Tapescript 8.

Presenter: Good evening. With me on tonight’s edition of Challenge the expert are Julia Ralston and Gareth Webster. Julia is a fully-qualified architect, who works for a well-known architectural practice in London. Facing her is her challenger Gareth Webster, a student at the university of London, who is surrounded by, in his own words, those eyesores that pass for modern buildings. Gareth, over to you.

Gareth: Right, well can I start with 1960s architecture? I walk past some awful 60s concrete blocks every day and I just can’t believe how people were uprooted and forced to live in high-rise buildings against their will. Why was this aver allowed to happen, Julia?

Julia: Gareth, you’re describing a time when many people wanted to be rehoused, because their living conditions were so bad. And this was a policy upheld by government, rather than decided by architects.

Gareth: But why don’t planners and architects talk to the public? It’s as if they feel they have the right to decide what’s best for us.

Julia: The situation has changed and in my view, Jack of consultation over new buildings is rarely an issue with the public. There are much tougher planning regulations nowadays.

Gareth: But the fact is that many people still have ti live in high-rise accommodation. How can you expect people to enjoy life on the 23rd floor with a lift that’s out of order? If we were meant to live up in the sky, we would have been born with wings.

Julia: Well, joking apart, I was in a tower block in a run-down part of Bristol for six years of my childhood, so I don’t know what it’s like. That’s largely what drove me to become an architect, actually/ Yes, some 60s architecture is poor, but the point is, if it hadn’t happen, we would be making similar mistakes today, whereas, as it is, we have been able to learn from the recent past.

Gareth: How, exactly?

Julia: Well, for one thing, the buildings being put up today generally have better materials than in the past, certainly in comparison to the 1960s. A lot more thought goes into this aspect, with the upside that new buildings look more attractive as a result.

Gareth: What about environmental issues, are there any special requirements for architects to meet there?

Julia: Yes, indeed. We have to design buildings that are environmentally efficient, so for us in Britain that means paying particular attention to things like heating. Of course, that particular requirement wouldn’t be an issue for architects in southern Europe.

Gareth: No, I suppose not … So Julia, what do you personally see as today’s main problem?

Julia: Something that really troubles me is ‘urban sprawl’, the suburbs that go on forever, all at a huge cost to the tax-paying public in terms of upkeep.

Gareth: What do you mean by ‘upkeep’?

Julia: Basic services like drainage, road maintenance, that sort of thing. And city expansion isn’t very good news for the countryside either. At the same time, there’s something appalling decay in the middle of our cities as a direct result of this move outwards. Shops in the centre have closed because of out-of-town facilities, and people are forced to drive when once they bought locally.

Gareth: And that’s not sustainable, is it? So, what’s the solution? I mean, any housing in central London that’s nice to live in is so upmarket that it’s completely unaffordable for someone like me.

Julia: Well, that depends, Gareth, on whether you would be prepared to live up in the sky. What I believe in – and what many architects are trying to work towards – is the regeneration of our city centres, but this can only happen if we think vertically - design skyscrapers, in other words. There is no space to do anything else! It’s a really exciting development that could breathe new life into our cities.

Gareth: Back to the 1960s, then?

Julia: Definitely not! Gareth, imagine if your building was a multiuse one, where you just go downstairs to see live music, or across the street to pick up some late-night shopping … this is the housing of the future, where no one will need to own a car.

Gareth: Yes, but again, is that what people want? I mean having a car is every person’s dream, isn’t it?

Julia: Well, the success of the Mayor of London’s congestion charge might prove you wrong! And it may surprise you that in a recent radio phone-in, 67% of callers thought that the car should be banned altogether from central London. I think people are ready for this Gareth, they understand that traffic is slowly killing us. Living in the city has to become a healthier and more acceptable option.

Gareth: Oh, I don’t know, you’re beginning to convince me! You do sound as though you know what you’re talking about …