Originally published on Hassellstudio.com in December 2021 What could the future of cities look like, and how do we plan for it? In London, a group of enquiring minds shared insights and ideas on the subject. Urban Design London and Hassell joined forces to explore ​”New Ideas for an Urban Future” in a full-day conference that was both an affirmation of the city’s continued relevance for people and society, and a call to action, imploring us to think harder…

Why we should spend less time dreaming of more space, and more time living on less space — an urban planner’s reflections. — I was lucky to grow up in a big single-family house on a quiet, residential street, just a 40-minute drive north of Copenhagen. The back garden was large enough to fit a terrace, a sandbox, and a plum tree, while the front garden wrapped flowers and hedges around the open-air…

Embracing natural, organic complexity to create thriving, healthy cities in a post-digital world — The world is beautiful and complex. The world is beautiful because it is complex. From the delicate intricacies of a flower’s pattern to the geometric assembly of a mountain range, the natural environment wields incredible levels of creativity, blending shapes, colours, and structures that, exactly because of their effortless complexity…

Conversations with colleagues #2: A reflection on the value of research and vision setting in strategic design. — Introduction Strategic design is a multidisciplinary creative practice that uses insights from research and data to inform new pathways that may lead to long-term cultural, environmental, and technological change. …

An ever-growing variety of verses about city-making and breaking — To build a place It takes a while To build a place That brings a smile To every face It takes some time Of trial and error To build a place That’s better, fairer Let the people Fill the space Day by day To build a place. Smart cities Smart cities Smart places Big data to share Smart knowing Who’s…

Meeting summaries 2021/22 — The NLA’s Built Environment Technology Expert Panel brings together 15–20 London-based practitioners 3–4 times a year. As the inaugural and current Chair of this panel, I have also had the pleasure of summarising our conversations to date. Here’s an overview of these insights, first published by New London Architecture between…

Inspired by the March 2021 Festival of Place conference, originally published on Hassellstudio.com in May 2021. — At a very high level, creating social impact is about increasing the capacity for communities to thrive. And when we talk about thriving communities, the role of design is key. It has been almost a decade since the UK Government published the Social Value Act in an attempt to secure wider social, economic, and environmental benefits from public sector projects and services. Then in June 2020, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) published a Social Value Toolkit for Architecture…

Integrating Design and Technology in Future Streets (2017, co-authored) Originally published on Gehlpeople.com as a white paper in April 2017. Authors: C.S. Andersen & J. Thayne. Updating the urban experience If you have visited any of the world’s great cities, the sounds, sights, and smells of its streets are likely to be indelibly engrained in your memory. Taxis honking. Kids playing on side…

Introduction to Laka Perspectives Vol. 02 (2019) — Originally published by Laka Reacts (Fundacja Laka) in 2019. It is a law of physics that for every action there has to be an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, anything and everything we do has consequences. This is also true for the built environment, as is apparent in…