Open City
204 episodes - English - Latest episode: 18 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingOpen City is a charity dedicated to making architecture and built heritage more open, accessible and equitable. This feed includes our weekly show, The Brief which features news and analysis covering the big issues in British architecture, heritage, housing and planning. We also release longer form shows breaking down big issues connecting urbanism and politics with in-depth discussion. Our shows are hosted by a roster of architectural critics and practitioners, featuring guests from across architecture and design, as well as artists, academics, policy makers and journalists.
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This show is made possible in part by Bloomberg Connects, a free mobile app featuring guides to over 200 museums, galleries and cultural spaces.
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Episodes
Rishi Sunak caught celebrating the defunding of deprived urban areas
August 11, 2022 05:25 - 40 minutes - 55 MBThis week Merlin is joined by Joris Lechêne, the diversity and inclusion trainer and the man behind the Tiktok channel @Joris_explains Rishi Sunak caught in video celebrating the defunding of deprived areas | Muyiwa Oki wins the RIBA presidential election | Children of social housing tenants banned from playing in a new Thameside development | And could the new Transport Bill be waging an unfair war on cyclists? The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bure...
How soaring inflation is pushing people to the brink, with Ben Page
August 04, 2022 05:38 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBThis week Merlin speaks to Ben Page, the global chief executive of market research firm Ipsos. Soaring inflation sees one-eighth of households facing no options to cut costs. A power shortage leaves West London with a new homes ban. How buy-to-let landlords fuelled the housing crisis. And the Grade I-listed Finsbury Health Centre is finally set for a refurb The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a...
Why housing isn't on the conservative leadership agenda with Douglas Murphy
July 28, 2022 05:28 - 39 minutes - 54.3 MBLeadership rivals Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak criticised for lack of housing policy. New London buildings dominate the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist. The capital weighs up its Olympic legacy a decade on from the games. And is there a socialist case for traditional architecture? This week Merlin is joined by the architect and writer Douglas Murphy. The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approa...
Extreme heat highlights the inadequacies of London's buildings
July 21, 2022 05:45 - 34 minutes - 46.9 MBThis week host Rachel Copel is joined by Fran Williams, deputy architecture editor at the AJ On the menu: London burns as soaring temperatures highlight the inadequacy of our buildings to cope in extreme weather. Developers accused of bribing social housing residents to vote in favour of estate regenerations. A Southwark councillor is issued with a no fault eviction notice. And Canada Water's Printworks nightclub is set to close ahead of a huge redevelopment. The Londown is recorded and pr...
Power and Public Space
July 14, 2022 05:30 - 19 minutes - 45.3 MBA new covid wave has meant we are sadly unable to make an episode of The Londown this week. However, instead we're going to play you an episode of the Architecture Foundation's new podcast series Power and Public Space which was made in collaboration with Drawing Matter. In the episode Matthew Blunderfield speaks with the artists Mark Wallinger. Wallinger's art exists in public space. He’s made films and performance pieces set in tube stations and airports, and was the first artist to occup...
What is the Most Sustainable Way to Build? with Smith Mordak and Richard Ellis
July 07, 2022 05:29 - 37 minutes - 51.4 MBFor this weeks Open City Stewardship Awards special host Phin Harper is joined by Director of Sustainability and Physics at the integrated consulting engineers and advisers practice Buro Happold - Smith Mordak, and Director of Sustainability at the housing association Peabody - Richard Ellis. Damning report warns the UK is already failing its own net zero targets. Census reveals London hollowing out of the London city centre. Star architects dRMM parachuted in for a landmark study to boost ...
RIBA elections with candidate Muyiwa Oki
June 30, 2022 05:31 - 27 minutes - 37.1 MBThe Royal Institute of British Architects names its three presidential contenders | A US property price slump casts doubts over London’s residential market | The City Corporation is urged not to demolish the old Museum of London | And the row over a prime ministerial treehouse at Chequers while thousands of homes lay vacant in the capital This week Merlin is joined by Muyiwa Oki, one of the three candidates in the running to be the next RIBA president. The Londown is recorded and produced ...
Stewardship awards special with Peabody's John Lewis
June 23, 2022 05:20 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MBFor this weeks Open City Stewardship Awards special Merlin is joined by the Executive Director for Thamesmead at Peabody - John Lewis. The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To book a free day pass follow this link. The Londown is produced in association wit...
Five years on from Grenfell with Pooja Agrawal
June 16, 2022 05:34 - 35 minutes - 48.7 MBFive years on Grenfell survivors say they are still waiting for justice. A toxic culture spanning decades at London’s most famous architecture school. Campaigners warn Right to Buy’s revamp could worsen the housing crisis. And a new inquiry into American sweet shops flooding Oxford Street. This week Rachel is joined by Pooja Agrawal. Pooja is the co-founder and CEO of Public Practice and is also the co-founder of Sound Advice. The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices l...
