When Urban Design is of national importance!
15. September 2009
by Christopher Hume
thestar.com
"It says something quite profound about the (British) government that it has decided this is a national priority," said planner Joe Berridge on Britain's commission on architecture.
His name may be Joe Berridge, but he's better known as the man with the plan.
His firm, Urban Strategies, has become a fixture in Toronto and many other cities
where he has worked in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Now Berridge has been appointed to the British government's Commission on Architecture
and the Built Environment (CABE). This is the statutory design panel that offers
advice on all matters relating to urban development. That means anything from
new schools and roads to waterfront revitalization and office towers.
CABE's 200-odd appointees are architects, landscape architects, engineers and
even economists. They are paid, but modestly. People join when invited because
of the fun and the prestige.