Speaking at the launch of the World Architecture News Urban Challenge Task Force's report, which proposed solutions to London's housing shortage, Murray said that London needed to "design density in a new way".

"Rather than focussing just on a single typology, to our mind density means thinking about all the different typologies that work in different parts of London," he said.

"One of the reasons why that is so crucial is because we have to build on small sites, we have to build on outer London, and we have to build in areas where until now they've not been accustomed to so much building at such high densities. Certain high-rise typologies are not going to be appropriate, but we have to crack that problem".

He also welcomed the task force report's calls for more public sector assistance in supplying land for new housing, and its emphasis on developing a "new social contract" to rebuild trust that housing development was being undertaken in their interest.

He said: "We have to make sure that not only is mayoral land coming forward, but also land in the wider public sector is coming forward".

He highlighted how the mayor's draft housing strategy, published last week, proposed to bring forward more land "whether that's through a land fund to buy, assemble and prepare land, whether that's through getting extra capacity in City Hall to increase our ability to intervene more proactively in the land market, or whether that is about using new and existing powers around compulsory purchase and land value capture".

Speaking about the need for a new "social contract" with Londoners with regards to housing development, he said: "Londoners are more supportive than ever of building new housing, so let's not squander that opportunity by building things that they don't want to be built.

"Let's make sure when we are building new homes that they have a decent level of affordable housing, so that people have confidence that the homes they see being built are likely to help them and their families".

The task force was made up of 25 experts, drawn from around the world.

World Architecture News is a sister publication of Planning.

The Planning for Housing 2017 conference, staged by Planning Events, takes place in London on 4 October. Speakers include Department for Communities and Local Government chief planner Steve Quartermain, Berkley Group chairman Tony Pidgley and National Infrastructure Commission chief executive Phil Graham.

Source: Planning Resource