Ricky Burdett
Biographical interview
SUMMARY
Ricky Burdett, now recognized as a leading global voice on cities, discussed his earlier role in reshaping London’s architectural scene during the 1980s and early 1990s. At a time when modern architecture in Britain was often seen as a foreign import, a frustration James Stirling had noted decades earlier, Burdett helped establish a venue for a new architectural conversation: the 9H Gallery.
Originally a magazine founded by Wilfred Wang, 9H expanded into a gallery in 1985 under Burdett’s direction with support from David Chipperfield. It became a bridge between European architectural currents and emerging London practices, fostering dialogue and visibility for figures who would later define the city’s architectural renaissance, including Chipperfield, Caruso St John, Sergison Bates, and 6a. This network expanded in the 1990s around Papers in Architecture, and 9H eventually evolved into the Architecture Foundation (AF), which Burdett founded in 1991 as a platform for young practices.
Drawing on his background with Bill Hillier and his interest in spatial and societal issues, Burdett’s leadership at AF helped shape discussions on London’s urban identity, contributing to the urban renaissance of the Blair years. Later, at the LSE and through his curatorial work for the Venice Biennale, he shifted the conversation toward cities and globalization, yet the legacy of 9H and AF remains in their lasting transformation of British architectural culture.
BIOGRAPHY
Ricky Burdett is Professor of Urban Studies at LSE and Director of LSE Cities, a global centre of research and teaching at LSE which received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education 2016-18. At LSE he teaches in the Executive MSc in Cities and other courses and co-directs the Urban Age programme.
Burdett is a member of the Mayor of London’s Cultural Leadership Board, former Council Member of the Royal College of Art and a Trustee of the Norman Foster Foundation. He was Director of the Venice International Architecture Biennale and Curator of the Global Cities Exhibition Tate Modern in London. He was a member of the UK Government Airport Commission (2012-2015) and a member of UK Government’s Urban Task Force. In 2014, Burdett was a Visiting Professor in Urban Planning and Design at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University and Global Distinguished Professor at New York University (2010-2014).
Alongside his academic activities, Burdett acts as a consultant to national and city governments, private companies and philanthropic agencies. He was Chief Adviser on Architecture and Urbanism for the 2012 London Olympics and Adviser on Architecture and Urbanism, Mayor of London (2001-2006).
He is co-editor of ‘Shaping Cities in an Urban Age’ (2018), ‘The SAGE Handbook of the 21st Century’ (2017), ‘Living in the Endless City’ (2011) and ‘The Endless City’ (2007). Burdett was appointed CBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list for services to urban design and planning and awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Art in 2019
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