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Given the opportunity, most people want to travel. Almost any measure of mobility, from car ownership to international flights, shows that we are covering more miles than our parents, and many more than our grandparents. In the past 20 years, the number of trips abroad by UK residents tripled to over 66 million. Whether it’s living further from where we work, spreading our social circle wider, or going on more adventurous holidays, we are embracing the benefits of faster, cheaper transport. But moving around uses energy, and saving energy is the new mantra. Can we, and should we, square the new freedom to move with the desire to reduce the human footprint? Experience shows that making transport more efficient doesn’t save energy, because people simply use that efficiency to make their time and money budget go further - literally. This is the theme of our next event, held in partnership with the Instutute of Ideas as part of the third Battle of Ideas festival in London on October 27-28. Join us at 4 pm on Sunday 28 October for Moving into the Future? at the Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore. speakers:
Professor Dale Harrow
Peter Martin
Buy tickets here or call 020 7269 9220 updated: Monday 8 October 2007
Renewable energy looks like the answer to a 21st Century dilemma – our ever-increasing hunger for energy against our desire to limit the environmental impact of producing it. Electricity and fossil fuels make possible the transport, heating and mass production that underpin modern life. As millions expect to enjoy the higher living standards once limited to the privileged few, our appetite for energy can only grow. But many doubt that wind, wave and solar power can really replace fossil fuels and feed our growing demand for power. Instead, some argue that we should change our high-energy lifestyles and in the process discover a more rewarding way to live. Should we curb our hunger for energy? Or is feeding that growing demand one of the most important contributions engineering can make to human life? Join the debate at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on Tuesday 22 May from 7pm. There’s even free wine. updated: Sunday 20 May 2007
Next week we hope to see you in Cardiff (where the event on Tuesday will be at the Wales Millenium Centre, not the Gate as I told you previously) or possibly in Manchester. In Cardiff, where we’ll pursue the question “Are We Going fast Enough?” that came up at the Cities discussion, we welcome Tracey Smith as a speaker alongside Peter Martin. Tracey is the founder and sole organiser of National Downshifting Week which starts on April 21st, so we’re lucky that she’s agreed to leave Somerset for a night and talk about slowing down. You’re right, there are no details of a Manchester event on the site, because we’re having a couple of invitation-only events, one for teenagers through ICA which will revisit the theme of speed, and one for a few invited people who might want to work with us on a more public event later this year. If you’d like to be invited to similar events in future, please join our mailing list. Energy is a new theme we’ll be exploring in May. In Oxford on May 9th we’re experimenting with a different event format, where you get to take the role of different interest groups in a scenario about generating electricity. That will take place at Science Oxford. Then on May 22nd in Aberdeen, we’re going to be the “fringe” to an energy conference in the city. More details soon. Energy is seldom out of the news these days, most recently as government plans to move energy into the Environment department were met with protests from industry. It’s a good question - where does energy production and supply fit into national decisions? Should its impact on the environment be the first consideration, or one factor among many? It’s hard to think of an aspect of our lives that doesn’t rely on modern energy supplies, whether fuel, electricity or heating, so almost any ministry could stake a claim to policy making on where our energy comes from and what we do with it.
OK, I lied about the shiny red motorbike. Though I am really enjoying the weather (sunshine and dry tarmac) and the empty London roads (Easter holidays) I don’t have time to polish it. Or perhaps it’s just not a priority. I’m a great one for enjoying the journey, but when I get there I always have something better to do than clean a machine. Anyone who wants to clean it for me, I’ll give you a fiver.
