Panel discussion moderated by Dr Andrew Hoolachan on the implications of high-rise residential development in UK cities.

Featuring:

Dr Philip Black
Senior Lecturer in Urban Design
Director of Manchester Urban Design Lab
University of Manchester

Dr Lucia Cerrada-Morato
Project Manager, High Density Development, Tower Hamlets
Visiting Lecturer, The Bartlett, UCL 

Dr Brian Webb
Senior Lecturer in Spatial Planning
Cardiff University

Event Summary

Join us for the launch of the new book Condoland: The Planning, Design, and Development of Toronto's CityPlace co-authored by James White and John Punter and published by UBC Press.

The event will begin with presentation by the first author, Professor James White, followed by a panel discussion on the implications of high-rise residential development in UK cities moderated by Dr Andrew Hoolachan and featuring Dr Philip Black, Dr Lucia Cerrada-Morato and Dr Brian Webb. After the discussion, attendees are invited to join the author and panellists for a drinks reception sponsored by Urban Studies where copies of the book will be available to purchase from the John Smith’s Bookshop.

About the book

Condoland casts CityPlace—a massive residential development of more than thirty condominium towers on the edge of the downtown core of Canada’s largest city, Toronto —as a microcosm of twenty-first-century urban intensification that has transformed the city skyline beyond all recognition. Built almost entirely by a single private developer, this immense neighbourhood took decades to plan, design, and develop, but the result lacks a sense of place and is not widely accessible to those who need homes: only a small number of its 13,000 units constitute affordable housing, and public amenities are limited.

James White and John Punter journey through the forty-year development of Toronto’s largest residential megaproject, focusing on its urban design and architectural evolution. They also delve into the background, summarizing the tools used to shape Toronto’s built environment, and critically explore the underlying political economy of planning and real estate development in the city. Using detailed field studies, interviews, archival research, and nearly two hundred illustrations, they reveal an alarmingly flexible approach to planning and design that is acquiescent to the demands of a rapacious development industry.

Condoland raises pertinent questions about the sustainability and long-term resilience of compact city planning and vertical urbanisation not just in Canada but in the UK too, where high-rise residential development is already beginning to reshape the skylines of London, Manchester and other large urban areas.

Timing and Structure

14:45 – 15:00 Arrival and Registration

15:00 – 15:05 Opening remarks – Andrew

15:05 – 15:45 Author presentation - James

15:45 – 16:15 Panel discussion – Andrew, James, Philip, Lucia, Brian

16:15 – 16:25 Q&A (audience, facilitated by Andrew)

16:25 – 16:30 Closing remarks, Andrew

16:30 – 17:00 Drinks Reception and Book Stand