A group of fifty architects and designers have been appointed by the Mayor of London as “Design Advocates”. The purpose is to support design and building in the British capital and to ensure that it is “high-quality, inclusive, and sustainable”, reports ArchDaily.

It forms part of the “Good for Growth” initiative, in which the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, recently explained how future development in London will benefit all its inhabitants. Khan said that he will work with developers, architects, planners, local authorities and communities to ensure this growth is achieved, Dezeen reported.

Some of the well-known people who form part of Khan’s group of Design Advocates include architects Sir David Adjaye, Peter Murray and Alison Brooks. Planner Daisy Froud and urbanist Tom Holbrook, both teaching at the London School of Architecture (LSA), are also on the list.

Alison Brooks

Sir David Adjaye

On its way to soon having ten million inhabitants, London needs to be “socially and economically inclusive” and environmentally sustainable – all issues Khan feels need to be addressed. “We must embrace London’s rapid growth with both hands and take this chance to use good architecture and planning to make a real difference to the lives of Londoners,” said Khan. “And this is a chance to learn from past mistakes, some of which are still dotted across our city, and blight the lives of the communities that live in them.”

“One of the way I want to apply the principles of Good Growth is to re-balance development in London away from the high-price homes in central London towards more genuinely affordable

The programme also intends to:

·         Set ambitious design standards.

·         Apply these standards and undertake rigorous design reviews.

·         Increase capacity by launching a new social enterprise – ‘Public Practice’ – that will place talented           designers and planners in local authorities for up to a year, plugging the skills gap and creating a           sense of common endeavour in enhancing London’s built environment.

·         Support diversity by pushing the firms that City Hall commissions to do much more to tackle the           under-representation of women and people from minority groups in the built environment                     professions.

·         Use open procurement processes such as design competitions to seek the highest standards for               public projects.

·         Lead by example, with the Greater London Authority being champions of good growth by                         advocating best practice to support success across the sector.