Erskine talk at Leeds Met: the trouble with masterplanners…
Simon & Alistair will be presenting their lecture ‘Beyond Masterplanning’ at Leeds Metropolitan University on April 26th at 1700 following lectures in Manchester and Stockholm
They are extremely concerned for the future of our towns and cities. In the biggest property boom in history the act of placemaking is in thrall to a new doctrine: the masterplan.
Erskine believes masterplans are a fatally flawed method of urban generation and have vowed to challenge thinkers, practitioners and the public / private / voluntary sectors to go ‘beyond masterplanning’.
- Beyond Masterplanning views masterplans, as currently conceived and implemented, to be in direct contravention of the incremental urban processes that created our most successful places
- Beyond Masterplanning asks why architects / urban designers / masterplanners have been ordained to lead the masterplanning process
- Beyond Masterplanning asserts that effective political management, community ‘ownership’ and communication throughout the placemaking process are as (or perhaps more?) important than technical disciplines to quality urban development
- Beyond Masterplanning posits that masterplanning as currently practiced is inevitably flawed because it is based on a thin or non-existent understanding human behavior
- Beyond Masterplanning contends that small and medium sized firms are more important to creating quality urban places than large corporations, big name retailers and property developers.
- Beyond Masterplanning shows how we can rebalance urban change so it fully considers the economic, social and environmental qualities of place and is therefore inclusive, deliverable and sustainable.
Do you agree with us? We want you to argue with us, we want you to challenge our thinking…
Come along to Leeds Metropolitan University School of Architecture Landscape and Design, room H101, Hepworth House Claypit Lane, Leeds LS2 8AE
Before you come along or you want to comment on our ideas take a look at Simon’s article