Hala El Akl, Senior Associate, PLP Architecture will chair the new ULI UK Urban Art Forum.  Hala is a well-known ULI member having co-chaired the Young Leader Group, alongside Charles Royle, for the past couple of years.  Hala and Charlie’s two-year term as Chairs of the YLs will end in March next year (watch this space for an announcement regarding their successors shortly).

As an architect, urban designer and planner, Hala is interested in both the physical characteristics of a place and how planning, urban design, urban infrastructure, and architecture can transform urban experience and reshape contemporary culture.

Hala has a particular interest for the role of art in regeneration projects and the importance of retaining artist workspace in the heart of a city as part of its cultural fabric. She is as such an advocate for the Studiomaker Initiative led by Outset, in collaboration with the Greater London Authority.

The Urban Art Forum will explore the intersection between public art, the urban environment, science and sustainable technologies.   By showcasing innovative creators and patrons, and examining planned and realised artistic works that enhance stakeholder value, the forum will explore the collaborative processes that make urban art possible and investigate the impact of urban art on the city, built environment and people.

The next Urban Art Forum event, to be hosted by Derwent London, will look at how to measure the value of urban art: the impact of art on relationships between a space and its users, on neighbourhood dynamics and on property values.  Further details including how to register to follow in the new year.

If you would like to participate in the Urban Art Forum or just find out more about it, please contact [email protected]