In this session we explore ‘Making Cities More Mobile’, with Peter Murray, Curator-in-chief, New London Architecture and Chairman of the London Society and Shabazz Stuart, founder and CEO of Oonee, creators of urban mobility infrastructures, and formerly Deputy Director of Operations at the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.
Urban Manifesto is co-hosted by Lucy Bullivant, place strategist, author & founder of Urbanista.org and Prathima Manohar, founder of think-do-tank The Urban Vision.
Speaker bios. Peter Murray is Curator-in-Chief of New London Architecture (NLA). He trained as an architect but has spent most of his career writing about and commenting on architecture rather than practising it. He studied at Bristol University and at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in Bedford Square. He edited the weekly newspaper for architects, Building Design, before moving on to the Royal Institute of British Architects Journal. Peter curated a number of major exhibitions at the Royal Academy including the 1986 New Architecture: the work of Foster, Rogers, Stirling, and Living Bridges in 1996. He founded the design and architecture magazine Blueprint and the global communications company Wordsearch which specialises in design and branding for architecture and real estate. He started the London Festival of Architecture, a significant annual event in the cultural life of the capital. New London Architecture was founded in 2005 as a centre for debate and discussion about the changing face of the capital. Peter has written numerous books including The Saga of Sydney Opera House, London’s Growing Up and Great Estates. He has recently completed a book on The Leadenhall Building by Rogers Stirk Harbour. Peter is a keen cyclist and since 2006 has cycled to Cannes for the MIPIM real estate show held there every March, an annual ride comprising architects, developers and consultants who raise over a quarter of a million pounds each year for charity. In 2013 he rode 4300 miles across America and the UK with a group of architects and planners studying what cities en route were doing to improve infrastructure for cycling as well as raising money for charity. He is a Mayor's Design Advocate and Chairman of the London Society. Until recentlyhe was a Visiting Professor at the IE Business School in Madrid.
Shabazz Stuart is the founder and CEO of Oonee, a company that focuses on creating the next generation of urban mobility infrastructure for bicycles and scooters. Recently, the company unveiled a patent-pending modular pod that provides secure bicycle parking as well as placemaking amenities. This free- standing structure is capable of being installed in less than a day and can be configured to a wide variety of shapes, sizes and looks in order to accommodate evolving site conditions. Unlike conventional solutions, Oonee is designed to enhance public spaces, with a special emphasis on amenities that everyone can enjoy like benches, ambient lighting, WiFi and greenery. The company aims to create a network of over 20,000 secure parking spaces in New York, as well as networks in other cities. Growing up in Brooklyn gave Shabazz a special appreciation for the issues that weave our neighborhoods and cities together. Since graduating from Tufts University in 2011, he has spent much of his time working to make urban areas better connected, cleaner and more liveable. He is passionate about improving city life, especially when it comes to equitability, mobility and transportation.