mute lines

Yes

I share David Cameron’s vision of people having greater control over their own lives and more say in the running of their communities.
Architects will stand to benefit from Conservative proposals to strengthen the private sector and introduce a range of measures to support existing and encourage new businesses.
I am an architect with over 20 years of experience of regeneration projects, and I think the Conservatives have shown the political will needed to lead changes such as the transformation of London’s Docklands.
Architects will have a central role to play in the renewal and regeneration projects that are going to be vital to the recovery.
I think that shadow housing minister Grant Shapps has shown vision by suggesting that architects and planners need to engage better with the public, and that there needs to be more debate and public involvement in design and setting objectives.
It seems to me that architects could help themselves more if they had a clearer collective voice to advance their own interests, dispense with the notion of “superstar” architects and promote good architectural work with many examples from different practices around the country for all to see.
Greater debate, together with more transparency and competition in the procurement process will extend opportunity, provided that architects like politicians can learn to listen. I think no change is not an option.

No

Looking at what’s going to happen post the election is one thing but it’s important to look at what’s happened over the last 13 years of this Labour government.
My view is that the level of public sector spending has been very good. There has also been a real emphasis on design quality. It’s easy to forget that this issue didn’t really exist beforehand.
The government’s record on making good public spaces and buildings should also be applauded — city centres and schools in particular have been transformed and this is set to be taken forward under the World Class Places strategy.
I also believe Gordon Brown is the only party leader to make a public statement on the value of architecture and architects to society. I heard him speak at a Number 10 reception last November and he also talked about how important architecture is to the wider economy. I’ve not heard that from anyone else.
On the downside, there is still a great emphasis on PFI which leads to a huge amount of financial and intellectual resource being wasted. There has also been a real centralisation of planning and procurement which means I can’t go for work in my area because I’m not on some national framework.
Lessons should be learnt but overall, there is an awful lot of great work done under this Labour government which now needs to be taken forward.


what do you think?