With some stating that the last eighteen months are simply a 'blip', a disruption of business as normal and expecting us all to quickly return to where we were in early March 2020; while others are stating that all that COVID-19 has done is speed up a change process that was already inevitable...just where does the truth lie?

In this first episode of Season Two of Designed for Life, I talk with Planner, architect, urbanist and university lecturer Ming Cheng RIBA MRTP about his somewhat unorthodox journey to his current position and how he thinks we will repurpose our workplaces and town centres to suit better a more flexible way of working, shopping and living. 

Ming is a Registered Architect, Chartered Town Planner and Urban Designer with over 20 years of experience in design and regeneration. His experiences range from working on designing residential and cultural buildings to large scale future planning for university campuses and growing communities in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. 

In the podcast, Ming explains how we can and should use empirical data as evidence to design and possibly rethink urban spaces. 

This was a fascinating conversation on a topic that will affect us all in the coming months and years. So welcome back to Season Two. For those in education - welcome back to a new and hopefully less demanding term, kick off your shoes, settle into a cosy seat and enjoy Designed for Life in conversation with Ming Cheng.

Brought to you with the help of our sponsors and partners The Edge Foundation and PTC Onshape.