updated: Friday 13 April 2007
We might have gone quiet for a couple of weeks, but behind the scenes we’ve still been busy. We are lining up more events around the country, including Manchester, Oxford and Aberdeen. If you want to be told about those dates, please register for our irregular e-mail newsletter. The Cities online debate is live at last, and though we are still awaiting some of the commissioned essays you can add your own thoughts now. I’m currently reading a fascinating book called SPRAWL by Robert Bruegmann, which debunks everything I thought I knew about the problems and pitfalls of cities. Is it inherently a bad thing to build on green belt land, or to commute by car, or to live in the suburbs? Perhaps not, if Bruegmann is right. In tracing the history of anti-sprawl campaigns he finds that they are driven less by coherent principles and more by a loose collection of prejudices and resistance to change. If the evidence is that most people want to live in a roomy detached house and get around by car, does it make sense to plan cities designed to frustrate those desires? Then I caught part of a programme about housing on Radio 4, and it seemed horribly clear that limitations on the supply of building land, and a general lack of new housebuilding, could prevent people like me from ever owning a home. Of course, hardly anybody welcomes green space next to their own home being built on, but as both the population and our expectations of space and comfort rise, is there any alternative? Food for thought, as I left my tiny flat for work… Soon we return to Cardiff to revisit our first theme - speed. On April 17th we’ll be back at the Gate Arts Centre for more provocative speakers, great conversation and free wine. You’ll soon be able to register online for your free place. Watch this space! updated: Tuesday 20 March 2007
Thanks to all of you who came to the event in Cardiff on Wednesday, “Transforming the City”. The speakers, Professor James Woudhuysen and Dr. Peter Martin, were thought-provoking and sometimes downright provocative, and the discussion that followed was lively and free-range. Among the issues that came up were energy use, whether there was any value in limiting it, or making it more efficient, and if so, whether cities are inherently more energy-efficient than scattering people over a wider area. The quality and supply of housing hit plenty of nerves, with some resistance to Professor Woudhuysen’s enthusiasm for hi-tech prefabs. Whether looking for “character” or just better soundproofing, lots of people still prefer old houses, it seems. A report will be posted on the Events page soon. We were delighted that so many of you stayed in the bar for so long, arguing over a drink instead of a microphone. In fact, we’ve listened to you and will be returning to Cardiff in a month or two with another event. Since the idea of slowing down came up in the “Transforming the City” event, we will return to the theme of speed. Watch this space - or better still, hit the Stay in Touch cog on the left and sign up for our newsletter. And of course it will be on the events page when we have the details. If you’re based in Cardiff, you might be interested in a couple of other local projects, which we’ll give you more information about as we get it. Engineering for Life is another EPSRC funded project, aiming to promote public awareness and understanding of Medical Engineering and how it affects our lives. The project is based in the Institute of Medical Engineering and Medical Physics at Cardiff University, and is running a variety of activities for schools, colleges and the wider community. For more information please contact Bryn Harries at harriesb @ cardiff.ac.uk - remove the spaces before you try to e-mail him! The Speed online debate is still open - to contribute to it you need to click the banner on the debates page. The response to the online petition against road charging shows that mobility is something we feel strongly about, and it would be interesting to know what you think. Is road pricing - offering financial incentives to avoid driving at peak times on congested roads - a good solution to congestion? How much is transport a technical issue, and how much a social one? Let us know what you think. There will also be an online debate on the Cities theme opening shortly. But for now, we might allow ourselves the rest of the weekend off… updated: Saturday 24 February 2007
Join us in Cardiff on February 21st to discuss the way we shape our urban environments, and whether they shape us. Civilisation literally means living in cities, and, despite our grumbles about the reality of urban life, people are still moving out of the countryside. in fact, 2007 will be the first year that more people live in cities than outside them. Only engineering makes this possible, from the transport and energy infrastructure to the buildings themselves. So what does the future hold for the ever-changing city? How will we shape our future surroundings? The Cardiff event is at 7.30 on Wednesday, February 21st, at the Gate Arts Centre on Keppoch Street. As before, it’s free but we ask you to register in advance on the website, by e-mailing , or by calling 0203 206 0010. Thank you to everybody who joined us at the Hayward Gallery event on speed - and in the bar afterwards! For those who couldn’t join us, we’ll have a full report on the event on the website soon. Nobody came out as an unashamed Mr. Toad (not even Andrew English, who donned goggles and gauntlets in self-parody) but there were some robust defenders of the pursuit of engineering progress to free up more time, as well as some questioning of who controls that technology, and what uses should be made of the extra time that we have. Finally, we’re still looking for partners for our future events. So, if you belong to a club or group that likes a lively conversation, or you run a venue that attracts a crowd with opinions, please get in touch. We’re planning events on all sorts of themes in all parts of the UK, so we’re open to offers! updated: Monday 12 February 2007
Our first public event at the Hayward Gallery on Wednesday will see engaging cogs go live in the real, not the virtual sense. Three speakers will get us going with short introductions before everyone gets the chance to pitch in. But we’re not just after a chance to note down a range of diverse opinions. By debating the subject, we want to challenge ideas and develop a better understanding of the argument. So come prepared to put your position and defend it – or change it, if you hear a convincing point from speakers or audience. There are still places available for Wednesday’s event, but please register here or by phone on 020 3206 0010. The online debate is still open, so please add your thoughts to those already there. There’s also a new commissioned piece from Clare Dowdy on speed as an advertising angle. You may have seen Andrew English’s piece reproduced in Saturday’s Telegraph Motoring section. You may even have seen Timandra talking about transport online on Claire Fox news. Carl Honoré will be arriving hotfoot from a radio studio, and from an event at the RCA on slowness – ironically, he’ll be rushing around to talk about slowness!
