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Prince Charles Takes Architects to Task

Posted by: Tim Halbur

13 May 2009 - 9:00am

In a now infamous speech to the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Prince accused architects of having "a surfeit of abstracted ideology over the practical realities linked to people’s lives and the grain of their culture and identity."

"The Prince of Wales, who recently angered architects by intervening to stop the building of a London apartment complex, tonight urged them to respect history and scale when putting up buildings, and criticized Modernist designs."

"Several architects boycotted the prince’s speech, including Peter Ahrends, whose plans had been branded a 'carbuncle' by Charles in 1984. Ahrends and eight other signatories defended the boycott in the Guardian last weekend, saying the prince aimed to 'scupper modern architecture,' and 'his actions again threaten an important element of our democratic process.'

The prince has long objected to seeing modern architecture sprout next to most traditional buildings. His latest target is a planned luxury-apartment complex designed by Richard Rogers for the site of a former army barracks in the borough of Chelsea. Charles would like to see the Rogers proposal replaced with something more traditional."

Full Story: Prince Charles Says New Buildings Must Respect History, Scale
Source: Bloomberg.com, May 12, 2009
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But what can planners do to support the kind of connections between people I just described? One idea is promoting mixed-use places where there are simply more opportunities for people to run into each other and connect.
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