4x4 making places 2005. The theme fot this year is "Mindsets, Compact and Dispersed"

4x4 will explore and debate the arts of place-making through the contrast between Compact and Dispersed models of how places should and could be.

Compact and Dispersed is a useful comparison to help understand the activity of “place making”, and the “mindsets”that affect all levels from residents to financial institutions. These two important mindsets define and frame how places are made up and how activities and uses are packaged. For example, take “large food shop”: in Dispersed it is a shed, elegant if possible, surrounded by car parking, directly off an improved highway junction, in Compact it is a ground floor or basement below apartments or other uses: travel to work is a car journey in Dispersed, but a tram and walk in Compact, ditto the school run: Surgery is a freestanding building with parking in Dispersed, but a ground floor with courtyard, some first floor and other uses over in Compact: one can play this game with all city and town and village uses and activities, church, play, street, community centre, school, and so on. But there are pros and cons, noise, public space, ease of walking, public transport needs, green areas, fitness and health, pollution, density/intensity, what public space needs to offer us, etc. What are the cultural differences for living in Compact and Dispersed? In the UK we have had a century of promoting Dispersed so that this is the dominant mindset for us all, public, finance, tenure, spatial planning and so on. But the times are changing, with greater densities, ie compactness, all round. What are the pro’s and cons of both? If the main expectation in the UK is to live in “Dispersed”, is “Compact” becoming an increasingly popular holiday and leisure destination? Naturally all places now are a mix of Compact (often remnants) and Dispersed. But is the distinction informative? When we are trying to make places do more in less space (increased capacities, viable transport etc) are we trying to do Compact using the techniques, tenure and financial models of Dispersed. Can we identify stages of Compact, and is a “New Compact” emerging, out of the repair and re-urbanisation of dispersed areas?

In 2005 4x4 will explore, debate and inform though this focus.

Week 1 - February 24, 2005

Mindsets: Compact and Dispersed. Setting scene, pro’s and cons, characteristics, possible legal and finance. Speakers will be David Rudlin of Urbed, Rachael Unsworth of Leeds University, Adam Clark of architects Halliday Clark and Mike Osborne of Arup. The Chair will be Leslie Chalmers of developers English Cities Fund.

Week 2 - March 3, 2005

Defining place, creating identity. Speakers will be Klas Tham who is coming from Sweden specifically for 4x4. Klas was masterplanner for the Western Harbour (BO01) regeneration in Malmo, Steven Feber Founding Director of Magna, David Roberts of developer Igloo, and John Foster, Chief Executive of Wakefield District Council,The Chair will be Leeds Councillor Elizabeth Minkin.

Week 3 - March 10. 2005

Cultures for compact and dispersed: Speakers will be architect Will Alsop, Paul Rubinstein, Director of Culture for Newcastle City Council, Andy Bardill from Middlesex University and Barnsley poet Ian McMillan. The Chair will be regional Arts Council Board Member Lynne Green.

Week 4 - March 17, 2005

Is titled “Save the planet”, and will look at the global context. Speakers include Jonathan Smales of Beyond Green, Martin Mayfield of Arup, and Peter Cartwright of architects Cartwright Pickard. The Chair will be Yorkshire Forward Director of Environment Jan Anderson.

Note on 4x4

4x4 making places is a unique regeneration forum held in Leeds in February and March each year. This is now year 5. The format is for 4 speakers each week with a chairperson, followed by debate. 4x4 is held on 4 consecutive Thursdays starting at 6.00pm, finishing at 8.30, followed by meal and ongoing discussion. Speakers always include people who are actively putting policy into practice. We try to keep speakers to 15-20 minutes to leave decent time for debate. The speakers will be a mix of urbanists, designers, academics, developers, commentators, politicians and others, bringing regional, national and international expertise. Attendees are from across the region and include professionals, developers, administrators, politicians, students, citizens, and more. As a forum it brings people together across the whole range of interests for 4 stimulating evenings of debate on the future and quality of our environment. From previous years experience we can expect over 300 people to attend each evening. 4x4 is supported by Yorkshire Forward, Concourse, The Regional Centre for Learning Excellence, The Arts Council for England, Atkins and Allen Tod Architecture, as well as CABE, Leeds Initiative, English Heritage, Public Arts/People Making Places, RIBA, Leeds Metropolitan University and many others. 4x4 is CPD accredited with all RIBA, RTPI, ICE, RICS, Landscape Institute, and the Law Society. 4x4 has an ongoing media partnership with Yorkshire Insider and receives national and regional coverage. 4x4 is free at the point of delivery!

4x4 is held at the Brunswick Building of Leeds Metropolitan University

4x4 2004 edition

4x4 2004 edition. From left, David Lock, Tom Lonsdale, Roland Stross, Bill Dunster, Simon Smithson and Ian Tod.

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