Designing for Diversity: Cities and Communities

Aspen UK

Every space we share – offices, schools, parks, and pubs – ought to be shaped by the cultures of those who design, build, and use them. But there is a worry that people feel alien in what should be familiar and welcoming places, owing to narrowness of thinking in how we design public and civic spaces, and for whom.
This event brings together top architects, urban planners, and policy experts to explore how to make the shared spaces in our cities and communities more welcoming and accommodating to an increasingly diverse public – and ultimately how to make our civic spaces a place for everyone.
The discussion will explore how we can design public spaces – parks, squares, neighbourhoods – to help people of different cultures interact and enjoy each other. How do we bring together people in a multitude of places to celebrate their differences and engage in cultural exchange? How do we preserve, promote, and integrate cultural markers in our cities in a way that celebrates history and diversity?
MODERATED BY:

Paul Owens – Paul is Director of BOP Consulting and Founder of the World Cities Culture Forum.

ON THE PANEL:

Shanaz Gulzar – Chair of the Bradford City of Culture Bid 2025

Sunder Katwala – Director of UK think-tank British Future

Harriet Wennberg – Executive Director of INTBAU

Armstrong Yakubu – Senior Partner at Foster + Partners
This episode was recorded as a live broadcast on 18 July 2022.

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