urban planner, thy name is ikea

As reported by a number of media outlets in the past month, the furniture-and-everything-else behemoth, IKEA, has submitted a planning application for the development of a planned community in Stratford, East London, UK. When you think about, if you already plan lifestyles, you might as well go the extra step.

image: designboom.com

As reported by designboom.com, the new community is intended for a former industrial site located just south of Olympic Park. IKEA will construct a 26-acre neighborhood, comprising 1200 homes, a Courtyard Marriott Hotel and 620,000 square feet of restaurants, shops, and offices, as well as a school, nursery and health-care facility.

The urban plan is designed to prevent residents from needing to drive to accomplish daily errands, and includes pedestrian-only streets and zones as well as dedicated cycling routes. Underground parking offers a clean feel to the future district, and some reports suggest that garbage collection will likewise be accomplished via underground tunnels. Read more by clicking on the link above, or follow this link for the Strand East website, and envy the advantage of having a single developer for such rejuvenation.