Calvin Po, a strategic designer at Dark Matter Labs, dives into the complexities of urban planning and governance systems. He discusses how decentralized technologies can empower communities to enhance democracy, while also addressing the challenges within the UK's planning system. Calvin reflects on post-war British planning, the balance between public good and community needs, and the vital role of architectural criticism. Additionally, he shares insights on the film 'Tar,' revealing its exploration of power dynamics in the creative industry.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Path to Strategic Design
Calvin Po's father is an architect, but he initially resisted the profession.
He eventually studied architecture but transitioned into strategic design after working in architectural practice.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Planning System Flaw
Calvin Po recounts an instance where a planning application was delayed.
This was to avoid a particular officer, highlighting a perceived flaw in the UK planning system.
insights INSIGHT
UK Planning System Issues
The UK planning system's flaws are becoming evident, prompting discussions of reform.
The system's impact on housing, infrastructure, and resources is significant, raising concerns.
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In PX121 our guest is Calvin Po (https://www.calvinpo.com).
Calvin Po is a strategic designer at Dark Matter Labs, co-leading the Radicle Civics portfolio, where he explores institutional and governance systems as sites of design. He has led projects with the Scottish Government’s Land Commission on land governance reform, the Taiwanese Government on decentralised web3 civic infrastructure, and is developing multi-actor governance approaches for river ecosystems, and in FreeHouse, a commons housing model based on ‘self-owning’ houses.
At the Architectural Association School of Architecture, Calvin is a unit master of Diploma 9, ‘Universal Free Housing’, focusing on strategic, policy, and economic pathways for realising housing as a universal human right. He studied architecture at UCL Bartlett, where he graduated top of class as a RIBA Donaldson Medallist, and he was a scholar at the AA, where his Diploma thesis won the Dennis Sharp Prize and was a finalist for RIBA President's Awards for Research 2021.
Calvin is also a writer, publishing most regularly as an architecture critic for The Spectator magazine. His research interests and writing include topics on land, territory, and its political systems.
In podcast extra / culture corner, Calvin Po recommends the movie Tar directed by Todd Field (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tár); Jess recommends the Netflix program ‘Red Eye’ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421239/ and Pete recommends ‘War Gamers’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IikLz4GL8uw and https://www.zdf-studios.com/en/program-catalog/international/unscripted/history-biographies/war-gamers
Audio produced by Jack Bavage. Podcast released 11 September 2024.
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