Having cut my teeth working for Professor Dame Angela McLean Government Office for Science on both land use and city futures, and occasionally with other departments within GOV.UK Gov Wales. Scottish Government & NI Executive, I wholeheartedly endorse Dame Angela’s call for academics to engage with

A welcome political commitment to planning and to planners after years of planning bashing. A new positive era lies ahead where planners will work with the government to deliver

CASA is hosting the 19th International #CUPUM Conference on the theme of Cloud Cities in June 2025, and welcoming submissions now. Adam Dennett 📅 Deadlines: 11 Oct 2024 book chapters 10 Jan 2025 papers/posters Find out how to make a submission: ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/casa/…

Glad to see new article by John Denham and I on Trailblazer Devolution Deals: the next oxymoron in the policy litany of sub-national governance in England? published today by Local Economy. Open access thanks to UCL News journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02…

This is a good piece and provocation. Often neglected by those who only see planning as housing numbers, planning legally & practically is about so much more: flood defence, environmental protection, regeneration, infrastructure provision, conservation, energy, public engagement

For those interested in having an alternative, feel free to add me on the other place. I’m still on here for now but will probably post less over time

The critical issue here is to tackle how to deliver missions that cut across different Whitehall departments. Whitehall has never been great at working through a systems approach to policy and delivery. This hub and spoke approach is still ambitious, as it has to deal with the

Congratulations to my wonderful and inspiring colleague Hannah Fry on this prestigious award UCL CASA

Applications are now open for the new UK Research and Innovation CEO 🔬 This is a unique chance to influence how science and technology improve lives in the UK, enhance public services, and boost the economy. Apply here 👇 saxbam.com/appointment/uk… (1/2)

Proposals open for RTPI Early Career Research Grant 2024-25! This year we are offering 3x grants of £10,000 each to academic members and planning school colleagues. The closing date for proposals is Sun Oct 13 2024. Find out more and submit a proposal rtpi.org.uk/policy-and-res…

Very sorry to hear of Nicky’s passing. A true believer in the power of planning as a force for good in improving people’s lives and in supporting the environment. We engaged many times on London issues and - just a few weeks ago - on the future of land use. Thank for the hard

This is a fantastic initiative and great opportunity for STEM and behavioural scientists to have experience and an insight of the parliamentary process and government machinery

There is enormous potential here. But the key will be to ensure tech, & digitalisation especially, are 1. visible and meaningful to citizens, 2. enable projects that bring social science and science together, and 3. create proof of concept trials that can be scaled up. That also

22 years ago, Phil Allmendinger & I published a book Planning Futures, new directions for planning theory. Fast forward to early 2025, and a new book edited with Phil Allmendinger and Matthew Wargent, Critical Planning Futures, is now in print with Routledge, with 11 new chapters

I have always said that traditional planning consultation is a blunt & overwhelmingly negative instrument to assess people’s views about new development. Find more accommodating ways to engage people, link new housing to local services, talk about place rather than sites, & you

This was always going to be a thorny issue for Westminster, attempting to revive what should be a premier commercial space alongside resident & business concerns. I think partial pedestrianisation around the central section makes sense and taking no action is not an option

Anticipating a superb exhibition here Farrell Centre for anyone interested in not only brutalist architecture but also unbuilt cities and utopian urban dreams

Well I’m half way through Guy Shrubsole new book The Lie of the Land already and it’s a cracker. A forensic journey through the land, and all the dynamics and contestations about it

Long gone are the days when I would stay out in London until 4am or 5am. But for those nightbirds still treading the tiles, this is a great set of maps showing where you can find pubs and clubs still open at those times

Lots of attention towards the Concrete Dreams exhibition Farrell Centre at the moment about the Brasilia of the North idea, that prompted me to dig out Basil Spence’s part realised plans for the All Saints scheme at Newcastle’s Quayside. A near miss, I think