Living in Wonderland: Urban development and placemaking by David Twohig, Battersea Power Station Development Company Head of Design and Placemaking, offers a unique look at urban development and placemaking and makes the case for a radical change in how this should be approached ~
Britain is home to an extraordinarily eclectic array of buildings. From its magnificent public buildings to its iconic skyscrapers and cutting-edge developments, the wonderland that is British architecture defines a nation and continues to shape the lives of those within it.
But according to author and expert David Twohig, Head of Design and Placemaking for the Battersea Power Station Development Company, that could all change within 15 years. Twohig, responsible for one of the most high-profile urban regeneration projects of the century, warns that the UK’s cities are on a collision course to be overrun with “bland, homogenous developments”.
Global cities including London are in danger of being swamped with “identikit” shopping centres, office towers and sprawling, analogous housing estates as uninspired and cost-cutting developers increasingly seek “one-stop” solutions to the built environment.
This, Twohig predicts, will compromise people’s health, wellbeing and general happiness, as well as pacifying a city’s unique identity – a key attractor for foreign investment and economic success.
The arguments are laid out in Twohig’s astonishing new book, Living in Wonderland: Urban development and placemaking (Harriman House), which explores the challenges facing urban development on a global scale. Twohig’s argument for change – and the need to explore “non-default” development solutions – is based upon the study of real-life projects in residential, retail and workplace environments.
This thoroughly-researched title fills the gap between superficial coffee table books and theoretical academic papers, and has been described as a “must-read” for anyone with an interest in development, architecture, town planning and the urban environment.
“Over the next 15 years China is set to urbanise 300 million people and build the equivalent urban area of North America,” Twohig says.
“London alone is set to grow by two million people by 2030. This is the greatest period of urbanisation in human history and yet the buildings and places we are designing and developing leave a great deal to be desired.”
Living in Wonderland: Urban development and placemaking