Mr Austin Williams
Faculties, departments and locations
- Kingston School of Art
- Department of Architecture and Landscape
- School of Arts
Course Leader
- Email:
- [email protected]
About
Austin Rhys Williams is course leader and senior lecturer for PgDip Professional Practice in Architecture at Kingston School of Art, and Visiting Scholar at XJTLU University in China.
I am the director of the Future Cities Project, and have written for a range of publications; from the Times Literary Supplement to Top Gear; from the London Property Review to The Economist. I am series editor on the "Five Critical Essays" collection.
I host the Professional Practice Podcasts as well as running the Bookshop Barnies (interviews with contemporary non-fiction authors).
My latest books are China's Urban Revolution: Understanding Chinese Eco-cities (Bloomsbury, 2017) and New Chinese Architecture: Twenty Women Building the Future (Thames & Hudson, 2019). My previous books include: Enemies of Progress, The Future of Community and The Lure of the City. I co-founded the mantownhuman manifesto (featured in Penguin Classics 100 Artists' Manifestos).
Qualifications
- BSc (Hons)
- Dip Arch
- RIBA Part III
- Member, Association of Professional Studies Advisers
- Visiting Scholar, XJTLU university, Suzhou, China
- Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Domains
- Williams, A and Mishineva, Z. “Where shall we all live?”, MCC Brussels, 2025
- Williams, A, “China’s Counter Urbanisation: The Great Leap Backwards”, HKIUD Journal of Urban Design, Urbanie + Urbanus, Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design, Issue 11, January 2025
- Zhang, L., Fu, J., Williams, A., Woudhuysen, J. and Medelis, K., ‘Chapter 13 China: buoyant designers,’ in Woudhuysen, J. and Stone, M. (2024) The Handbook of Design and Innovation: Directions for the 2030s, Wiley-Blackwell (London), forthcoming.
- Williams, A., Chapter: “China’s Eco Dreams and Green Reality” in Zhang, Fagshu and Wu, Fulong (eds, 2023) China's urban environmental governance, Edward Elgar.
- Williams, A. (2023) Urban Fringe. In Quazi, Z. (ed) Urbanism(s) at Borders, SpringerLink. August 2022
- Williams, A. Chapter 14: Growth and the Appropriation of Nature. Left-wing Misanthropy, the Rise of Authoritarianism, and the Pro-Capitalist character of Environmental Discourse in Lange, Elena Louisa and Joshua Depaolis- Pickett, eds. (2022) The Conformist Rebellion: Marxist Responses to the Contemporary Left. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (Maryland, US)
- Williams, A. (2022) The Emerging City: Malawi and China. In Powell, M. (ed) The Climate City, Wiley
- Williams,& A. ed (2025) Five Critical Essays on EDI
- Williams,& A. ed (2024) Five Critical Essays on Wellbeing
- Williams,& A. ed (2024) Five Critical Essays on Architectural Ethics
- Williams, A. ed (2023) Five Critical Essays on Beauty
- Williams, A. ed (2023) Five Critical Essays on The Crit
- Williams, A. ed (2022) Five Critical Essays on Architectural Education
- Williams, A. (2020) Urban transformation and mobility in Chinese society. In Chen, Chia-Lin et al. Handbook on Transport and Urban Transformation in China Handbooks of Research on Contemporary China Series. Edward Elgar, March 2020.
