Back in 2018, one of The Developer’s first podcasts was an interview with Linda Thiel, director of White Arkitekter’s London studio. The Scandinavian practice had been hired for the second phase of the regeneration of the Gascoigne estate in east London, replacing 1960s high rise blocks while adopting what the practice calls a “Scandinavian approach” with an emphasis on public space. More than four years on, Thiel got in touch to say that there had been a change in the practice’s thinking and, for the final stages of the project, they were now proposing that rather than demolish the original buildings, they should consider retrofitting them. Such an approach could also break a cycle of demolish and rebuild that began in the 1950s when the Edwardian terraced housing that originally sat on the site was razed, having been condemned as slums, only to be repeated as, in turn, those towers fell out of favour, creating a level of intergenerational trauma as communities were once again uprooted. Speaking in a new podcast, Thiel tells the story of White Arkitekter and Civic Engineers’ investigation into the feasibility of retrofit and raises fresh questions of equity and inclusion

Breaking the cycle of demolish, rebuild

“Liverpool is undergoing unprecedented growth in investment,” Claire Slinger, Assistant Director for Investment and Development at Liverpool City Council tells The Developer. We learn how the council unlocked plans for its stalled 100 acre Festival Gardens site, and hear about their plans to entice more than 80,000 university and college students to stay in the city after graduation. We also talk about "inclusive growth" and how to bring the public along in a rapidly changing city.

Claire Slinger: "Liverpool is a very well-kept secret"

How do we make places where people want to live, work, play and learn? A podcast on cities, property, architecture and urban design. Support us on Patreon www.patreon.com/thedeveloperuk

Breaking the cycle of demolish, rebuild

TheDeveloper

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