267: Trust, regeneration and the transformation of King’s Cross

Nick Searl – Strategic Advisor at Urban Partners and former Managing Partner at Argent, the developer behind King's Cross.

Twenty-five years ago, King's Cross was a derelict goods yard in an area known for drugs, crime and prostitution. Two masterplans failed. The third began with a year of talking, not drawing – and today Meta alone has about 12,000 people working there. That's what we talk about;

• Principles for a Human City: a year of talking, not drawing

• Making every square metre more valuable – not squeezing out more

• Surviving 2008 hand to mouth – until the Google deal

• Why neither cities nor developers can do it alone anymore

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