The history of the development of procedures for the rapid assessment of environmental conditions to aid the urban regeneration process at London Docklands

A process of urban regeneration of the former industrial dock area of east London by the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) recognised the importance of geotechnical and geoenvironmental information. A systematic programme of data collection was implemented and stored in a series of bespoke computer database systems and cartographic registers. These allowed retrieval and manipulation of the data to provide rapid site assessments. The understanding of the natural setting of the area was enhanced as a consequence of the collation exercise. The data stored included geotechnical and environmental information on soil and groundwater. The hydrogeological regime was modelled by computer to determine the consequences of development on groundwater movement. In addition, a cartographic register of historic land use was developed. This gave instant detail on the potential for contamination of a site and became a fundamental tool in the UK planning process of the area. The information from the separate systems was finally combined into a geographic information system.     

Environmental Geotechnics – An Overview

 The paper contributes to a better understanding of the principles and methods of civil engineering, especially those of geotechnics, and its relation to the environment. It is highlighted that the topic has limitations, which are rooted in the human understanding of nature. The paper has basically been written for geologists and less for engineers, and deals mainly with the inorganic environment, the geo- and hydrosphere, we do not deal with the biosphere. Civil engineering, and geotechnics as a part of it, is often misunderstood in two ways. It is either seen as architectural construction, or it is considered a nature-destroying activity. It is highlighted in the paper that products of civil engineering must be in balance with nature. If not, extraordinary expenses are needed for maintenance, or for preserving nature to keep the project "operation or existense"; otherwise the project will not be longstanding. Reliable products of civil engineering were, are and will be in good balance with nature; they provide the proper interface between nature and mankind. We place emphasis on the work of engineers, the environment in which they work, the use and reliability of their ground-testing and ground characterization methods, the planning and design process, and finally the devices with which projects can be made to fit nature and meet the goals. As an example, a case-study of controlling an old hazardous waste depository with the DRYDEP method is presented. Received: 25 February 1997 · Accepted: 16 December 1997