ABSTRACT
The creation of public green space in London continued throughout the twentieth century as various agents succeeded in providing substantial amounts of new public green space. The years from the late 1930s to the late 1970s marked the zenith in their creation and their use for outdoor leisure. The period from 1940 to the 1960s witnessed the zenith of the powers of the municipal authorities to plan and create new green space. Wartime destruction provided a unique opportunity for redeveloping London. The misfortune of many Londoners turned out to be the fortune of the planners. From the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s was perhaps the only period in London’s history when its development was planned and, to a certain extent, realised according to the plan. In the 1970s town planning and the provision of new public green space entered a new era as regional and local town plans lost control of London’s development.
