Andrew Dixon was the keynote speaker at the 2015 Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) National Congress. He is an agent of change in the revitalisation of cities in the UK. Andrew is not a city planner or architect his background is in the arts. We at PX describe him as a 'place - smith'.

Andrew talks of the benefits of cultural awareness and various 'identifiers' of different places. In a world of 'High Street sameness' and homogeneity compelled by mass marketing and retail economics, Andrew calls for cities and towns to celebrate their identity and bring the arts and cultural events to the forefront. In this process of revitalisation, different elements of the city community must pull together.

Andrew has worked extensively in Newcastle/Gateshead, Scotland and Hull. He believes broader perspectives including the input of artists will benefit enlivening urban spaces and help foster pride in place. He encourages the arts to be brought to the people and the people to be brought to the arts. The interview will hopefully be enjoyable for all those interested in city enhancement and urban planning.

The interview took place during the PIA National Congress. We are very grateful to PIA for this opportunity. The podcast was first released in May 2015 and remixed in November 2015. Future interviews will be released on a monthly basis. See the website www.planningxchange.org for further details.  

Intro - Breezy House by Qronix, Outro - Cacophany by Qronix http://www.soundcloud.com/qronix/