In conjunction with RIBAJ, over the last few months AluK’s Design Studio has hosted a series of fascinating debates discussing the nature of our cities across a range of themes. Last week saw the final debate in the series take place, so let’s recap just some of the topics that were covered in the Cities series.
The first debate tackled the issue of green cities, questioning what exactly makes a liveable community. While the panellists agreed that green infrastructure is hugely important for cities, some asked how spend on eco-projects can be justified.
Following on from the environmental theme, the second set of panellists were quizzed on social infrastructure. Architects, town planners and investors debated the necessity of community-minded projects, with many using developments in China and Norway as examples, whilst also considering the cost of social projects.
The next debate covered the highly topical subject of housing in cities, addressing issues of hyperdensity and affordability. Panellists and audience members alike criticised the rise in prices and fall in availability currently affecting the UK housing market, particularly in the South East.
In the fourth and final debate, the guest panellists were talking commercial cities, assessing the pros and cons of redeveloping historic buildings, questioning how to make sustainable retail and office space and disputing the impact of coworking on the design and functionality of city office space.
You can read the RIBAJ report of the most recent debate, discussing commercial cities, here.
To end the series of debates there’s to be a one-day workshop in the AluK Design Studio in the coming weeks; you can find out more, and keep up with other AluK events, on our website.
