Planning’s Greatest Hits & Misses – Planning and saving the soul of the city

Planning policy and decisions impact every part of our daily lives, but outside of a small clutch of professionals, most Londoners know very little about how the process works. One of the reasons is that quite simply, it is often presented as a dull and tedious subject. The Planning School series was established by The London Society to bring the subject to life and provide some clarity about how it works.

This year’s theme, Planning’s Greatest Hits & Misses brings together a stellar line up of experts and leaders with contrasting views on often contentious planning topics such as tall buildings, housing and masterplanning to help audiences consider whether each of the themes is a hit or miss in London-wide terms. The series is not to be missed and will help Londoners better understand the complex politics and processes which have led to the shape and appearance of London’s most significant urban developments of recent years.

Planning and saving the soul of the city

The saving of Covent Garden from the jaws of a motorway interchange was a triumph for bottom up community activism and led to a profound shift in the balance between development and conservation.

Did we save the soul of the place or have we created a theme park?

Covent Garden: a triumph for conservation or nothing more than a sanitised urban theme park?

Confirmed Speakers : Brian Girard, KPF; and Owen Hatherley, journalist & writer