Now in its fifth year, Citymakers is Allies and Morrison’s annual conference exploring the often-misunderstood role of masterplanning in the making of cities today.

Entitled ‘City Knowledge, Knowledge City’, Citymakers 2023 will explore how new places and spaces for knowledge are shaping urban regeneration – and how this is playing out in cities at different scales.

The knowledge economy is a growing theme in many of our projects. Universities are anchoring urban development. Science and research are blurring the boundaries with more traditional workplaces. Innovation is the catchphrase. Drawing on examples of our ongoing work and that of others, this year’s Citymakers will explore how research and academic institutions continue to grow, thrive and redefine their relationship to the city.

We will look at three different cities: London, Cambridge and Manchester. What values do institutions of learning bring to each and how can each city transform the way these institutions operate? How does architecture and urbanism respond to knowledge agendas? Each place, and each of these questions, carry wider lessons for what is now a global phenomenon in city-making.

Speakers: Alison Brooks (Alison Brooks Architects), Artur Carulla (Allies and Morrison), Prof Flora Samuel (University of Cambridge), Francine Houben (Mecanoo), Jane Hutchins (Cambridge Science Park), Joe Berridge (Urban Strategies), Kate Wittels (HR&A), Lou Cordwell (ID Manchester), Paul Appleton (Allies and Morrison), Paul Eaton (Allies and Morrison), Kenneth Kinsella (LSE), Rod Cantrill (Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge), Sarah Chubb (Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service) and Yolande Barnes (The Bartlett Real Estate Institute).