- Williams, A. (2019) What is Chinese Architecture?. In Lee, R. (ed), Robin Lee Architecture
- Williams, A. (2019) Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge, HKIUD Journal of Urban Design
- Williams, A. (2019) Around The World in 80 Minutes. Contributions to tomorrow's mobility, In 80 Minuten um die Welt: Beiträge zur Zukunft der Mobilität, Novo (Germany)
- Williams, A. (2018) Fresh Soil: architectural modernism in China, LEAP magazine [pp18-23
- Williams, A. (2018), Cities of the Future. In The Big Conversation 2019, BDP. pp6-13 (https://issuu.com/bdp_com/docs/bdp_2018_the_big_conversation/ Accessed 20 August 2019)
- Williams, A. (2019), New Chinese architects: Twenty women building the future, New York/London. Thames & Hudson
- Williams, A. (2018), Eco-cities: Understanding Chinese environmentalism. In Hudson, A, Chinese Urban Transformation: A Tale of Six Cities, London. RIBA Publishing
- Williams, A. (2017), China's urban revolution: Understanding Chinese Eco-cities", London. Bloomsbury Academic
- Williams, A. (2017), (ed). Style (in defence of…), Machine Books
- Williams, A. (2017), Beyond pragmatism: The pedagogy of the impressed. In Hayes D, Beyond MacDonaldization, London. Pearson. pp115-129
- Williams, A. (2014), Baiziwan Middle School by Wang Yun, Machine Books, 2014
- Williams, A. and Dounas, T. (2012), eds Masterplanning the Future: Modernism – East, West & Across the World, TRG Publications, ISBN 978-1-903094-01-3
- Williams, A. (2012), Don't de-carbonise, defenestrate. In One hundred great ideas for higher education, Academic Questions, 100th Issue, Volume 25, Issue 4, Winter 2012, ISSN: 0895-4852
- Williams, A. (2012), ed., The Architectural Review, London. Emap, September 2012
- Williams, A. (2012), What is a City? In Littlefield, D. ed, Special Issue: London (Re)generation, AD, Volume 82, Issue 1, January/February 2012, pp66-68
- Williams, A. (2012), Fashionable Dilemmas. In Tseelon, E. ed., Critical Studies in Fashion & Beauty, Vol 2, Issue 1, Leeds, Intellect Books
- Williams, A. (2011) citation, "Who's Who in Research: Visual Arts", Bristol/Chicago, Intellect Ltd
- Williams, A. (2011), ed., The lure of the city: from slums to suburbs, London, Pluto Press
- Williams, A. et al (2011), mantownhuman: manifesto towards a new humanism. In Danchev, A. ed. 100 Artists' Manifestos: From the Futurists to the Stuckists, Penguin Classic
- Williams, A. (2010), Corroding the Curriculum: Sustainability v Education. In Sustainability: Special Issue, Academic Questions, NAS, Vol 23, No 1, pp. 70-83
- Williams, A. (2009) Shortcuts: Book 1 – Structure and Fabric, London, NBS Publishing
- Williams, A. (2009) Shortcuts: Book 2 – Sustainability and Practice, London, NBS Publishing
- Williams, A. (2008) Enemies of Progress: The dangers of sustainability, London, Societas:Impact
- Williams, A. et al (2008) eds. The Future of Community: Reports of a Death Greatly Exaggerated, London, Pluto Press
- Williams, A. et al (2008) Manifesto: Towards a New Humanism
- Williams, A. (1999), ed., Transport in the New Millennium London, TRG Publications
- Convenor: Summer School, “Urban Design”, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai. 2024
- Convenor: Critical Subjects Architecture School, AHMM, Groupwork, BDP & Heatherwick Studio. 2024
- Keynote/co-curator: Williams, A. (2022) 19th international Architectural Biennale, Budapest, Hungary. 2022
- Producer: Williams, A & Jiang, H. (2018) Che Fang/ Edge Town (film). Shortlisted, AHRC Research in Film Awards 2018. Presentation at British Film Institute [£4,000]
Book interview (recorded)
- Professor Richard Suskind (April 2025)
- Helen Pluckrose (February 2025)
- Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter (February 2025)
- Paul Morland (October 2024)
- Jake Wallis Simons (January 2024)
- Joel Kotkin (January 2021)
- Michael Shellenberger (February 2021)
- Paul Embery (April 2021)
- Laura Dodsworth (July 2021)
- Kerry Brown (Oct 2021)
- Xing Ruan (December 2021)
- Tom Heap (June 2022)
- Konstantin Kisin (Oct 2022)
- Rakib Ehsan (June 2023)
- Peter Hitchens (October 2023)
Founder/presenter, professional practice podcasts
Publications
Developing an analytical framework for liveable streets in Shanghai
Istrate, Aura Luciana, Chen, Fei, Kadetz, Paul, Chang, Ying and Williams, Austin Rhys, 2021, Urban Design International (26)pp 3-20, Published
Extinction Rebellion: the new millenarian cult
Williams, Austin, 2019, Spiked, Published
Book Review of: 'Pen Zen Diaries' by Peter Magyar
Williams, Austin, 2019, Future Cities Project, Published
Reading between the lines: Changsha library, Hunan Province, China, by Neri&Hu
Williams, Austin, 2019, Architectural Review (244), 1457pp 148-157, Published
Gensler creates a showcase of sustainable design near Shanghai
Williams, Austin, 2019, Metropolis, Published
Authoritarianism, powered by the Cloud
Williams, Austin, 2018, Spiked, Published
From slaughter to laughter: the renovation of a slaughterhouse in Shanghai by IPPR
