On my various excursions, it has become apparent to me, the extent of London’s augmentations. None more so than the many roadwork sites that litter London’s streets, disrupting the free and proper flow of traffic. This can be likened to the notion of repair and growth within the body. For example, when one is wounded, in a way which I need not trouble myself to mention, inasmuch as it can be of no consequence at this stage, red blood cell platelets form a clot in order to prevent excessive loss of blood. A scab will then appear, protecting damaged tissue from the detrimental effects of the outside world.

TREATS OF THE CONCEPT IN ITS EARLY FORM AND OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING ITS BIRTH.

It is my fond hope that these pages become a valuable asset to me as the weeks progress, for I hope to instil within them intrinsic elements of the developmental process. The formation of such a Blog is an enlightening process, one which shall allow me to consign my thoughts, feelings and research, the very stuff from which my concept shall flourish, to the confines of a web page. However, I am not disposed to dwell on this point much longer, without first scrutinising the said ’concept’ in more detail, beyond the title which is prefixed to the head of this page.

The idea of London as a ‘Living Entity’ is a rich and fascinating notion - our very own urban existence, the daily rituals that are taken for granted, the structure of our city, it’s various organisations and institutions, can be likened in many ways to the workings of a living organism.

As a way of illustrating such an idea, thus rendering it less bothersome to visualise, I would put to you a basic visual comparison.

The complex workings of the Tube system for instance, here conveyed in its most simplistic visual representation, can be compared to the workings of the nervous system, displayed below.

There are myriad of comparisons that can be made, enough to render me somewhat misty, or so full of ideas, that I may want to burst, so the incessant regurgitation of such ideas, conveyed here in an an unnecessarily diarrhoetic manner in the coming weeks, must be pardoned.

I would conclude this first letter by pertaining to the whereabouts of my idea, the extensive Biography of London, by Peter Ackroyd, in which London is envisaged in the form of 'a young man with his arms outstretched in a gesture of liberation' that 'embodies the energy and exaltation of a city continually beating in great waves of progress and confidence.' This idea of London, as a constantly growing, developing space, can be compared to the growth of a living being.

Tom W