AoU Journal - Here & Now - Young Urbanist Anniversary Special

Welcome to the Young Urbanist Anniversary issue of Here & Now, the Journal of The Academy of Urbanism. 

It has been ten years since the founding of the Young Urbanists at the Academy of Urbanism. Since then, the YUs have grown into a vocal, active, and energetic force within the Academy. As the Young Urbanist editor of Here & Now, it was heartening to see how many of this year’s cohort were keen to submit and reflect upon both the Young Urbanists and the urban issues facing us. 

In this edition, Bright Pryde-Saha, one of the Young Urbanists’ founding members, recalls the earliest days of the group, Odysseas Diakakis takes us through his YU experience and sets the stage for their new Agenda. Our reviews include Julie Plichon and Benton Meador reporting back from Ljubljana and Trieste during the annual YU Cycle Trip and Nick Falk contemplating how we can (or why we can’t) get big projects done. For our opinion pieces, Andreas Markides asks what the Minotaur has in common with consultancy, Jekaterina Ancane explores the idea of porosity between the public and private realm, Raymonde Bieler explores a new approach to managing the Urban Heat Island effect, Leyla Moy reflects on the place and importance of malls in teenage nostalgia, Simeon Shtebunaev discusses the social impacts of regeneration, and Carlos Soto encourages us to think more rural. 

This is not including four new MyPlaces and an illustration by the Academy’s very own Connie Dales, in this issue of Here and Now.

This issue is a testament to the innovative and erudite ideas of Young Urbanists. I hope that the words in here inspire others to pick up a pen and contribute to Here & Now in the future!

HEADLINERS

A Collective and Continuing Legacy
Bright Pryde-Saha recounts the founding of the Young Urbanists ten years on in an honest and heartfelt account.

A View and an Agenda
Odysseas Diakakis discusses his experience of being a part of the Young Urbanists and makes a rallying cry for members to get involved with the YU’s new Agenda.

ARTICLES

Porous Boundaries
Jekaterina Ancane interrogates the boundaries between public and private realms, asking what occurs within the spaces in between.

Urban Heat Islands
Raymonde Bieler introduces us to a methodology for better understanding Urban Heat Islands and suggests some strategies for mitigating the impact they have on our changing cityscapes. 

Mallwalkers
Malls have long-held a place in the North American teenage consciousness. Leyla Moy asks what happened to the North American Mall and how perception and history can sometimes turn awkward spaces into places of memory, nostalgia, and childhood. 

Measuring the social impacts of regeneration across London
Simeon Shtebunaev asks how we can better understand, measure, and integrate social sustainability into our regeneration schemes, exploring several case studies across London. 

Are we thinking rural enough?
Town and Country Planning unifies two seemingly disparate contexts under one profession. Building on the Garden City tradition, Carlos Soto makes the case that there is much that could be learned from rural communities and integrated into their inner-city relations. 

The Minotaur
The AoU’s Vice-Chair and resident philosopher, Andreas Markides, makes an interesting parallel between the myth of the Minotaur and our modern working culture.

ARTPLACE

English National Ballet
Connie Dales’ stunning re-interpretation of the English National Ballet where the 2022 Urbanism Awards took place.

MYPLACE

Glasgow Museum of Modern Art
Graham Campbell - City Councillor

Malton Brewery
Harry Kinder - Partner

Strathpeffer
Karen Anderson - Architect

Skara Brae, Orkney
Iain Rollitt - Historic Scotland, Steward

NEWS & REVIEW

Ljubljana to Trieste
As part of the annual Young Urbanist cycle trip, Julie Plichon and Benton Meador wrote up their experience of cycling from Ljubljana to Trieste in a series of active mobility vignettes. 

How Big Things Get Done
Nick Falk reviews this book asking how to get a range of ‘big things’ done. In light of the UK’s recent track record of getting big things done, one wonders if a copy should be sent to a certain address in Westminster.

The Young Urbanists are sponsored by Space Syntax and Foster + Partners

The AoU Journal is sponsored by Space Syntax