Urban taskforce chairman Lord Rogers is close to reaching an agreement with London mayor Ken Livingstone on what his role will be with the Greater London Authority.
In an interview with Building, Lord Rogers said he hoped to become “Architect for London”, and he expected to start work next month.
Lord Rogers said he was putting together a team of local government experts and representatives from the private sector to implement the conclusions of his urban taskforce report in the capital.
He is thought to be disappointed that the government has failed to act on his report. He told Building: “I am very worried about the inability of government to realise that the state of our urban buildings goes hand in hand with social exclusion.”
Lord Rogers said he hoped to put architecture and the urban environment at the top of the agenda at the GLA. “I am delighted that Ken has given me this opportunity of putting a team together to improve the quality of life in London,” he said.
His remit will cover everything from small projects, such as providing benches for communities, to larger issues such as brownfield regeneration.
Lord Rogers said his work with central government would come to an end once the urban white paper was published in the autumn.
He said: “It’s logical for me to now go into city policy. I have lived practically all my life in London and I love it.”
