Stephen O’Malley, Chief Executive of CIVIC, tells AT what surprised him most about yesterday’s round table discussion, ‘From Infrastructure to Place’

What surprised you about today’s round table: From Infrastructure to Place?
What surprised me – and perhaps I feel slightly foolish for being surprised by it – was the importance of not losing sight of how we create the soul of these places.

The spreadsheet dimension of delivering what are often termed “units” is clearly important. But what is far more important is the long-term success of these places and ensuring that people genuinely enjoy living in these new neighbourhoods.

It’s not simply about meeting arbitrary, spreadsheet-driven targets, important though those may be in one respect. It’s about how people come together as a community – the interdependencies, relationships, and connections that develop over time. Ultimately, it’s the pleasure, joy and richness of life that emerge from those relationships that matter most.