In a piece published by New London Architecture (NLA), Leif Lomo and Rutger Huiberts reflect on the event which explored projects to revitalize Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and London’s Knightsbridge, prioritizing pedestrians.
The rise of homeworking and online shopping, paired with the resurgence of tourism, demands a fresh look at how city centres work. Creating a balanced mix of uses—moving away from mono-functional central business districts towards central social districts—will be crucial, with the public realm playing a key role in the success of our cities. Knightsbridge and Fifth Avenue represent two of the greatest shopping streets in the world, but they are overwhelmed by their popularity and competing needs. Both initiatives address complicated questions such as who the land should serve, why, and how.
As programme champion for NLA’s City Dialogues, KPF is dedicated to supporting cross-city conversations, to enable experts from around the world to share best practice and learn from each other to identify solutions for some of the 21st century’s most challenging problems.
NYLON is a collaboration between the AIA New York Global Dialogue Committee and NLA.
Read the full account here.