Help to Buy scrapped early, with Will Jennings
June 02, 2022 01:45 - 40 minutes - 55.6 MBHelp to Buy scrapped amid a looming housing market slowdown, Marketisation of landmark buildings takes a twist with some questionable projections, Camden Highline’s submitted for planning as calls for a pedestrian first city grow, And the Platinum Jubilee in architecture – does the reality of Thomas Heatherwick’s ‘Tree of Trees’ live up to the renders? This week Merlin catches up with Will Jennings; editor of Recessed Space, director of Hypha Studios charity, and architecture lecturer at UC...
The opening of Crossrail with Deborah Saunt
May 26, 2022 01:15 - 38 minutes - 53.5 MBCrossrail finally opens with 10 new central London stations, public ownership takes centre stage in Old Oak Common’s redevelopment vision, City Hall sets out plans for a new user-friendly website to review major planning applications, and could a new Renters Reform Bill help out London’s most precarious private tenants? This week Merlin catches up with DSDHA co-founder Deborah Saunt. The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working spa...
Protestors clash with police in Dalston - with Will Ing
May 19, 2022 02:30 - 31 minutes - 43.1 MBProtestors clash with police over immigration arrests in Dalston, Bitter row erupts over last-minute changes to RIBA election rules, Design competition for a memorial at Grenfell tower announced, And could a National Housing Pan be the REAL solution to the housing crisis? The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do,...
The local election results are in with Liane Hartley
May 12, 2022 01:14 - 42 minutes - 58.9 MBKey London councils swing left ending decades of Conservative dominance, Sadiq Khan calls for rent freezes as Bank of England hints at looming recession, New levelling up and planning reforms outlined in the state opening of parliament, And a little known Islington Council architect wins the prestigious MJ Long prize The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bur...
Election special with Jenna Goldberg and Shawn Adams
May 05, 2022 05:15 - 48 minutes - 66.5 MBCost of living crisis set to dominate London’s local elections, contentious plans to extend Right to Buy are dusted off once again, new data reveals the sickening scale of air pollution in the capital, and the all-party Suburban Taskforce calls for new limits on permitted development rights. This week the Londown was recorded live from the London Communications Agency offices in Covent Garden with Merlin Fulcher, LCA board director Jenna Goldberg, and the writer and architectural designer Sh...
What's the deal with Secured by Design? With Fran Williams
April 28, 2022 05:15 - 45 minutes - 62.7 MBMichael Gove puts the brakes on Marks and Spencers’ controversial Oxford Street redevelopment, new questions over Secured by Design allowing the police to reshape our cities, fewer new London skyscrapers coming forward despite record approvals, and Thomas Heatherwick’s tree sculpture for the Jubilee. The Londown is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises n...
Londown Live from Architect@Work
April 15, 2022 05:44 - 52 minutes - 71.7 MBWe recorded this episode at Architect@Work at the Truman Brewery in Brick Lane. This week our host Phin Harper is joined by Open House Festival Chief Curator Zoe Cave, and Hafsa Adan who is a curatorial assistant at Open City. The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal. If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry...
Londown Live from the Stirling Prize winning Kingston Townhouse
April 07, 2022 05:21 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBThis episode of the Londown was recorded live at Kingston University with Open City's Siraaj Mitha, the writer and historian Tom Wilkinson, and architect and senior lecturer at Kingston Laura Evans. We experienced some technical difficulties during the recording, so our apologies for the audio quality in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Overdevelopment on the Southbank and the problem with MIPIM
March 31, 2022 05:30 - 33 minutes - 46.2 MBControversial plans to replace ITV’s Southbank studios with new skyscrapers approved. MIPIM: the global property fair where London’s public housing is bought and sold. A conservation row erupts over plans to demolish the 1980s Angel Square in Islington. And the Royal Institute of British Architects seeks a new head of culture just as its diversity chief resigns only one year into the role. Hattie Hartman joins Merlin Fulcher to discuss the big stories in London's architecture, planning and d...
The true environmental cost of new developments in London with Joe Giddings
March 24, 2022 06:14 - 35 minutes - 48.8 MBThis week Merlin catches up with the architect and co-founder of Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), Joe Giddings. On the menu: Stratford Sphere – a colossal 90m-high LED clad orb – wins planning approval // An unbuilt skyscrapers development in London’s troubled Vauxhall Nine Elms regeneration zone changes hands at a colossal loss // Waterloo, the UK’s busiest station seeks a masterplanner for a zero-carbon revamp // And Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement – what does it mean for London’s ...
