For the University’s 15th Abercrombie Lecture, Professor Ann Forsyth of the Harvard Graduate School of Design , will be discussing density of cities with the lecture ‘Congested Cities v. Sprawl Makes You Fat: Unpacking the Health Effects of Density’ taking place on Thursday, 23 November.
Density is a key characteristic of places, domain of regulation, and focus for public debates. Talk about density is muddled, however, with multiple types, scales, spatial patterns, and proposed outcomes. High densities may be feared as congested or appreciated as vital. Low densities can be criticized as socially isolating or lauded as green and spacious.
Planners wanting to shape urban areas often use density minimums and maximums as key tools and in recent years densification has been a key goal. Looking at density through the lens of health, however, shows that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
The Abercrombie Lecture was founded to celebrate the contribution of Sir Patrick Abercrombie, one of the leading town and regional planners of the 20th Century who was Lever Professor of Civic Design at the University of Liverpool, 1915-35. The Lecture is held every two years and is sponsored by the Town Planning Review.
The event takes place at Seminar Room 5 at the University of Liverpool Management School on Thursday, 23 November at 5.30pm. The event is free to attend and there will be a drinks reception following the event.