Synopsis
As cities around the world have responded to the triple crises of increasing inequality, the global climate emergency and the health pandemic, the impact of design of the built environment on urban lives has taken on greater significance. The quality and location of public spaces, parks, high streets and neighbourhoods has played an increasingly important role in fostering greater inclusion and resilience in cities across the world. The benefits of the compact, integrated and well-connected city have been – in some respects – rediscovered. Drawing on research and experience from LSE Cities, the lecture will consider how the design of our buildings, streets and communities can contribute or frustrate social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
In-Conversation Panel Discussion
The lecture will be followed by an in-conversation panel discussion with Professor Ricky Burdett and Professor Thomas Schroepfer from the SUTD Architecture and Sustainability (ASD) Pillar. As SUTD aspires to “Build A Better World By Design”, Professor Schroepfer will share more about ASD’s mission and vision. He will also highlight on-going research with Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities to develop urban solutions, as well as showcase award-winning student projects.
About the Speakers
Professor Ricky Burdett is a London-based urban specialist with a wide portfolio of academic and consultancy activities at an international scale. Trained as an architect, Burdett is a recognised world authority in urban development and design, contemporary architecture, and the social and spatial dynamics of contemporary cities. He leads LSE Cities, a global centre of research and teaching at the London School of Economics and Political Science and established its pioneering Urban Age programme. He is co-chair of the Council on Urban Initiatives, a collaboration with UN Habitat and UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. In his advisory role to the Mayor of London, he was Chief Advisor on Architecture and Urbanism for the London 2012 Olympics and its legacy and was a Cultural Ambassador as a member of the Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board. Burdett was Director of the Venice International Architecture Biennale and Curator of the Global Cities Exhibition in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern in London. He was a member of the UK Government Urban Task Force, the Airport Commission and Council member of the Royal College of Art and is a Trustee of the Norman Foster Foundation. He co-edited several books including Shaping Cities in an Urban Age and and Living in the Endless City and is a regular speaker at the World Urban Forum, the World Economic Forum and other international conferences and public events. Professor Burdett was appointed a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to urban planning and design in the 2017 New Year’s Honours List and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal College of Art in 2019. He is the 2022 Distinguished Fellow and Visiting Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities in Singapore.
Dr Thomas Schroepfer is a Full Professor and Founding Associate Head of Pillar of Architecture and Sustainable Design at the Singapore University of Technology. He has published extensively on his work, which has been exhibited at important international venues including the Venice Biennale and the World Architecture Festival. His books have been translated into several languages and include Dense and Green Cities: Architecture as Urban Ecosystem (2020), Dense and Green: Innovative Building Types for Sustainable Urban Architecture (2016) and Ecological Urban Architecture (2012). He is the recipient of prestigious awards and recognitions including the President*s Design Award, Singapore’s highest honour accorded to designers and designs across all disciplines; the German Design Award; and the Asia Education LeadershipAward.
Register here: Designing for Equitable Cities Tickets, Thu 22 Sep 2022 at 16:00 | Eventbrite
