Urban Research Unit: Working in the Future City
What it means to work in a contemporary workspace
2013
Futurecity are pleased to announce a new partnership with the Urban Research Unit and the University of the Arts London. A new placemaking module has been established at the university where students are offered hands-on experience at London Bridge, a live project with Grimshaw Architects.
Urban Research Unit (URU) is a one year initiative of Grimshaw Architects and Futurecity aimed at developing a fresh approach for intelligent and creative urban placemaking within the context of New York and London.
As cities continue to compete for the exclusive title of ‘world cultural city’, the idea of urban centres as places of creative energy has re-emerged. Technology, the ideas economy, globalisation, flexible working, health concerns, an ageing population and the economic forces accompanying all of these social trends mean we must plan for urban places that layer the physical with the experiential.
The purpose of this year-long research project is to develop a fresh approach for intelligent and creative urban placemaking, exploring and developing our thinking and understanding within the context of the cities of New York and London.
This process will create a toolkit enabling us to consider multiple key issues as ‘strands’ that can be drawn upon to shape our urban environment. We will develop our toolkit throughout 2013, guided by a series of events. Each event will explore a particular strand, where a number of influential thinkers will explore that strand with an audience. Ideas generated by the discussions will join content from speakers and audience feedback on a dedicated website where future events will also be listed. The events will be held in New York and London alternately, with some focus on lessons that can be learned from those cities
