Should Bristol become a high rise city? - Rab Bennetts gives his view

05.03.2020

On March 5th, Rab was invited as one of the four speakers to give a talk about the history, evolution and personal views of urban desification in the built environment. The event took place at the Bristol Civic Society.

YES say the administration: Tall buildings “communicate ambition and energy” and are essential to solving the housing and climate crisis.

NO says much informed opinion. An indiscriminate push to build tall will repeat the uglification mistakes of the ’60s and ’70s, harm sustainability, will generate less social housing, and damage Bristol’s “unique selling point” – its charm and beauty – which attracts new people and new talent.

Yolande Barnes, Chair of the Bartlett Real Estate Institute at UCL, on investment and cultural trends moving cities away from high-rise
Rab Bennetts, founder and CEO of Bennetts Associates, the UK’s leading sustainability-oriented architectural practice
Prof Philip Steadman of UCL Energy Institute, whose research focuses on tall buildings’ energy use
David Milner, Project Manager at Create Streets, a leading pressure group pushing for more beautiful housing