The urban planner and architect John Thompson, who has died aged 78 after a long illness, was a leading proponent of “community architecture” and the founding chairman of the Academy of Urbanism. He was one of the most prominent advocates of involving local people in architectural decisions about their neighbourhoods and estates.
One of his best known ventures, which would have a lasting effect on the design of estates in Britain, was for Hackney council, at Lea View House in east London in 1983. At the time, the estate had high levels of crime and antisocial behaviour and John decided to open a project office in an empty flat on the site so that local residents could participate in the plans for their homes.
