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Time To Think?
As we tried to get a grip on living in isolation over the Easter period, I don’t believe phrases such as - “in times like this” make sense. Our world is undergoing a challenge which is unprecedented, one that is exacting a huge and painful human toll in...
Amsterdam – City of Contrasts
I really enjoy visiting Amsterdam, it is an intriguing city, full of contrasts. There’s the old-fashioned, picture-perfect gabled painted houses harking back to the age of Vermeer, flanking the patchwork quilt of canal-bordered islands. Another characteristic of...
Reflections on How the Economist sees our world of Corporate Offices.
Source: The Economist 28 Sept 2019 Surely a sign of the times is when a mainstream publication such as the venerable Economist would devote not one, but three items on the Workplace sector? In their September 28th issue they discussed the profound changes regarding...
Strategy and Place – still illuminating
Twenty years ago, I found myself balancing a demanding role at the Walt Disney Company whilst completing my studies for an MBA and as part of my research I came across Martha O’Mara’s insightful book ‘Strategy and Place’. It was a pioneering effort which she began...
Pondering on Different Perspectives
A recent Twitter exchange amongst fellow workplace travellers prompted me to mull on the question of perspectives. This led to those great existential questions: Why don’t we see things in the same light? How come we have different perspectives even on the same...
Wembley: A national gem gets a polish
To most people Wembley will always be the arena of so many glorious moments in English and even world sporting history – the site of the first post-war Olympics in 1948, that unforgettable 1966 England World Cup victory, numerous football Cup Finals - as well as...
Thirty Years A-Growing
Having bumped into an old friend and professional colleague at an industry event recently I was transported back in time to when we were both young surveyors in London in the late 1980s. Reflecting back on those heady days as I approached my 30’s in 1989, me an...
Breakfast at New Horizon
New Horizon Youth Centre Before you accuse me of losing my place-making marbles there is a poignant link. One of the many themes running through Truman Capote’s novel and the eponymous film is primarily the main characters’ need for security and safety. Another one is...
Reflections on Rome
Placemaking in Rome - the Eternal City In my last blog it was the brash buzz of the adrenaline-filled Big Apple which fuelled my inspiration; this time it’s the grandeur and historic splendour of the Eternal City. Admittedly quite a vivid contrast in so many ways, the...
The Big Apple always serves up a treat!
New York is certainly a ‘State of Mind’, as Billy Joel once sang, and a trip there always fills me with awe and inspiration. I’ve always marvelled at places such as Manhattan. Perhaps it’s because I come from a small village in a small country and can’t get over the...