City resilience and flood risk
This month the Environment Agency has begun consulting on the national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England proposing a new approach based on a recommendation made in the National Infrastructure Assessment. The Agency's strategy will ensure the country is prepared for a potential 4 degree C rise in global temperatures and aims to ensure all infrastructure is resilient to flooding and coastal change by 2050, according to the National Infrastructure Co
Sport in cities
Lord's cricket ground: England versus South Africa 2017 Wilkinson Eyre are the architects behind the new £50 million redevelopment to the Lord's cricket ground that will be completed this summer. The new three-tier stands will accommodate around 11.500 members of the public at the Nursery End of the Ground. Capacity will be increased by 2,500 seats and a walkway linking both the stands and overlooking the Nursery Ground will be introduced. The Marylebone Cricket Club has been
City Hall supports our infrastructure and planning event
We are delighted that the infrastructure team at London City Hall will be supporting the research event at our June forum this year. The Greater London Authority team is working to deliver the London Infrastructure Plan 2050 which cuts across major policy areas within City Hall but includes developing an energy plan to ensure future supply of low carbon and affordable energy, reducing overall energy demand through improving the energy performance of new buildings as well as i
New housing strategies from TfL at Future Cities Forum
(Above) Looking north from Thurloe Street by South Kensington station to V&A Museum Tfl will be at our June forum to speak about its planning and housing developments in London. Rosanna Sterry is an experienced planner with TfL, working alongside London boroughs on planning applications to create new homes from often challenging sites around stations and tube lines. Rosanna commented: 'To councils and local authorities the property development side of TfL can feel like a publ
Green belt housing model for Hertfordshire
MICA Architects has been speaking to us about its sensitive master-planning approach for housing across six new villages in Harlow North, Hertfordshire. Director, Gavin Miller says the previously restricted landscape at Gilston Park has been opened up to offer a range of countryside uses and outdoor activities for the benefit of the people of the region and for future residents. Ten thousand homes each within four minutes' walk of idyllic natural landscape has been planned fo
Rail investment in the North
With the House of Lords report last week suggesting a re-think on HS2, we caught up with SNC Lavalin-Atkins Market Director (Atkins Infrastructure Division), Liam Harrison, to discuss where funding around rail for the North should go. While working on HS2 for the past four years and currently implementing the BIM strategy for the project, the firm is also master planning station development for cities such as Sheffield and Leeds. Liam stated that connecting cities across the
National Infrastructure Commission on smart power for UK cities
We have been talking to Katie Black, Head of Policy at the National Infrastructure Commission ahead of our June forum at which she will be joining our energy infrastructure discussion panel. She will be speaking on Smart Power, flexible electricity generation and distribution and the de-carbonisation of freight transport - all with a view to making our cities healthier, more resource efficient and sustainable. This has become an important topic as the UK grapples with new for
Our forum at Cambridge on science, tech hubs and knowledge quarters
Our science and health innovations hub forum will be held at Selwyn College Cambridge on 20th November 2019 where we will be discussing the best approaches to creating knowledge hubs within cities that are both economically and socially successful - and are well designed, especially in urban settings. We will also be looking at tackling health issues in cities and showcase innovation in medical care. Selwyn College was built in the great age of European science advancement wh
Regeneration of high streets through sport?
How can sport help regenerate the high street and improve derelict urban spaces in cities? This and other questions on model partnerships between local authorities and professional sports clubs, promoting health and fitness for all sections of society, were discussed at our dedicated sports forum, hosted at HereEast last week, where Loughborough University has a campus on the Olympic Park. Tim Barnes, Head of Enterprise Development at Loughborough University London remarked t
Excellent design at the 'beating heart' of all new UK infrastructure
Stirling Prize winning architect and National Infrastructure Commissioner has just announced a new Design Group which will champion design excellence in all new national infrastructure. Professor Sadie Morgan, who delivered the opening speech to our November Future Cities Forum, gave an overview of where design was influencing our infrastructure projects in the UK and how this would influence housing and community development. In her new announcement, Sadie said that the new