The British Papers is a collection of invited essays and opinions from architectural and urban –design leaders, as a snapshot of current thinking and approaches to sustainable city-making. This series of essays brings together the thoughts of leading figures in the industry – including Richard Rogers, Sir Terry Farrell, and Judit Kimpian– to share their particular viewpoints about latest design thinking. This wide ranging collection of essays look at how our history, culture and identity anchor us in place and time. The mistakes of the western world in recent decades are continuously being repeated in many developing countries – soulless, rootless, gas-guzzling buildings have been built without reference to their cultural context or suitable to local climate conditions. However, in Britain we have a wealth of experts and professionals – some of whom have been brought together in these essays – who can offer a clear message about how we can learn together to build better cities to help prepare our world for a low-carbon future.