Citymakers: Places of Negotiation

Who shapes the city? was the question at the heart of 2025’s Citymakers. And the answer? Well, it’s complicated.

Our speakers referenced a wide-ranging collection of individuals, organisations, institutions, pressure groups, thinkers, professionals and ‘hangers-on’ at our September 2025 event, and their roles, influence, and reactions were candidly considered, from the passionate and engaged to the suspicious or even hostile. How do we negotiate our way through what can sometimes feel like a cacophony of opinions and actors? And most importantly, what does it take to find common ground?

Any development at scale requires a collaborative approach, to consolidate land ownership, share risk, unlock finance, meet statutory requirements and serve community interests. Our contributors discussed the roles of the key protagonists and the dynamics of power between them, and drawing on their own experiences, made some thoughtful suggestions about how these relationships could be managed, improved and made less combative. One contributor offered the view that perhaps our goals might be more shared than we imagine.

This year’s publication includes pieces from each of our speakers, highlights from the ensuing discussion, two thoughtful post-event responses from friends of the practice, and for the first time an overview of the Citymakers Fringe, an internal series of events that runs in parallel.

With essays and contributions from Peter Freeman, Holly Lewis, Claire Bennie, Rei Tasaka and Adam Smith, and Allies and Morrison’s Paul Eaton, Louise Mansfield and Emad Sleiby.

Edited by Miranda Westwood.

You can read the publication online here.