Infrastructure is about more than bricks & mortar
On April 15, 2019 the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was severely damaged in a devastating fire – and this week, five years on, its...
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Nov 213 min read
World Toilet Day: Launching the London Loo Alliance
On Tuesday this week, World Toilet Day was celebrated across the world – laugh if you want, but it’s a long-established event led by...
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Sep 233 min read
Two easy wins for healthier places
In the wake of Lord Darzi’s report on the NHS , the IPPR report on the nation’s health , and the government’s renewed focus on...
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Sep 103 min read
Changing Places: the Life Sciences industry in London
The Life Sciences industry is comprised of companies and organisations that research, develop and manufacture pharmaceuticals,...
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Jul 165 min read
Private finance, public infrastructure
Our new government has pledged to limit tax rises while at the same time promising to invest in our NHS, education and energy...
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Jun 134 min read
CIL, health and health equity
Over the last year I’ve seen more and more reports of the tensions in local communities created by new housing development and the...
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Apr 253 min read
Vulnerable in the city
“Vulnerability” comes from the Latin word for wound – vulnis. It’s the state of being open to injury, or appearing as if you are. Feeling...
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Apr 125 min read
Infrastructure First
Along with wet weather, April came in with a blast of Nimby v Yimby hot air. So far this month, we’ve learned that Keir Starmer has...
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Mar 264 min read
Can local initiatives increase the life expectancy of residents?
A report came out last week from the Kings Fund and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation giving new evidence to the link between areas of...
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Feb 75 min read
Toilets are the talk of the town
2024 is starting off with a bang for London’s public toilet campaigners. As conversations came to a head (!) toward the end of last year...
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Nov 29, 20233 min read
GLA Committee explores Community Consultation
Last Thursday, 23rd November, I joined a panel of “experts” to answer questions from the GLA Oversight Committee about best practice when...
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Oct 26, 20234 min read
Grasping the low-hanging fruit that will make our places happier & healthier
“Low hanging fruit”, when not in an orchard setting, refers to tasks or projects that can be easily and quickly completed before moving...
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Aug 24, 20233 min read
We need to talk about Toilets
When I wrote over a year ago about the need to rethink public toilets, a journalist I know told me that the issue would not attract wider...
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Jun 23, 20234 min read
The coalitions are coming
Just when I thought it wasn’t possible, not one but two coalitions of Built Environment organisations have announced their arrival in the...
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Jun 9, 20234 min read
When dots don’t connect
Earlier this year when Secretary of State for Levelling up Michael Gove suggested that a rethought approach to planning education could...
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May 30, 20233 min read
Will ESG improve regeneration & development initiatives across the UK?
An interview with Dr Sophie Taysom, Keyah Consulting The growth of environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and practices...
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Mar 27, 20233 min read
Show me the Evidence
The recent consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (now closed) has brought forth diverse opinions from across the...
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Feb 27, 20234 min read
Health Street: Building Health Creation into High Street Renewal
As our understanding of the connections between place and health continues to grow in the post-Covid era, we’re beginning to see...
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Jan 10, 20233 min read
What does a School of Place look like?
At the end of the year, Secretary of State for Housing and Levelling Up Michael Gove revealed that his mission would be enhanced with a...
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Dec 19, 20225 min read
My chat with an AI about planning & regeneration
Amidst the many major news events of the last few weeks was the launch of Chat GPTon November 30. A chatbot developed by US-based OpenAI,...
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