Head of design at Battersea Power Station redevelopment says UK towns are on 鈥榗ollision course with mediocrity鈥�
The man in charge of design at the firm redeveloping Battersea Power Station has said 鈥渟oulless architecture鈥� means UK cities will soon begin to resemble emerging cities of China and India in a few years鈥� time.
David Twohig, who is head of design and placemaking at Battersea Power Station Development Company, said our country鈥檚 towns and cities will become 鈥渂land, homogenous metropolises鈥� by 2029 unless something is done about it.
Twohig, who was made UK head of commercial property at previous power station developer Treasury Holdings back in 2003, said the UK鈥檚 urban centres were on a 鈥渃ollision course with mediocrity鈥�.
He added: 鈥淟ondon is set to grow by two million people by 2030. This is the greatest period of urbanisation in human history and yet the buildings and places we are designing and developing leave a great deal to be desired.鈥�
And he said too many shops, housing and offices 鈥渇rom Dubai to Shanghai to London鈥� are 鈥渋dentical鈥� and added: 鈥淭he prospect of hundreds of millions of people ending in nondescript developments without a sense of identity will lead to future social problems: alienation, isolation, crime and more.
He made his claims in a new book he has written called Living In Wonderland: Urban Development and Placemaking which is out this week.
He said he wanted to 鈥渆ncourage more considered thinking in an attempt to fuse money-driven design with an engaging and culturally led public realm鈥�.
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