Now online: issue 07 of The Possible, the thought leadership magazine I edit for WSP about the future of cities and all of the built and natural infrastructure that supports them. The themes of our main features reflect the sudden, all-encompassing Covid experience – from how (far) design can make cities more equitable, to how it can reassure people returning to crowded public spaces again, to what it takes to create the ultimate flexible building for a world in which old certainties have been abruptly demolished.
In a brilliant photo essay, photographer Tom Campbell captured the mood of caution and elation as lockdown was lifted in three UK towns and cities – I interviewed him about the experience for a new series on the artists who bring the stories to life.
Contributors to our Connected Thinking section challenge the notion that climate action is automatically good for nature, exhort planners to rethink the overlooked kerbside zone, foresee the unintended consequences of smart buildings, and crunch the numbers with a cost-benefit analysis of decarbonisation for national economies (spoiler: the benefits far outweigh the costs).
And we continued our rule-of-three approach to the cover, inviting a new artist to create the first of a trio of reflections on the content. Issues 01-03 were by negative-space genius Noma Bar, followed by three exquisite pencil drawings by Lithuanian illustrator Aistė Stancikaitė for issues 04-06. This time, Brazilian artist (and former urban planning student) Fabrizio Lenci blew us away with a stunning, perspective-shifting vision of the post-pandemic city.
Credits: art direction by Sam Jenkins at Supermassive, production editing by my partner Nick Jones at Wordmule.
Download the PDF here.
