logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
27m 31s

In Praise of Cathedral Thinking

DAVID MCWILLIAMS & JOHN DAVIS
About this episode
The people who build Europe's gothic cathedrals knew that they wouldn't be around to see them completed. They were building for people yet to be born. This is what we need to build liveable cities right now. Looking at John Gray the 19th century architect of Dublin's water system, we apply Gray's thinking and planning to the of the biggest urban dilemma of the 21st century: housing and urban planning. To execute urban vision, we need to take on some vested interests and think about future generations, not yet here, as our equals

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Prometheus Abides
Is AI our new Prometheus, or have we just opened Pandora’s box? We dive into the risks of "techno-feudalism," why the "middleman" being replaced by robots is actually just us, and why 3,000 years of Greek wisdom might be more useful than a Silicon Valley algorithm. It’s a bit of ... Show More
36m 46s
Jul 28
The €133 Billion Black Hole: Why Ireland Can’t Track Its Spending
Theoretical physicist Matt Fenlon joins the podcast to expose the systemic lack of transparency in Irish public expenditure. As the state budget doubles to €133 billion, Fenlon discusses the black hole in procurement, the surge in opaque consultancy fees, and how a Golden Thread ... Show More
39m 25s
Jul 23
Rich Country, Broken State
Ireland has cash coming out of its ears, and nothing to show for it. Sinead O'Sullivan is back to expose the wild dysfunction inside the Irish state: no one is accountable, nothing gets finished, and the same problems get "solved" over and over again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c ... Show More
44m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Build, Baby, Build
This week, host Dan Hugger is joined by Dylan Pahman and Noah Gould to ask, Are those jobs numbers fake? Can we trust economic data, and do they tell the whole economic story? They then discuss the emerging bipartisan consensus that America should “build, baby, build” to address ... Show More
51m 40s
Feb 2024
Cities
The village is aglow! In episode 97 of Overthink, Ellie and David guide you through the ideas that make a metropolis tick. From Plato’s spotless Republic to Saudi Arabia’s futuristic The Line, they talk the foul and the vibrant of what it means to live in a city. Why are there so ... Show More
1h 2m
Nov 2020
14. New Visions of the City
Cities are locations which take up and outsized space in our imaginations. They are places that ambitious and creative young people aspire to go to in order to succeed and find their place in the world. Perceptions about cities in the wake of the pandemic have changed. The forec ... Show More
37m 34s
Feb 2018
Bijlmer (City of the Future, Part 1)
<p>After World War 2, city planners in Amsterdam wanted to design the perfect “City of the Future.” They decided to build a new neighborhood, close to Amsterdam, that would be a perfect encapsulation of Modernist principles. It was called the Bijlmermeer, and it tested the lofty ... Show More
23m 29s
Nov 2017
Architects
A Syrian architect who watched her city destroyed around her talks to an Irish architect who helped create community spaces in a migrant camp. They emphasize the importance of authenticity, simplicity and boundaries when it comes to designing buildings and public spaces.Marwa al- ... Show More
27m 14s
Jan 2022
The architectural mastermind behind modern Singapore | Liu Thai Ker
Cities designed like families can last for generations. Skeptical? Look to master architect Liu Thai Ker, who transformed Singapore into a modern marvel with his unique approach to sustainable urban design. Liu shares creative wisdom and perspective on how marrying a humanist hea ... Show More
15m 47s
Sep 2021
The Urban Planning Crisis
<p>In today's episode for 22nd September 2021, we talk about a <a href="https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2021-09/UrbanPlanningCapacity-in-India-16092021.pdf">NITI Aayog report</a> on urban planning and how to better prepare for the future</p> 
4m 42s
May 2020
S2EP. 04 - BATES SMART - Future Cities
What is the future of cities? In this episode I talk to the architect Philip Vivian of Bates Smart about cities. We talk about the history of cities, the current state of cities and the possible future of cities. 
1h 12m
Dec 2021
A vision of sustainable housing for all of humanity | Vishaan Chakrabarti
By 2100, the UN estimates that the world’s population will grow to just over 11 billion people. Architect Vishaan Chakrabarti wants us to start thinking about how we’ll house all these people -- and how new construction can fight climate change rather than make it worse. In this ... Show More
10m 52s
Jul 2022
Architecture and City Living
<p>In this episode we discuss living in cities through examples of the different buildings and spaces built and occupied in London since the second world war.&nbsp;</p> <p>Our contributors are:</p> <p>John Boughton is a social historian whose book Municipal Dreams: the Rise and F ... Show More
52m 6s