Finally, thank you to the people who completed our “Love Miles” survey. Interestingly, it revealed not only that the distance covered to see our beloved goes down over time (you averaged 177 miles a week in the first 6 months, going down to less than 13 after 3 years) but that people currently in a romantic relationship had travelled further then those who are currently single.
updated: Monday 5 February 2007
How fast is fast enough? Can we stop racing against the clock yet? Or is it a positive aspect of human beings, that we are never content with what we can do, and always trying to move faster, to squeeze more into the time we have? The question of speed has been central to human society since the Industrial Revolution – and arguably before that, right back to when we first decided that four legs were better than two for moving around, and that digging a well saved a lot of time walking to the river. For engineering in particular, measuring results against time – in miles covered, products turned out, or whatever – has always been a way of reckoning success. More results in less time equalled progress. Nobody, not even the “Slow Movement” claims that we should all return to walking pace. When wintry weather brings the UK’s transport system slithering to a halt, the inconvenience and wasted time reminds us how frustrating it is to waste time on journeys that could be done quicker. But some of our discontent today is directed not at the enforced slowness of congested roads, overcrowded railways and inefficient bureaucracy, but at the sensation that we’re constrained to move faster than we want. Technology designed to give us mastery over the constraints of nature, “to cheat the limitations of time” as Andrew English puts it, seems instead to subject us to new pressures. Five thoughtful essays look at the question of speed from different points of view, asking whether it’s become an unhealthy obsession, whether it’s already been abandoned as an ambition, or whether it is the wrong target for our discontentment with the modern world. Now it’s your turn – what do you think? We look forward to reading your thoughts on the debate page.
You can also register for the live debate at London’s Hayward Gallery on February 7th. Though it’s free, places are limited, so please sign up soon. Carl Honoré, Andrew English and Peter Martin will speak before we open up the discussion to the audience, and afterwards we hope you’ll join us in the bar to continue the arguments.
updated: Friday 26 January 2007
We want it to become a forum for thinking about engineering and how it works in our world. We welcome your contributions, and if you have suggestions for future topics for debate, please tell us. Our first event, on February 7th, will ask Are We Moving Fast Enough? Making progress in engineering has often been measured by how fast things can be done, or how quickly people and goods can be moved around. But recently the quest for speed seems to have lost momentum. Since Concorde was retired, transatlantic crossings have got slower, not faster. Beyond calls to restrict transport speeds in the name of safety or saving energy, there is a cultural questioning of the pace of modern life. Is it time to revisit the goals of engineering and if so, what new goals should we be pursuing? The event will take place at the Hayward Gallery in London as part of the South Bank Centre’s Festival, 100 Ideas to Change the World. See our events page for further details. The South Bank Centre’s Innovation unit is also running an event for scientists and engineers in India, and engaging cogs has been invited to run a workshop there. We’ll report back at the end of January when Timandra returns from Kolkata. If you can’t come to either London or Kolkata, we still want you to be part of the discussion. Visit the Debates page on this website, read the articles we’ve commissioned and join in the online debate: ‘Making Good Progress’ – how fast is fast enough? updated: Saturday 6 January 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||
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