Ricky Burdett is Professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and director of LSE Cities and the Urban Age programme. He is a Global Distinguished Professor at New York University. He was Chief Adviser on Architecture and Urbanism for the London 2012 Olympics and an adviser to the Olympic Legacy Park Company. He was architectural adviser to the Mayor of London from 2001 to 2006. In addition to leading innovative research on global cities, Burdett has curated numerous exhibitions including ‘Global Cities’ at Tate Modern, was Director of the 2006 Architecture Biennale in Venice and chairman of the Jury for the 2007 Mies van der Rohe Prize. He is architectural adviser to the cities of Genova and Parma, and a member of the Milan Expo 2015 steering committee. He is a Council member of the Royal College of Art and was a member of the Mayor of London’s Promote London Board. He is co-editor of ‘Living in the Endless City’ and a regular contributor to journals, books and media programmes on contemporary architecture and urbanism.