Windrush square, Brixton

There's something a bit different about this public space in Brixton, that's hard to put your finger on at first.  Its a big space, but it doesn't feel wasted and does actually feel like that old cliche of an outdoor room.  Its busy in the morning, with people walking to the buses and tube and the uses that open onto it give it a proper sense of civic function.  It feels comfortable and inclusive, somehow.  I expect the enormous plane tree helps.

London has seen a lot of 'new and improved' public spaces over the past ten years.  Some are better than others, but many of them seem to be designed as if transplanted from Sweden or Denmark, or Italy or Spain and for me at least, they don't really work in the quite distinctive urban fabric of London.  Many also seem to rely on the 'cafe culture' surrounding them to make them feel safe, but they also end up kind of feeling the same, yet not very grounded in their locality: Bermondsey Square and More London to name two random examples.  Windrush square is quite different in these respects.  When the Black Cultural Archives building opens, it will complete what is an unusual and clever piece of public realm.  The landscape architects, Gross.Max. seem to have managed to subtly break free from the stylistic tendencies of contemporary London urban landscaping.  They certainly seem to have understood what makes public space work in London and I wonder if they read this book; the only one I've come across that really explains the nature of London's fabric.