London mayor proposes an £80 million “Ponte Vecchio” for the Thames

Boris Johnson, current London mayor, has announced his intention of building a new bridge over the Thames that will host shops, cafés and apartments reminiscent of Florence’s Ponte Vecchio. A spokesman for the mayor declared that “he has high ambitions to improve the urban realm and quality of life” and foment the city’s economy in light of the economic crisis through the sale of properties. These properties would span the river between the Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges to South Bank’s museum and theatre complex. The £80 million budget is being backed by the financial group London First. The idea for the project originated in 1996 when the French architect Antoine Grumbach won the Royal Academy of Arts contest by proposing a similar living bridge, which did not end up getting built because of election results. It wouldn’t be the first time for London to have a bridge with these characteristics. London Bridge, finished in 1209, had commercial and residential buildings, but these were torn down at the beginning of the 19th century.