The experts our cities need most

When Michael Gove, appealing to a populist agenda, said, “I think the people of this country have had enough of experts” there was a pretty sharp collective intake of breath. It may be time to exhale.

Flick on the news, scroll your socials… one thing seems certain. The expert is back.

Part of the reset, the new government seems to be reaching out a hand beyond the political sphere. Ed Miliband has appointed Chris Stark, former chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, to lead a new Mission Control tasked with “turbocharging” the UK to clean power by 2030. Patrick Vallance, a household name during the pandemic, has been appointed UK science minister and experienced human rights lawyer Richard Hermer has been made attorney general. Only weeks in, there’s sure to be more.

All to the good. So, what does this new appetite for expertise mean for the built environment and the places where we live and work?

The headlines are all about new homes and infrastructure – 1.5 million new homes by 2030. But not only do we have to hit non-negotiable carbon targets, we must also raise the bar on the places we make and the futures we are creating. How do we ensure wellbeing is at the heart of every one of these new developments, no matter the size?

Speaking at the Royal Geographic Society recently, New London Architecture co-founder Peter Murray argued that while London excelled in many areas, it fell down on environmental standards and quality of life for all. He praised the big picture thinking that Richard Rogers brought the 1990s, not least in his book Cities for a Small Planet. He made the call to reintroduce the City Architect.

It is what happens between buildings that creates shared experience, pride and a sense of ownership

It’s fifteen years since there was a City Architect anywhere in the UK. That was John Thorp in Leeds, who retired in 2010 and was never replaced. Born in the area, Thorp said the geology of the city was in his blood and described his architecture as “urban dentistry”. Many feel that he brought more expertise to shaping Leeds than any other individual in recent times.

But a city, and how we experience it, is about much more than its buildings. It’s in the civic spaces that we get to know each other and where our children play and discover who they are.

And so, whilst a City Architect makes perfect sense, they need to partner with a City Landscape Architect, not sitting in the sidecar but both out there together, on equally speedy bikes.

To understand what a City Landscape Architect can bring, we need to think about the wider meaning of landscape. The original meaning of the word landscape (old English – landskeip) is to create a place where people belong. Landscape as defined like this is intensely purposeful. It is the way to connect people and place. It is not a backdrop, or a vista.

It is what happens between buildings that creates shared experience, pride and a sense of ownership. Understanding how people use space and what makes some places welcoming, and others transactional, is fundamental to being able to make decisions about how a city should function and grow. Landscape architecture puts citizens, wellbeing and social equity at the heart of growth. It prioritises a sense of community.

If we wanted, we could prioritise comfort, delight and the chance encounter

In London, streets account for around 80 per cent of the public realm. In other UK cities, the figure could be even higher. So, this is where a radical rethink and reassignment of space can make a huge difference to how we live our lives, especially in places which are noisy and polluted. If we wanted, we could prioritise comfort, delight and the chance encounter. Streets are where we could meet environmental challenges head on, making our cities work beautifully, like sponges under lush green canopies. We could see nature reflected back in every window.

New York City is ahead of us. Last year, Mayor Adams appointed Ya-Ting Liu to oversee the city’s public spaces, saying they were “too important to fall through the cracks of bureaucracy”. New York’s first ever public realm chief is thinking big, championing equity, already getting stuff done.

But still to be persuaded? Here’s the test. When the next glass tower in London or Manchester completes, can you imagine anyone saying, “Well, this has to be the best thing to happen to this city in years”? Yet that’s exactly what people said when Strand was pedestrianised in London, and when Mayfield Park opened in Manchester. These are the places where memories are made.

Of course, buildings matter. The quality, affordability and supply of homes is critical. But no-one can live solely behind their net curtains, and most people wouldn’t want to.