Debate will ask: What is the future of Leeds?

After two decades of growth and change, Leeds is now at something of a crossroads, in search of direction and identity. While other northern cities have had massive investment and public attention as 'cities of culture', hosting international athletic events, and the building or renovation of iconic buildings as national cultural venues, Leeds seems to have been left behind. Development and regeneration seemed to have stuttered even before the recession hit. So where does Leeds go now, and how does it move forward? Does Leeds have anything unique to offer? Is the answer more of what it does already: attracting financial services and promoting itself as Yorkshire's premier shopping destination? Or could Leeds be the economic hub driving the future success of a huge city-region and attracting new and innovative industries? And what about the arts and culture? Does Leeds have the facilities and resources to attract cultural entrepreneurs, creators and innovators? And how does Leeds keep and promote its own creative talent? What will, or how will, Leeds define itself as a city in the 21st century? How could it be the great regional capital it aspires to be? And, ultimately, what makes and defines a city? Join the debate on Wednesday 23 February, at The Congreve Room, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Quarry Hill, 6.45pm (for a 7pm start) to 8.45pm. An entrance fee of £5 (waged) and £3 (unwaged) will be charged on the door to cover costs. The Speakers Irena Bauman founded Bauman Lyons Architects in 1992, and has been involved in developing a wide range of projects. She is a frequent speaker and commentator on the shortcomings of economically driven policies and on the fresh thinking required for urban developments to be based on facilitation of community enterprise and long term viability. She contributes on a regular basis to her column, 'Dear Irena', in Building Design that deals with ethical dilemmas in architectural practice. Catch the video of her 2008 interview bout Leeds with The Guardian's Martin Wainwright here . Neil Owen is founder of Test Space ; a multidisciplinary arts organisation based in Leeds. Test Space aims to showcase new and emerging creative talent and encourage talent in Leeds by brokering professional opportunities with business, venues, studios and other arts organisations. Events Test Space run, which include rapid exhibitions, pop-up kitchens, cross-city showdowns and showcase gigs. Martin Dean heads the Leeds Initiative ; the public and private community partnership and Local Strategy Partnership for Leeds. Through the development of appropriate strategies the Leeds Initiative takes forward the priorities identified in 'Vision for Leeds 2004 to 2020'. This work covers a wide ranging policy agenda including regeneration, economy, skills, local government, environment and transport. Dr Rachael Unsworth is a lecturer in the School of Geography, University of Leeds, specialising in urban geography with a particular interest in the future of cities. She spends much of her time trying to inject sustainability thinking into policy and practice in Leeds. She was co-editor of 21st century Leeds: geographies of a regional city (2004), a sixteen-chapter book about the contemporary city. Alan Hudson is Director of Oxford University's Leadership Programme for China. In the last five years he has been responsible for writing the curriculum for training programmes in UK public policy and public administration which have been delivered to senior Chinese officials at municipal, provincial and national level. He is the author of the chapter 'The Trouble with Planners' in the book Sustaining Architecture in the Anti-Machine Age (2001). He is now researching the impact of Expo 2010 on Shanghai's urban strategy. Guest blogger Paul Thomas is the co-founder of Leeds Salon .