ALANNA KING For me, the central design issues of our time relate to urban and climate challenges. Do you think architects have agency here?
RODERICK SIMPSON In my view, climate change and other environmental challenges are best addressed through top-down policies and regulations; the “crises” in Australian cities now need bottom-up initiatives.
Crises occur when the system isn’t working – business-as-usual is not enough, business-as-usual is what got us into the mess. So, for architecture, the question becomes “How should practice change?” rather than “What can architecture do?”
Both climate and urban crises are political issues, not design problems. And when I say political, I mean that for architects to be effective, we need to change the operating conditions we work in – and that is a political task.
AK How exactly? Here we are in the critical decade for climate action. What can architects do to
