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Category Archives: Urbanism
HS2 – urban connectivity is key to maximising economic impact
This morning’s announcement by the UK government about the preferred route of the proposed ‘High Speed 2’ rail line north of Birmingham raises, quite rightly, the issue of economic impact and its geographic spread. Will the line draw commerce north, … Continue reading
Posted in Development, Economic, Future Cities, Planning, Spatial layout, Transportation, Urbanism
3 Comments
Are streets the answer – yes, but…
Yesterday’s launch by think tank Policy Exchange of a report calling for the removal of inner-city high rise estates and their replacement with streets is a welcome contribution to discussions about the design of future cities. The report, authored by … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Cities, Development, Economic, Future Cities, Health, Planning, Social, Space Syntax, Spatial layout, Urbanism
4 Comments
Old Street – putting the genie back in the bottle?
Old Street Roundabout is a heady intersection of urban movement flows: on foot, on cycles and in vehicles, including the Tube. But it is currently a mess, out of place within the surrounding network of generally convivial streets. In order … Continue reading
Smart Cities World Expo – speaking notes
Spatial layout influences Human behaviour: 1. Movement 2. Awareness 3. Interaction 4. Transaction. Spatial layout benefits 1. Economy - productivity - innovation – building & campus performance 2. Health – active travel – access to healthcare – building & campus performance 3. … Continue reading
UBM Future Cities
My piece in full
Posted in Cities, Digital phenomena, Future Cities, Health, Planning, Press article, Technology, Transportation, Urbanism
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Planning to “plan” or planning to “process”?
There’s an argument for more deterministic planning – taking the guesswork out of it. Planning should create plans not just processes. We have clearly defined processes but uncertain physical and spatial plans. Too much is left to individual actors. More … Continue reading
Is density just a fashion?
“It is possible that density is a fashion.” Anon It is also possible that low density is a fashion. Indeed this would seem from the evidence to be a much greater possibility. Look at the urban record. The last hundred … Continue reading
Posted in Planning, Transportation, Urbanism
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Life by a thousand connections
Background The everyday actions of architects and urban planners influence the everyday physical activity of people by creating the networks of streets and public spaces through which people move. Similarly, inside buildings, the layout of space influences the degree to … Continue reading
Quality Streetscapes Conference notes
My slides This first part of this presentation introduces a new approach to valuing urban design – one which allows design decisions to be embedded in real estate valuation calculations. The approach connects design to the rateable value of retail, … Continue reading
Future Cities_Cities of Transaction
Thinking about the future of cities is not a new challenge. From Christopher Wren’s plan for the post-fire rebuilding of London in 1666 to Ebenezer Howards’s Garden City concept, to Le Corbusier, to Bladerunner, human ingenuity has been tasked with … Continue reading
Notes for AGI Conference talk: Measure, map, model, make
My slides Great placemaking is a process combining art and science. There is a place for both and indeed a need for both. Two problems. First, urban planning is largely an analogue discipline. Too many diagrams and watercolours. Not enough … Continue reading
AoU Landscape Urbanism notes & questions
These notes accompany a PowerPoint presentation Fragmented urbanism: the rise of Landscape Urbanism & the threat it poses to the continuously connected city TS intro This is a crucial moment for urbanism. In the UK, The Portas Review, highlighting the … Continue reading
London Riots discussion at #lonconf
Darah Singh Groups of rioters: 1. Motivators – of rioting 2. Aggressors – towards police 3. Late night shoppers Simeon Riots gave people unusual opportunities for power and control. Abnormal empowerment. David Lammy MP The risks of social & economic … Continue reading
Animation – London’s Spatial Accessibility
Posted in Planning, Space Syntax, Spatial modelling, Urbanism
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Talk, Stockholm: From the city to the bedside
White Tengbom Team AB Hälsingegatan 47 113 31 Stockholm Sweden 7th December 2012
Posted in Architecture, Design, Urbanism
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Approaching large scale urban design schemes
On Friday I gave a presentation at a Design Council CABE event, “Inside Design Review”. My talk, “Approaching large scale urban design schemes“, sets out a framework for thinking about the complexity of major urban development proposals.
Article 25 “On London Wall”
Article 25 is a charity that designs, builds, and manages projects to provide better shelter wherever there is disaster, poverty, or need. Its latest event “10 X 10” is an auction of 100 architects’ drawings of the City of London. My … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Art, London, Urbanism
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Spatial accessibility in London
Two areas of central London (Camden top and Whitechapel bottom), showing the spatial accessibility of the vehicle network from high (red then orange) to low (green then blue).
Posted in Space Syntax, Spatial modelling, Urbanism
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IBM Smart Cities, Helsinki – latest notes
9.50 Keynote What will the future city look like? The city of transaction How to plan a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable city The effects of the digital revolution on human behaviour patterns Tim Stonor, Architect & Urban Planner, Managing … Continue reading
