The men who would be mayor

摘要

The architecture foundation's "SHAPE OF London" conference was billed as a chance for the capital's population to work out who they would vote for in next week's London mayoral elections. Five hundred architects, developers and politically engaged punters filed into the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's South Bank last Thursday evening in search of ideologically charged debate from the capital's leading candidates. The two big hitters had swapped their traditional sides for the occasion. On the far left of the stage sat the Conservative Steven Norris, all City slick and alpha male, whereas at the extreme left, hunched in a crumpled suit and sporting a grumpy visage, was Labour's prodigal son, Ken Livingstone. Between them were Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrats candidate, and Darren Johnson of the Green Party, and at the helm sat Architecture Foundation head Rowan Moore.