In London, says architect Michel Mossessian, it is currently city planners who are responsible for defining (and defending) public spaces, but in reality their role is that of negotiator: they negotiate with property developers to guarantee the requisite contribution to the public realm, which is quantified through categories such as public art, green space and so on. This leaves little margin for creative thinking.
Shouldn’t it be the role and responsibility of the architect to think through and define public spaces?, he asks?
Hear and debate Michel's ideas at A Place for Creativity?, July 15 in Milton Keynes
Mossessian was born in France, spent his early working years in the United States and now works from a former industrial building in Hoxton in London's East End. He works with planners and developers, and also with artists and with those who live and work in the surrounding streets.
