Partner event: Cumbernauld and the Meme of the Italian Hill Town

Why is Cumbernauld so often compared to hill towns, citadels and walled cities? Why did Brutalists go on holiday to the Med and what was their obsession with clusters and dendritic structures? And what on earth has this got to do with the Japanese Metabolists, Walking Cities and inhabited bridges?

This talk, from John Duffy and hosted by Glasgow City Heritage Trust, joins the dots behind Cumbernauld’s most surprising architectural influences and attempts to explain the reasons behind the meme of the Italian hill town. 

John Duffy is an urban designer with an extensive background in architecture and masterplanning, developed through experience in private practice, local authority, multinational firms, and independent consultancy. He teaches part-time at the University of Strathclyde’s Urban Design and Analytics Research Unit and was a speaker at its recent symposium, New Towns and Design Codes: Designing the Evolving City.

In addition, he has enjoyed submitting projects for competition and has exhibited his work through the Glasgow Institute of Architects, Scotland’s Towns Partnership and Archifringe.

Passionate about people and place, he is driven by the potential of thoughtful design to improve lives and his lifelong fascination with the City of Glasgow continues to shape and inspire his work.