Lee Shostak

Lee Shostak recalls hearing team leader John De Monchaux, from the master planers of MK (Llewellyn Davies, Weeks, Forrester and Walter Bor), giving a lecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design in early 1970; he talked of Milton Keynes (MK) among other subjects. At this time Lee was studying at Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) and had a long-term interest in new towns. Looking around for a dissertation topic, Lee decided to look at the early years of MK; he travelled to the UK, equipped with a grant, and a lecturing contract at Trent Polytechnic for a year. However, he realized that there was little building going on in MK in 1971, and also that he needed to understand the project by getting inside the Development Corporation (MKDC). John de Monchaux introduced him to Jock Campbell, and MKDC offered him a Research Officer post for £5,000 p.a. Lee eventually worked for MKDC from 1972 to 1981, leaving to join Conran Roche Architects partnership.