I saw Richard Rogers in conversation with Christopher Turner as part of the London Design Biennale.
Sorry for the poor picture. Rogers was wearing an amazing pink shirt and green jacket combo that would make most people look like kids tv presenters but managed to make him look more statesman like.
Here are my notes, unedited, from the night. My comments in (brackets). These should not be taken as verbatim quotes. They are notes.
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We're handing back the city to people
Pedestrianisation, cycling a good thing
I'd be surprised if the car lasted 20 years (This is an interesting thought, we're getting used to seeing sectors completely transformed in about 10 years - Blockbuster to Netflix. It's not crazy to think the same could happen to the car.)
The Garden City is a bad "utopia"
1850 average age was 17
I'm worried about weakening of the city when we take the life out of the city
It's too late not be seriously damaged by climate change. But I think there's a good chance we won't destroy mankind.
(His phone rings. It's an iPhone.)
The big five house builders are in the business of profit
Better for them to build 100 houses and make a big profit than build 1000 houses and make a much smaller profit
We've never built fewer houses than since 1922
Sadie Khan is interested in affordable housing (says he's been talking with him)
The production system is controlled by private interests which is not the same as the interest that wants to build more housing
2000 citizens in Athens when it started and the motto was - "I promise to leave the city better than when I entered it"
(There are maybe 60 people here, it really does feel like an intimate chat.)
Trafalgar square was the biggest roundabout in Europe before
At a simple level buildings have to meet their users needs and then be beautiful to be uplifting
Notting Hill Gate is very high density
Height is not necessarily essential for high density
Highest density in Europe is Barcelona and has nothing over 8 stories (bar one or two)
It's had 3 brilliant mayors
The walk along the canal from the Olympics to Camden is fantastic
There is no excuse not to build the right number of houses we have the technology
(Someone asked about Brexit. Massive sigh from Rogers. Head in hands.) I'm scared. It's amazing that we're so parochial to think the nation is a thing. The big problems facing us like climate change won't be solved by individual nations.
I'm a big fan of cities. Nations are only useful for sports.
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