Nicholas Boys Smith | Building beautiful, building better

Building Our Future

Nicholas Boys-Smith left a job in banking to set up Create Streets, a research institute that supports "community-led regeneration" and prioritises high-density, low-rise buildings over tower blocks. He is a Commissioner of Historic England, a senior research fellow at the University of Buckingham, a Fellow at the Legatum Institute and an Academician of the Academy of Urbanism.

In this podcast:

1. Why are beautiful buildings important?
2. How do we measure beauty in the built environment?
3. What are the key findings from the UK government-commissioned report: “Living with Beauty” , to help deliver heath, well-being and sustainable growth to developments?
4. What role do bureaucratic frameworks play in creating better places, not just more places?
5. Does technology have a role is building beautiful?
6. Is a mass-tree planting movement a good idea, in the context of better urban design?

Nicholas’s favourite place is Gold Hill in Shaftesbury; made famous by Hovis but loved for its statement of design overcoming seemingly impossible natural challenges.

His recommended book is Mental Health and the Built Environment: More Than Bricks And Mortar?, David Halpern

His technology to watch out for is modular building for its potential to bring back craftsmanship and individuality into building and design.