‘Brave New City London’ at the Institution of Civil Engineers
What are the challenges facing society if we are to create sustainable urban environments and how can we address them?
In a unique approach to this debate, ISSUES asked five distinguished panellists to introduce a clip chosen from the ITN Source broadcast footage provider to spark off their discussion of the Brave New City. The panel then debated the issues raised before taking questions from the audience.
watch the debate and meet the speakers
Watch clips of the speakers talks below.
Click here to view a profile of each of the expert panellists, including an insight into their favourite movie.
introduction by professor paul jowitt, issues
paul morrell, chief construction advisor, bis
geoff mulgan, young foundation
peter heath, Atkins
martin powell, london development agency
professor peter guthrie, issues
The challenges raised:
How to ensure joined-up, multidisciplinary thinking and action is adopted in order to create a sustainable urban environment.
The need for sustainable masterplans to have ‘gaps’ that allow for organic project growth, along with the contribution and consent of the people for whom they are intended.
The adoption of Social Design in new building and regeneration so that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.
The desire for researchers, practitioners and policy makers to find a new model for sharing and disseminating knowledge in an increasingly interconnected world.
The reality that energy provision and use will be turned on its head in the cities and towns of the future.
Read a full summary of the discussion and challenges below.
And find out here how the SUE programme works to address them.
SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION
Joined-up, multidisciplinary thinking and action is the only way to create a sustainable future, argued Peter Heath of global engineering firm Atkins at Brave New City London. Donning the costume of cowboy hat and waistcoat to introduce his clip about line dancing, Heath argued that a global ‘carbon critical line dance’ must take place in which the whole planet would have to learn new, complex skills and ways of working together to create a sustainable future.
Mr Heath suggested that the UK, and specifically London, would have to take the lead in building sustainable urban centres and by taking risks with innovative ideas for energy generation and provision, high density living and green building. He implored academics and industry thinkers to continue to generate ‘brave new ideas’ that would inspire brave political and policy decisions. For Heath the solution to building a sustainable future stemmed from people coming together across all skills, ages and abilities.
Chief Construction Advisor, Paul Morrell
Joined up thinking was also highlighted by the government’s first Chief Construction Advisor, Paul Morrell in his discussion of a sustainable future. Mr Morrell showed a film of the Easterhouse estate clearances in Glasgow. The immediate solution for the ‘problem’ of bad design on these estates was to completely sweep them away and move the communities they had housed to buildings that would themselves be demolished 20 years later. Morrell argued that this kind of catch-all masterplan could be harmful, despite their good intentions.
He said he was ‘troubled by the visions of the sustainable city that arrive off drawing boards’ and have the potential to repeat the mistakes of the past by moving people from unacceptable conditions, straight into others. Morrell instead proposed masterplanning that embraced incompleteness, was open to natural evolution and engaged its dwellers in creating sustainable communities.
Geoff Mulgan, founder of think tank Demos and now Director of the Young Foundation,
Fellow panellist Geoff Mulgan, founder of think tank Demos and now Director of the Young Foundation, agreed in questioning what he termed a ‘total vision’ imposed on individuals by professionals. He insisted that the consent and involvement of the people who live in these environments were key to building sustainable places and communities.
Mr Mulgan also chose a notorious inner city estate for his own clip choice. Originally seen as a good example of high-density inner city housing, Broadwater Farm became a place of fear and danger as its design gave way to crime and nightmarish living conditions. Its residents made the ultimate expression of discontent with the planners and designers by setting it on fire in the 1980s.
However Mr Mulgan was also keen to draw attention to the positive aspects of Broadwater’s regeneration in the 90s. He argued that the focus on social design and a move to mixed use spaces once more made Broadwater a desirable place to live and that this inclusive design method was an important lesson to be learnt and not forgotten.
Returning to Paul Morrell’s idea of the incomplete masterplan, he argued that even the most attractive and well planned design must go with ‘the grain of human nature’ and allow a degree of organic growth. He said concluded that ‘neglecting social design was not only bad for the people that live there but bad for the investors too’.
Professor Peter Guthrie, ISSUES
Representing theSUE programme on the panel, Professor Peter Guthrie, who is co-principal investigator for ISSUES (Implementation Strategies for Sustainable Urban Environment Systems) was keen to highlight the importance of knowledge among researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the sustainability sector.
Using a clip of the comedian Stanley Unwin speaking ‘Unwinese’ to exemplify his point, Professor Guthrie explained that messages which seem obvious to the person giving that message can often be completely unfathomable to those receiving it. He argued that in order to secure a sustainable way of living in the future, all parties to the debate must ensure they are speaking a language that everyone can understand.
Professor Guthrie insisted that the current methods available for researchers and policy makers to share information needed critical attention to improve. He argued that the change could not be incremental and instead a brand new model for sharing and disseminating knowledge must be found to suit the needs of an increasingly interconnected world.
Martin Powell, London Development Agency
Introducing a film about a house that had been built upside-down, Martin Powell, Director of Projects at the London Development Agency, insisted that in order to create a sustainable future, energy provision and use, like the house in the film, must be turned on its head, putting it back in the hands of the user. Powell said: ‘People are going to have to think about energy like they never have before. Prices are going to rocket and it is up to engineers, designers and planners to address this reality’.
The LDA’s projects director lamented a time when Britain was a nation where ‘just enough, was enough’ and argued that turning building stock and houses into mini power stations by harnessing solar energy would allow homeowners to generate and even sell-on their own energy.
Powell’s fellow panellist Peter Guthrie responded by sharing his nervousness of the seduction of solar potential ‘where we might end up in a situation where homeowners are exporting energy that no one wants.’ He argued instead for larger scale renewable energy projects and maintaining focus on reducing energy demand and working towards a low carbon lifestyle.
Geoff Mulgan also highlighted the problems of ensuring energy users and homeowners ‘bought in’ to the new schemes and reiterated the need to ensure new projects and building schemes were supported by inclusive social investigation and design.
The discussion ended with questions posed by the audience of delegates from across the urban design, building, architecture, research, journalism and environment sectors.
If you have a specific question about an aspect of SUE that relates to the Brave New City event, either use the SUEGallery to find the relevant expert (www.suegallery.org) or contact Annabel (annabel.cooper@sistech.co.uk) for assistance.
Use the SUE Gateway (www.suegateway.org), the one-stop search tool for £38m of Sustainable Urban Environment research, to find the research, facts and tools relevant to you.
Find it now in SUE.
Click here for access to the SUE Gateway, the one-stop search tool for £38m of Sustainable Urban Environment research, to find the facts and tools relevant to you.
Ask the SUE Experts.
Click here for access to the SUE Gallery of Experts, a who’s who of the brightest minds in each area of the Sustainable Urban Environment.
SUE: A Project in Posters.
Check out the SUE movie poster exhibition, designed to bring SUE research to public buildings, exhibitions and events around the country.
Any Questions?
If you want to ask a specific question about any aspect of SUE research, ask Annabel (annabel.cooper@sistech.co.uk) to put you in touch with the relevant researcher.
