top of page

NEWS / EVENTS

Keep up-to-date with all things Studio Rooprai. Read about our latest news.

A Framework for Towns and Cities - Summit

Manifestio_edited.jpg

Tackling the Silos: How to align legislation, policies, design guidance, practices and technical standards to ensure sustainable development and healthy, happy citizens.

 

'Everyone is a specialist whose aim is not primarily to achieve the end-product’

Ian Nairn, “Outrage”, Architectural Review, June 1955

Over 60 years after the publication of Ian Nairn’s famous “Outrage”, the planning, design and engineering of towns and cities continues to be beset by the difficulty in getting specialists to go beyond their own professional boundaries, to take responsibility for the overall success of new and existing development.

​

Most people will have heard of cases of masterplans being approved in planning, the street layout being approved by highway authority development control and then being rejected by the technical approval and adoption section of the council, with the final scheme abandoning the people-friendly vision in favour of an environment designed for vehicles.    This is just one of many examples.

​

The event coincides with revisions to key guidance including:

Manual for Streets - DfT thinking about a successor

Planning Practice - Design Section being re-written, including illustrated

Sewers for Adoption - version 8 expected later this year

Shared Space - currently subject to a DfT request to pause

 

PROGRAMME:

6.15   Introduction

6.30   Expert Panel Presentations  4 minutes each

​

OBJECTIVES

  • Global Urban Design Framework  Raj Rooprai: Studio Rooprai

  • Mobility and Inlcusion  Brenda Peach

  • Neighbourliness and Social Inclusion  Noha Nasser, Mela

  • Public Health  Rachel Toms, Public Helath England

  • Systems Thinking  Loretta von der Tann, UCL

 

DELIVERY

  • Strategic Urban Design & Skills  Alan Stones

  • Masterplanning  Katja Stille, Tibbalds Planning and Design

  • Places, Street and Movement  John Dales, Urban Movement

  • SuDS & Water, Sensitive Urban Design  Paul Scahffer, CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association

  • Trees  Jim Smith, Trees and Design Action Group; Foresty Commission

  • Using the Space Under our Towns and Cities  Liz Reynolds, URBEN; Think Deep UK

 

7.20   Workshop Session

  • Are there common objectives for towns and cities?

  • What are the main barriers?

  • What needs to be done to overcome them?

  • Specifically, what can professionals do?

8.00   Feedback

8.15   Close

​

The objective of this event is to discuss how to move towards a system for the planning, design, engineering and management of towns and cities that works well together, and works consistently towards high level objectives, such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, central government policies and statutory duties on issues such as climate change, human rights and equality.

  • How can technical standards be drawn up so that they don’t conflict with each other?

  • How can decision making by different sections of public authorities be made consistent with each other?

  • How can local authorities be encouraged to make the essential updates to their guidance and standards necessary to align with current central government policies and statutory duties?

  • What funding systems are needed to encourage great design and liveability?

  • How can local authorities be encouraged to make the essential updates to their guidance and standards necessary to align with current central government policies and statutory duties?

  • How can urgent objectives for improving public health, or adapting and preventing climate change be translated into action?

bottom of page