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As part of Radio 4鈥檚 excellent season 鈥楲ondon: Another Country?鈥�, Rosie Millard has produced a compelling documentary exploring the different attitudes to tall buildings in London and Paris.

The documentary investigates the differences between each city鈥檚 approach to high-rises and explores the multiple effects this has had on their respective economic success, urban character and cultural appeal. Views are canvassed from a broad range of built environment protagonists from both sides of the Channel including ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone, CABE chairman Paul Finch, architect Renzo Piano, current GLA Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning Sir Simon Milton and critics Dejan Sujic and Francois Chaslin.

鈥楾owering Ambition: A Tale of Two Cities鈥� begins with a trip up London鈥檚 newest skyscraper, Kohn Pedersen Fox鈥檚 Heron Tower in the City of London. This is the launch-pad to discuss some of London鈥檚 other current skyscraper proposals and to analyse their contribution to London鈥檚 dynamic urban character, cosmopolitan energy and her envied status as global financial capital. Ken Livingstone states that the mix of old and new is part of London鈥檚 鈥渃harm鈥� and Dejan Sujic goes even further when he claims that London is 鈥渢he most successful world city in Europe and perhaps anywhere.鈥�  

The discussion then switches to Paris where the situation is very different. Unlike London, central Paris has been largely preserved in aspic for the past 150 years. Various commentators and an American tourist point out that its unified, artistic and controlled urban form have created 鈥渢he most beautiful city in the world鈥� and are key to its visual and cultural appeal.

But others claim that this inflexible 鈥渕useum preservation鈥� strategy has had a detrimental effect on the city鈥檚 economic performance and have dulled perceptions of Paris鈥檚 capacity for excitement and creativity, particularly in comparison to ebullient London. 鈥淎 city that stops building is dead鈥� proffers Paul Finch. Recent moves by Paris mayor Bertrand Delano毛 to relax Paris鈥檚 notoriously rigid height restrictions and a presumed willingness to consider high-rise proposals in the centre of the city are cited as evidence that Paris may well be looking to its Albion neighbour for urban inspiration.

For London at least where the level of public debate surrounding its evolving tall buildings and their effect on the skyline is non-existent, this documentary is long overdue. Paris鈥檚 skyline may well appear dormant but this is in stark contrast to the energetic level of civic debate and discussion currently underway about what form they wish their city to take. By contrast, London鈥檚 skyline evolves in silence.

This fascinating and informative programme therefore offers a rare glimpse into the world of London high-rise development as well as an intriguing account of the fierce rivalry that has characterised the historic development of both London and Paris. Challenging the visual composition of the city commonly perceived as the world鈥檚 most beautiful also takes some bravery but it offers a refreshing new perspective grounded in architectural awareness and solid historic research.

However, although Paris鈥檚 failed high-rise experiment (the notorious and consistently unpopular Tour Montparnasse) is discussed; London鈥檚 multiple equivalent mistakes 鈥� both past and present - are largely glossed over. The bitter controversy that often surrounds London鈥檚 tall buildings and their effect on the historic skyline and fabric is ignored, thereby belittling the integrity of the investigation and implicitly offering the simplistic and unchallenged conclusion that high-rises equate to progress and modernity (London) and low-rises engender stasis and sterility (Paris).

There are fleeting references to the complex wider subject of the conceptual validity of tall buildings and their fractious London history. Renzo Piano briefly refers to the Shard鈥檚 Public Enquiry and the presenter herself pitches the following critical question to avowed skyscraper aficionado Ken Livingstone: 鈥渨hy do new buildings have to be tall?鈥� His dubious answer, that 鈥渇inancial organisations require a concentration of people in small spaces鈥� offers a tantalising glimpse of how much more interesting and resonant this documentary this might have been had it offered a slightly more balanced point of view.

鈥楾owering Ambition: A Tale of Two Cities鈥� was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 14.07.10. It is available on BBC iPlayer until 21.07.10. The 鈥楲ondon: Another Country?鈥� series runs until 17.07.10.