Williams, Austin, 2018, Architectural Review (244), 1455pp 58-65, Published
Yiwu: the Neo-Liberal city
Williams, Austin, 2018, Urban Design, 148pp 14-15, Published
Revolutionizing construction... post-Brexit
Williams, Austin, 2018, Future Cities Project, Published
Genoa: notes on a disaster
Williams, Austin, 2018, Spiked, Published
Lu Wenyu: the emphasis on craft and precision
Williams, Austin, 2018, The Architectural Review, Published
Labour Live: bread and circuses
Williams, Austin, 2018, Spiked, Published
Yiwu: China's trinket town
Williams, Austin, 2018, Architectural Review (244), 1451pp 50-51, Published
China's shift from urban development to rural reconstruction
Williams, Austin, 2018, The Architectural Review, Published
No, China isn't going back to Maoism
Williams, Austin, 2017, Spiked, Published
How China transformed its cities from environmental disasters - an what the west can learn
Williams, Austin, 2017, Building Design, Published
REFLEXIVE VERVE
Williams, Austin, 2017, Architectural Review (241), 1444pp 46 - 52, Published
Tsinghua Architecture School extension in Beijing, China by Li Xiaodong Atelier
Williams, Austin, 2017, The Architectural Review, Published
Back to earth: anti-seismic prototype in Guangming by Edward Ng, Li Wan, Ximan Chi
Williams, Austin, 2017, The Architectural Review (241), 1443pp 48-53, Published
Cultivating the garden: Museum of Intangible Cultural Heritage by Vector Architects
Williams, Austin, 2017, The Architectural Review (241), 1442pp 76-83, Published
West can sneer all it wants, China is in the ecological driver's seat
Williams, Austin, 2017, South China Morning Post, Published
Chapel in Suzhou by Neri & Hu
Williams, Austin, 2017, The Architectural Review (241), 1440pp 36-44, Published
Material rebirth. The emotionally charged work of Liu Jiakun celebrates the vitality of 'everydayness'
Williams, Austin, 2017, The Architectural Review (241), 438pp 50-56, Accepted/In press
Outrage: 'if memorialisation is everywhere, it becomes mere virtue-signalling'
Williams, Austin, 2016, The Architectural Review (240), 1436pp 40-42, Published
Humanizing the urban fabric
Williams, Austin, 2016, Nature (537)pp 614-615, Published
Frozen music: Erik Satie house in Beijing by Atelier Fronti
Williams, Austin, 2016, The Architectural Review (240), 1433pp 82-86, Published
Seashore Chapel by Vector Architects: 'Each elevation has been designed for aesthetic drama'
Williams, Austin, 2016, Architectural Review, Published
Shenzhen's Biennale regurgitates Central Party concerns in a festival of restraint
Williams, Austin, 2016, Journal of the National Cancer Institute - Monographs, Published
Up the 632m Shanghai Tower by Gensler, second tallest in the world
Williams, Austin, 2015, Architectural Review, Published
China
Williams, Austin, 2015, The Architectural Review (238), 1425pp 46-53, Published
Reputations: Wang Shu
Williams, Austin, 2015, The Architectural Review (238), 1425pp 104-105, Published
'This is no Chinese copycat'
Williams, Austin, 2015, The Architectural Review (238), 1425pp 56-65, Published
Steps ahead
Williams, Austin, 2015, The Architectural Review (238), 1424pp 70-75, Published
Reputations: Shigeru Ban (1957- )
Williams, Austin, 2015, Architectural Review (237), 1418pp 118-119, Published
Learning Hub in Singapore by Thomas Heatherwick
Williams, Austin, 2015, Architectural Review, Published
Micro Organism: Hutong infill in Beijing, China, by Standard Architecture
Williams, Austin, 2015, Architectural Review (237), 1417pp 36-45, Published
Chemical Plant Offices in Huai'an City, China by Alvaro Siza
Williams, Austin, 2015, Architectural Review, Published
Concrete umbrella
Williams, Austin, 2014, The Architectural Review (236), 1414pp 60-63, Published
New Chinese architecture: twenty women building the future
Williams, Austin and Xin, Zhang (2019). London, U.K.: [Published]
China's urban revolution: understanding Chinese Eco-cities
Williams, Austin (2017). London, U.K.: [Published]
Modernism
Williams, Austin (2015). [Place of publication not identified]: (Machine Books) [Published]
Masterplanning the future: modernism: East, West & across the world
(2012). [Published]
Edge town / Che Fang
Williams, Austin (2023). In: Zaman, Quazi Mahtab, Hall, Greg G., (eds.), Cham, Switzerland: SpringerLinkpp 477-485 [Published]
The emerging city
Williams, Austin (2022). In: Powell, Martin, (eds.), Chichester, U.K.:pp 57-71 [Published]
Mobility and the Chinese dream
Williams, Austin (2020). In: Chen, Chia-Lin, Pan, Haixiao, Sheng, Qing, Wang, James Jixian, (eds.)[Published]
Cities of the future
Williams, Austin (2018). In: Booth, John, Davies, Martin, Harding, Chris, Jenkins, Marc, McAtarsney, Julianne, Moorhouse, Helen, (eds.)pp 6-13 [Published]
Beyond pragmatism: the pedagogy of the impressed
Williams, Austin (2017). In: Hayes, Dennis, (eds.), Abingdon, U.K.:pp 115-129 [Published]
Understanding "sustainability" and attitudes of students to the concept of "sustainable development" in China and the UK
