Lord Richard Rogers, the outspoken architect who has transformed the skylines of cities as far apart as Paris and Shanghai is set to once more turn his hand to London, by overseeing a massive masterplan to transform great swathes of East London and neighbouring Essex.

The masterplan, which will be the biggest modern housing and regeneration project in living memory, will shape the lives of tens of thousands of residents through the creation of two new mini towns in the area. The plans will eventually involve the building of around 20,000 new homes, several schools and plenty of office and factory space.

Clearly timed to bolster local emotions following the end of car manufacturing at the Ford factory in Dagenham, Ken Livingstone is giving full public backing of Lord Rogers as the right man for the job of designing the very latest in high density sustainable housing developments.

But Rogers' masterplan will go well beyond the bricks and mortar if the planners get their way. Incorporated in the proposals already announced are fundamental improvements to the transport links in the East of the city, including new Thames river crossings, a Docklands Light railway extension, a tram system, road improvements to the A13 and the all-important extension of the Crossrail train link.

Mayor Livingstone is particularly keen to see the proposed new line extended all the way from Heathrow airport in the west through the City of London, Canary Wharf and out along the north bank of the Thames through Essex and Kent. He has often talked about this as a prerequisite for opening up the Eastern Thames Gateway, and the appointment of Lord Rogers will be seen as a way of strengthening his hand and improving his chances of gaining support from central government.

He has his critics and his criticisms, but there can be no doubt that Lord Rogers has left his mark wherever he has turned his hand, with previous works including the Pompidou Centre and the Lloyds building. Mayor Livingstone will be hoping that the plan he comes up with fares rather better than one of his less successful designs - the Millennium Dome…