Mulgan

New Ideas for Urban Living, heard from Geoff Mulgan, former adviser to Tony Blair, now chief executive of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts; Kevin McCloud, developer and broadcaster; Pam Alexander, former chair of the Peabody Trust; and Lord Broers, former vice-chancellor of Cambridge University and chair of the science and technology committee of the House of Lords.

Guardian roundtable: ideas for urban development 2011

And all of the panel spoke of the importance of developers and planners understanding human and community needs because it was important, as Mulgan said, to create cities that were both "livable and lovable".

Guardian roundtable: ideas for urban development 2011

By "radical", we mean people and organisations that are taking risks and, as Geoff Mulgan, the Nesta chief executive, writes in these pages, are "changing the world for the better" by applying fresh approaches to some of the major challenges that society faces across a range of issues.

Wanted: the 'radicals' who can make a positive difference | Observer editorial 2011

Questioned by David Saer of the Fast Future thinktank, the consensus of the panel was that it could work well for some, while for others it was, said Mulgan, "disastrous" in terms of residents' ability to adapt to the living conditions.

Guardian roundtable: ideas for urban development 2011

But low-rise or hi-tech, Mulgan stressed it was important to avoid the model of the vast new urban developments in China, designed "more for robots than for human beings", which were destined, he believed, to become "unloved and unlivable".

Guardian roundtable: ideas for urban development 2011

But Geoff Mulgan, director of the Young Foundation, warns against over-romanticising the pre-call-centre era, not least in relationships with banks where for many the advent of telephone banking has, be believes, meant the experience is "more democratic, personal and feminised".

Call centre culture puts the whole world on hold 2011

At the centre of Mulgan's concerns has been the excision of customer service skills, so that while those on the frontline can often deal with the simple tasks their script includes, anything more complicated causes problems.

Call centre culture puts the whole world on hold 2011

But there is more substance to the happiness movement, as evidenced by the people behind it – including the LSE economist Richard Layard, and Geoff Mulgan, the former director of the government's strategy unit.

Happiness: When smiling becomes policy | Editorial 2011

Mulgan at least is more optimistic, believing that the trend towards shoddy and depersonalised services in large parts of the private sector may pass as companies realise that there is a real value to them in giving the customers what they want.

Call centre culture puts the whole world on hold 2011

In his opening remarks, Mulgan said it was important to think in terms of a "new profession", combining a range of skills involving architects and engineers with those who understand the virtual world and those who understand human psychology.

Guardian roundtable: ideas for urban development 2011