Williams, Austin (2017). In: Issa, Tomayess, Isaias, Pedro, Issa, Theodora, (eds.), Cham, Switzerland: Springerpp 77-102 [Published]
Gallery of work
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Professional Practice Podcasts
Professional Practice Podcasts are a series of interviews with leading expert commentators on Architecture and the practice of Architecture, hosted by Austin Williams.
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New Chinese Architecture: Twenty Women Building the Future (Thames and Hudson, 2019)
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China's Urban Revolution: Understanding Chinese Eco-cities (Bloomsbury, 2017)
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The Enemies of Progress: The Dangers of Sustainability (Societas, 2008)
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The Lure of the City: From Slums to Suburbs, (Pluto, 2014)
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The Future of Community: Reports of a Death Greatly Exaggerated (Pluto, 2008)
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mantownhuman: manifesto towards a new humanism
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Letters on Liberty: Greens, the new neo-colonialists
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Style: In defence of...
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Where Shall We All Live? Environmental policy versus EU housing, November 2024
The main focus of the report is to explore the impact of lesser acknowledged factors – sustainability policy and environmental restraint - that are having an impact on housing provision and the output of the construction industry more broadly. On a philosophical and policy level, environmentally restrictive practices and limits to the growth of material ambition are exacerbating the problem across Europe.
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Five Critical Essays on Architectural Education
This pamphlet is a critical intervention into architectural education. Specifically referencing the UK, its critique is applicable more broadly. It is the first salvo in what we hope will be an open and challenging conversation.
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Five Critical Essays on EDI
More about Five Critical Essays on EDI.
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Five Critical Essays on the Crit
More about Five Critical Essays on the Crit.
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Five Critical Essays on Beauty
More about Five Critical Essays on Beauty.
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Five Critical Essays on Architectural Ethics
More about Five Critical Essays on Architectural Ethics.
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Five Critical Essays on Wellbeing
More about Five Critical Essays on Wellbeing.
Videos of my work
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Bookshop Barnie with Xing Ruan
This book takes a sideways look at the politics, culture and history of China and explore the similarities and differences between the
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The City After Lockdown
Cities are gradually coming back to life after the pandemic, with more people returning to work, commercial premises opening up, and parks and urban spaces becoming lively again. But will it ever be the same as before?
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Bookshop Barnie with Joel Kotkin
Joel Kotkin, interviewed from California, argues that a new, more hierarchical society is emerging: one that resembles that of Medieval times.
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Bookshop Barnie with Laura Dodsworth
Laura Dodsworth best-selling exploration of the pandemic is primarily a book about fear. Fear of a virus. Fear of death. Fear of losing our jobs, our democracy, our human connections, our health and our minds.
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Kingston School of Art Part 3 Professional Practice
Kingston School of Art's Part 3 course welcomes applicants...
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Edge Town/Che Feng
Shortlisted for the 'People on the Move Award' this research documentary explores the urban fringe of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, China.
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Bookshop Barnie with Professor Richard Susskind on "How To Think About AI"
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Bookshop Barnie with Helen Pluckrose on The Counterweight Handbook
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Bookshop Barnie with David Spiegelhalter on "The Art of Uncertainty"
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Bookshop Barnie with Konstantin Kisin on "An Immigrants Love Letter to the West"
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Bookshop Barnie: Rakib Ehsan on "Beyond Grievance: What the Left Gets Wrong About Ethnic Minorities"
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History and belonging life in a Chinese mega city: Chinese Whispers