WHAT sort of cities are we building? That was the question posed by award-winning architect Stephen Witherford as he launched the search for the best York buildings of the last year.

There was something wrong with the way we are building and regenerating modern cities, Mr Witherford said at the launch of the York Design Awards at York St John University last night.

Loneliness, especially among the elderly, is recognised as a major health problem. Yet the more we cram people together in high-density modern housing, the more lonely people get.

In a message that could hardly have been better timed, given the fresh plans for York Central that have just been submitted, Mr Witherford said far too many big regeneration projects failed. Often, one regeneration was followed a few decades later by another, in a pattern of continued redevelopment 'phenomenally destructive' of communities, Mr Witherford said.

He gave the example of Elephant & Castle in London. A major post-war redevelopment saw communities uprooted and dispersed, residents sent to live in London's margins. Now, Elephant & Castle is having to be redeveloped again.

So how can we approach major developments, like York Central, in such a way that we build cities and communities that can last? By not cutting corners, Mr Witherford said - and by ensuring that we create open, interactive communities to a human scale, rather than sealed off ghettoes.

That means partly concentrating on details, he said. "Is a communal staircase wide enough for two people having a conversation?" It also meant focussing on quality. Public space which allowed people to move around and interact with each other was vital, he said. "But these spaces should not be designed to the lowest denominator so that they are joyless."

Declaring the 2019 York Design Awards officially open, new Design Awards chair Rebecca Thompson said: "We look forward to celebrating some great design, development and delivery."

Entries for this year's awards are now being invited. A panel of four independent judges will visit each entry later in the year, before announcing the winners in June. Readers of The Press will also get to vote for their favourite building in The Press People's Award. Watch this space...