Ludo Campbell-Reid

Ludo Campbell-Reid is Design Champion and General Manager of the Auckland Design Office at Auckland Council. He is an internationally recognised urban designer and planning specialist with over 18 years of senior public and private sector experience gained on high profile city transformation projects in South Africa, London, and New Zealand.

Biography

Ludo Campbell-Reid was born to an English father and a South African mother in Hampton Court, southwest London, in 1968. He graduated from the University of Westminster in London with a BA with Honours In Urban Planning Studies, then completed a MA and Diploma In Urban Design at Oxford Brookes University.^[1]

Campbell-Reid’s achievements in urban design began in South Africa from 1992-1997, where he worked on the country’s first ski resort, assisted in transforming Victoria and Albert Docks on Cape Town's world-class waterfront, and worked on that city’s bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games. In 1997 he returned to London where he worked for Tibbalds Planning & Urban Design before becoming senior urban designer at Tower Hamlets Borough in east London. He worked on the transformation of London's Canary Wharf, and in 2003 was shortlisted for the London Planning Awards in the category of best public sector planner. ^[1][2]

In 2004, Campbell-Reid was appointed as Director of Urban Design London, an organisation set up and part funded by Transport for London, to promote awareness and good communications between all 33 London Boroughs and the Greater London Authority. After two years, Campbell-Reid left for a position as Urban Design Manager at Auckland City Council, New Zealand.^[2] In his role at Auckland City, Campbell-Reid was responsible for ensuring the delivery of high quality urban design outcomes across the city on all significant council (Aotea Square redevelopment, Waterfront revitalisation, Eden Park redevelopment, Central Connector, CBD Streetscapes upgrades and Newmarket Broadway) and private sector led projects. Campbell-Reid developed the cities first ever Urban Design group business Plan and Urban Design Framework: “Designing Great Places for our People”.

In 2010 Ludo Campbell-Reid was appointed Manager of the Environmental Strategy & Policy Department, Auckland Council’s Centre of Environmental Excellence. Campbell-Reid's portfolio included urban design, heritage and environmental (air, land, water and coastal) issues for the region. Campbell-Reid is also Auckland Council’s first ever Design Champion, accountable for eradicating outdated policies, plans and rules, promoting the urban design agenda at all levels within the council and the wider community.

In November 2014 Ludo Campbell-Reid was appointed General Manager of the Auckland Design Office. A new department, the ADO is Auckland Council’s Centre of Design Excellence and has been established to provide leadership for all urban design matters in Auckland. The ADO also has a specific project implementation responsibility within the City Centre as part of the City Centre Integration Group. Campbell-Reid believes that outstanding urban design is critical to Auckland becoming the world’s most liveable city, a “design-led” city that walks the talk and leads by example, working alongside the Central Government, private sector, the design and development community as well as the general public to lift the bar in terms of quality design in the built environment. He continues his role as Council’s Design Champion promoting the urban design agenda at all levels within the council and the wider community.

Campbell-Reid is an advocate for a “clutter free” city that favours the role of the pedestrian as the economic powerhouse of the city. He champions the introduction of “shared space” a cutting edge urban design concept pioneered in the Netherlands, which is based around understanding the psychology of space. This initiative is driven by pedestrian safety and removes all traffic control methods (such as signage, bollards and curbs) to encourage cars and vehicles to co-habit.

Rowing

Campbell-Reid competed as a rower for England at the World Championships in Czechoslovakia in 1986, and designed the boat that took Stephen Redgrave to his fifth Olympic Gold, in the coxless four at Sydney in 2000.

Family

Campbell-Reid is married to Jo, a former floor manager for the BBC, who is part-Parisian, with a son, Louis and a daughter, Mimi.

UFC

Campbell-Reid bears a remarkable resemblance to former 3-time Welterweight Champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Georges St-Pierre.

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Orsman, Bernard (17 June 2006). "Englishman with designs on Auckland city". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Auckland City Council: City Scene: New urban design champion for city, 16 April, 2006