Date: Wednesday 11th October
Time: 6:30pm
Where: Manchester School of Art
The public realm is the key ingredient of a livable city – our architecture and landmarks, our open spaces – but what is the public’s role in shaping it? How much of our public space is privately owned? How well connected are the different parts of our cities? How can we make sure our public realm supports our communities – and how welcoming are we to visitors?
Discussing these issues are footballer-turned-developer Gary Neville, whose plans for new developments in Manchester City Centre caused some controversy when first revealed; Ali Grehan, the city architect of Dublin who has led that city’s design strategy over the past decade; and Katie Tonkinson, partner at Hawkins\Brown, the architects creating a rooftop garden in the Northern Quarter.
The Great Debate will be chaired by Professor Rachel Cooper OBE, the director of ImaginationLancaster and academic lead of the N8 Northern Universities on Urban Transformation Research.