London and Los Angeles: the centre v the suburbs

Talk

Tuesday 15 November 2022
17:00 - 18:30

What are the drivers that bring us back to the centre and push us out to the suburbs of our global cities? Join the webinar discussion between London and Los Angeles.

17:00–18:30 (LDN) and 09:00-10:30 (LA)

London and Los Angeles could be characterised as ‘polycentric cities’ with many local centres. Have urban migratory patterns changed permanently in favour of the outer suburbs in London and downtown in LA? Or is the mosaic city model, with distinct and competing neighbourhood centres each bound a fifteen-minute lifestyle, a more accurate picture of post covid urbanism?

London and Los Angeles are emerging from Covid all bent out of shape but is it actually a better shape? Migration out of central London is one defining narrative of the epidemic, and migration into Los Angeles dominates the urban conversation. On the other hand, London continues to build as Angelenos complain of being priced out.

In London, the hollowing out of the city centre is happening to the advantage of more space, gardens and access to the green spaces of middle England. While LA’s many 'cities' from Compton to West Hollywood continue to grow in density, with Angelenos seeking out transport options, cycle lanes and the fifteen-minute neighbourhood. What is driving these different patterns? Is the continued expansion of Los Angeles upwards not outwards a sustainable urban future? And is London really to become a donut city where distinctive boroughs orbit an empty centre?

This online event will occur simultaneously in both cities at 09:00 in Los Angeles and 17:00 in London. This event forms a part of the NLA City Dialogues programme, which brings together speakers and audiences to foster cross-city dialogue and learning between cities.

In association with KAP Studios.

Download speakers presentations

Ben-Adams_Ben-Adams-Architects.pdf
Jack-Nathan_Runyon-group.pdf
Michael-Katsibas_KAP-Studios.pdf
Kerry-Gibbs_G&T.pdf

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Speaker biographies

Peter Murray OBE

Co-Founder, NLA

Ben Adams

Founding Director, Ben Adams Architects

Yolande Barnes

Chair of the Bartlett Real Estate Institute, University College London (UCL)

Kerry Gibbs

Partner, Gardiner & Theobald LLP

Jack Nathan

Director, Runyon group

Michael Katsibas

Co-Founder, CEO, Los Angeles, KAP Studios

NLA WEBINAR ON ZOOM

Once you have registered, a reminder to confirm the event details and a link to access the webinar will be sent a day before the event. If you have any questions, please contact the NLA Events Team: events@nla.london