Stacked uses and vertical integration are part of the answer, but so are well-designed streets and public places at ground level. Yet no design exists independently of the processes that bring it into being. Mechanisms of policy, investment and real estate are critical to enabling good design for people, and it is this that delivers vibrant economies, attracts talent and capital, supports resilience, and sustains city competitiveness over the long term.

Global cities face shared challenges: land scarcity, competitiveness, the need for climate resilience, and rapidly evolving ways of living and working. At the same time, internationally mobile capital is seeking secure investments in places that demonstrate long-term value through innovation and adaptability.

Too often, the way we plan and build urban centres still follows sequential, segregated patterns, producing single-use monocultures of which the traditional City of London “Square Mile” remains an example. The question is how to integrate approaches to planning, investment and design to create more finely meshed, resilient and liveable urban centres. Could the City learn from examples in the Far East, where vertical integration around transit nodes has created a new generation of high-rise, mixed-use districts? More provocatively, could the Square Mile emulate King’s Cross by combining the fine grain, heritage and public realm of its traditional roots, with the innovation and boldness demonstrated in 21st-century boom cities across the Middle East and Asia? The question for the City, and for equivalent historic urban centres worldwide, is whether they can deliver this richness both horizontally and vertically.

Speakers:

• Prof. Yolande Barnes, Yolanda Barns Consulting
• Peter Maxwell, Strategic Planning Consultant and former Director of Design, LLDC
• Ed Baker, Global Head of Urbanism, Broadway Malyan
• Paul Hewitt, Group Chief Operating Officer, Primera
• Moderated by: Emily Wright
• Introduced by: Ana McMillin