According to Anna Winston, the former prime minister's impact on the architecture profession was huge. With the redevelopment of Canary Wharf, for example, her administration gave a leg up to Cesar Pelli, Sir Norman Foster and SOM, among others.
Winston points five of the significant effects Margaret Thatcher's time in office had on the architectural profession:
- The privatization of local authority services led to the U.K. becoming one of the largest export markets for private architectural services.
- The Monopolies and Mergers Commission made it illegal for professional bodies, including architectural service providers, to establish or publish minimum fee scales.
- The Big Bang or deregulation of the financial sector in 1986 led to an increased demand for office space and a design response to cultural shifts toward consumerism.
- In 1988, the London Dockland Corporation broke ground on Canary Wharf, the largest commercial project in the world at the time.
- The Right to Buy program led to a dramatic reduction in public housing both for tenants and architects and encouraged gentrification.
Read the full story: What Margaret Thatcher did (or didn't do) for architecture
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Data reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid off
After almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.
HUD modernizes 50-year-old manufactured housing framework
The Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan establishes new energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and new guidelines for anchoring them.
Small single-family homes are illegal in most of MA. Voters can change that
Most land zoned for single-family housing in Massachusetts requires at least 40,000 square feet of land per house.
Public steps inside U.S.’s first battery-powered train
Metra’s groundbreaking train feature modern seats and a futuristic battery car.
Companies show off AI technology, new innovation hubs at APTA Expo
Nearly 700 companies attended the American Public Transportation Association’s Expo last week, which happens once every three years.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority