The Student Society lecture series allows Harrodian Sixth Formers to express their passion for any subject under the sun. This week nascent urban planners Dan and Matt gave us their optimistic take on the future of cities.
Even since Head Boy Oliver Watts founded the Student Society by delivering a talk entitled 'Aliens and the Fundamentals of Astrobiology' in 2017, the club he founded has evolved into a fixture in Harrodian’s co-curricular calendar as popular as The Thomson Society, the offbeat staff lecture club that inspired it.
You never know what to expect at a Student Society lecture. Sometimes the content is academic sometimes it isn’t. I remember loving Sophia's a passionate talk about Hamilton, the musical
Dan, Harrodian Sixth Former
According to Sixth Formers Matt and Dan, the latest speakers in this term’s programme, the essence of Student Soc’s appeal is the unpredictable and sometimes quirky nature of the content. ‘I was first drawn in by a talk about the origins of life given by Matthias, who is in our year,’ says Dan. ‘ But you never know what to expect. Sometimes the content is academic sometimes it isn’t. I remember loving Sophia's passionate talk about the musical, Hamilton, for example.’
It was an unusual shared passion of their own that inspired ‘What Makes the Perfect City’ the thoughtful Student Society lecture Dan and Matt delivered in the last week of September. ‘We’ve been friends ever since we arrived at Harrodian in the 11s,’ says Matt. ‘And in the 12s we discovered that we both loved a computer game called Cities Skylines which allows you to create and manage a city in every detail from housing, shopping and public transport right down to the water pipes and the taxes required to pay for it all.’
We’ve been friends ever since we arrived at Harrodian in the 11s. And in the 12s we discovered that we both loved a computer game called Cities Skylines which allows you to create and manage a city in every detail
Matt, Harrodian Sixth Former
Over the years the pair’s gaming activities have evolved and crystallized into real-life ambitions. In their talk they set out their coherent and optimistic vision for sustainable, cities of the future. Matt is particularly excited by the challenge of designing green and sustainable cities while Dan’s preoccupation is with the future of urban transportation. Both boys have their sights set on careers as urban planners and have applied for specialist courses perhaps at University College London or USC in Los Angeles. We wish them luck and look forward to hearing more about their plans for the future in due course.