Review led by Sir Terry Farrell calls for teaching of architecture in schools and a more proactive planning system

The Gherkin in London. Photograph: Alamy

The architect Sir Terry Farrell has called for architecture to be taught in schools, the listing of buildings to be decided by popular support, and the introduction in every town of "urban rooms" where planning can be debated over 3D models.

Launching his review of architecture and the built environment,commissioned last year by the culture minister Ed Vaizey, Farrell said the 200-page document should "be a catalyst for change and the start of a big conversation about our built environment, making it a major public issue like health and food".

At the core of the report is a call for a fundamental shift in UK planning culture, from a reactive to a proactive system. "Planning, in the true sense of the word, is simply not done in this country," Farrell said. "In many other places, such as New York, the height, bulk and use of a building is all determined in advance in detailed spatial plans, but here everything is on the table, with every possibility debated every single time.

"You could buy a plot of land, get lucky, and have a Shard built in your back garden. The tallest building in Europe was never on anyone's plan, yet it stands there today."

He said chaos in the planning system meant good buildings such as the Gherkin in London were left surrounded by "woeful" architecture.

His guidance, detailed in 60 recommendations produced after extensive consultation over the past 12 months, focuses on a holistic approach to the built environment, or what he terms Place (an acronym of planning, landscape, architecture, conservation and engineering).

"Our weakness has come from the separation of heritage and transport, design and infrastructure, in separate silos. Design reviews should be replaced by place reviews, ensuring all aspects are given equal consideration in a joined-up approach," he said.

From a government-level Place leadership council headed by a new chief architect – along the lines of the chief scientific adviser – to local Place review panels and "civic champions" to push for design quality in each local authority, the recommendations focus on breaking down the traditional disciplinary boundaries between those who shape cities.

The combined approach goes as far as suggesting a shared foundation year for all built environment students, as well alternative routes into architecture to make the profession "as easily accessible for people from as many different backgrounds as possible," Farrell said.

Seeking to embed a broader understanding of architecture across society, the review recommends that how people shape their environment "must be taught as early as possible in schools", along with the introduction of "urban rooms" to act as public forums to discuss future developments.

Tackling heritage, the review recommends that the listing process should become "less academic and more open, transparent and democratic," while the multiple quangos of English Heritage and Design Council Cabe should be aligned to speak with one voice now that "there is widespread recognition that preserving the old is no longer at odds with designing the new".

Vaizey declined to discuss which, if any, recommendations would be adopted by the government, but said: "This is one of the most comprehensive looks at architecture for many years, and I'm lending the review my full backing. It is the beginning of a dialogue with the industry, and one of the chief audiences should be developers, not necessarily the government."

Farrell said: "The real test is where it goes next. The author of a previous review said the only way to make it stick is to become a nutter afterwards. That is fully what I intend to do, continuing to work with a lot of other passionate nutters on the advisory panel. This is only the beginning."

> via The Guardian