An engineering geology data base for urban renewal

• Main Author: Howland, Albert Frederick
• Other Authors: Knill, John
• Published: Imperial College London 1989
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.754630

Following a degeneration of many urban areas in recent decades, Government formed various Development Corporations with new powers to stimulate urban renewal. The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was one of the first. The thesis describes a role for engineering geology as a central function in urban renewal by developing the idea of data collation into a coordinated procedure to allow a continuing increase in experience and knowledge of the area. The process of 'urbanization' is described, together with the legislative history to the Development Corporations. Methods of geotechnical data storage and presentation are reviewed and considered within the needs of the LDDC. A system based on the use of microcomputer has been developed and is described. This requires only minimal staff and resource commitment. It provides for the transfer of data on floppy diskette and may be searched through a number of enquiry modules to extract and process the data. A reappraisal of the geology and hydrogeology has been undertaken. This concludes that there is no evidence for the Greenwich Fault, the dominant structural feature being a northwards plunging syncline, the Greenwich Syncline. A depositional model developed for the Woolwich and Reading Beds indicates a number of transgressions and shows the area to be at the transition between marine and lagoonal facies separated by a series of migrating sand bars. The Thames Gravels correlate with work in the Middle and Lower Thames Valley and a further erosion level has been identified represented by the Silvertown Gravel. Groundwater levels are shown to be rising and are modelled to show their sensitivity to the urban setting. An assessment of the engineering parameters of the Formations has been made. This shows a variation in the Woolwich and Reading Beds that correlates with the proposed depositional setting, that the London Clay conforms to the expected regional variations and that the Thanet Sand is a locked sand. The nature and problems of made ground are described. A number of examples illustrate the engineering geological problems experienced during the process of urban renewal in the Docklands. The approach described is considered to be applicable to other areas.