Managing Contemporary and Historic Design and Development – Cambridge
Hosted by Cambridge City Council, this two-part seminar and walking tour discussed the challenges associated with managing change in the growing city of Cambridge, with its unique and special historic character. The speakers reflected on the value of the urban fabric, SPAB’s 1877 manifesto, and how to advise decision-makers on the degrees of harm that could be caused or how best to mitigate it with each project that comes forward. The relationship of the city and its network of smaller, but growing, towns and villages was a key consideration for the design of transport networks and the public realm, as well as the historic landscape in between.
The walking tour, which included visits into the stunning interior spaces and courtyards at Wesley House, Jesus College’s West Court, and the Judge School of Business, was an opportunity to discuss developments built in the last 10 years in their urban context, and the evolution of their final forms through the planning system.
Programme
Introduction – Louise Thomas, HTVF
Conservation Principles and Tools – Christian Brady, Cambridge City Council
Conversion of 33-34 Trumpington Street – Gail Broom, Cambridge City Council
Cambridge’s Conflicting Pressures and the Challenges in Promoting New Development – Jenni Mason, Turley
Balancing the Pressure for Growth and Design Quality – Stacey Weiser, Cambridge Past, Present and Future
Walking Tour route