Chris Choa is an urban architect and cities expert who thinks a big scale.

Chris is Director of Cities at AECOM. He speaks frequently about urban performance and works with city and national governments to develop regional-scale strategies. A graduate of both Harvard and Yale, Chris also serves as Chairman of the UK Urban Land Institute and is on the external advisory board for the Sustainable Urban Development program at Oxford. He is an appointed advisor to the Mayor of London’s Infrastructure Delivery Board.

In the interview, Chris and I discuss what it means to be a cities expert and the importance of planning at city-level. Chris gives his views on the shape of the future and how technology will change not just where and why we build things but what we build, as human condition drives us to living closer together and living in a more collaborative manner.

We discuss Chris's role in the ULI and the scope for as many people as possible to get involved. Finally, we discover how Chris moved from a background in Fine Art to advising on cities across the globe.

Follow-ups to some of the topics discussed:

• The link to the UK ULI is here. Do try out one of the many events.
• The research undertaken on the impact of the Bohemian-Gay Index and property values can be found here.
• Further information on the government's policies & initiatives regarding AVs (autonomous vehicles) can be found here.
• For the research referenced which highlights the positive affects of densification in cities (using Atlanta, GA as an argument against urban sprawl), see here.

 

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