Oligarch mansions, the green belt, and Iconicon with John Grindrod
March 17, 2022 06:24 - 34 minutes - 47.5 MBThis week Rachel catches up with author of new book 'Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain', John Grindrod. Join us for a discussion all about the squatters who tried to create a refugee centre inside an oligarch mansion, two London developments being hampered by cars, the plans to redevelop London's once iconic Euston Station, and much more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sight loss and the city
March 12, 2022 10:00 - 19 minutes - 26.9 MBThis special episode is a collaboration between Sustrans and the Open City podcast. In it, we will hear from members of visual impairment charity Croydon Vision about the impacts of street design on their journeys. In commissioning this piece, Sustrans hopes to spotlight the importance of design that is inclusive and considerate. Sustrans is a charity focused on making towns and cities more liveable, amplifying voices that are sometimes less heard in the decision making process. In t...
The radical new Ulez with Oli Lord
March 10, 2022 06:17 - 37 minutes - 51.4 MBThis week Merlin is joined by Oliver Lord, head of Clean Cities Campaign UK. They discuss Sadiq Khan's Ulez expansion whouch could transform air quality and congestion across the city, the £1bn of Oligarch property in the capital, the London architects ditch Russia projects in protest over Ukraine invasion, and yet another cyclist is killed at one of London’s deadliest junctions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Great Homes Upgrade with Catherine Croft
March 03, 2022 06:35 - 35 minutes - 48.1 MBThis week Merlin catches up with Catherine Croft, who is the Director of the Twentieth Century Society. On todays show; retrofit takes centre stage in upcoming architects protest and the RIBA London awards shortlist, critics slam a new development at Tottenham Court Road accused of 'murdering' the neighbourhood, the RIBA names seven practices vying to redevelop its 66 Portland Place headquarters, and a new projects sets out to immortalise 1,000 dead architects in a series of limited edition ...
Architecture tested to the brink of destruction with Fran Williams
February 24, 2022 06:15 - 33 minutes - 45.9 MBThis week Merlin catches up with fellow AJ journalist Fran Williams. They discuss how London's iconic architecture was tested to the brink of destruction by Storm Eunice, why a beautiful estate regeneration has fallen short for local residents, Assemble's psychedelic ‘Dreamachine’ landing in London this spring, and the residents of south London’s Central Hill Estate who are calling on architects to abide their climate pledges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One year of The Londown
February 20, 2022 11:00 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBWe can't quite believe it's been a year since we started this show. Join Host Merlin Fulcher, Open City's Phin Harper, and Producer Poppy Waring for a round table discussion all about this show. We hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Silvertown Tunnel and Modern Buildings in Britain with Owen Hatherley
February 17, 2022 08:48 - 37 minutes - 51.8 MBThis week architecture critic Phin Harper steps in for Rachel Copel as host, and speaks to the author and journalist Owen Hatherley. They discuss the 11th hour attempt by Greenwich councillors to block the Silvertown tunnel development, three cases of systemic racism misogyny and discrimination which have appeared in the news this week, the East London pools struggling to stay afloat as demolition and closures loom, and finally Owen's new book 'Modern Buildings in Britain, a new Gazeteer'. ...
The cost of living crisis with Sadie Morgan
February 10, 2022 06:10 - 33 minutes - 45.7 MBThis week Merlin speaks to Sadie Morgan, founding director of Stirling Prize winning architecture practice dRMM and a board member of Homes England. Our top stories this week include the cost of living crisis highlighting the long-running failure to insulate UK homes, the new housing minister who voted against forcing landlords to deliver dwellings ‘fit for human habitation’, the announcement that Architect and campaigner Kate Macintosh will be speaking at Open City’s Thornton Lecture, and...
Ridley Road market rescued with Sahiba Chadha
February 03, 2022 06:15 - 29 minutes - 39.9 MBThis week, host Merlin Fulcher catches up with architect Sahiba Chadha, partner at Cullinan Studio and course leader on Open City’s Accelerate programme Our top stories this week include the saving of Ridley Road’s iconic indoor market, benefit changes threatening to impede access to the elite professions, a site walk-out by workers on a £900 million Nine Elms skyscraper, and a new statue for Greenwich waterside seemingly depicting a creative property director… Hosted on Acast. See acast....
Richard Rogers iconic Lloyd's building with Andrew Waugh
January 27, 2022 06:32 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBThis week, our new host Rachel Copel catches up with the Andrew Waugh, the founding director of Waugh Thistleton Architects and advocate for low carbon design and construction. Our top stories this week include the future of Richard Rogers' iconic Lloyd's building, the new carbon report which slams the Marks and Spencer flagship store demolition, the Bartlett whistle-blower that was denied access to the RIBA, the new highway code, and we also review who deserves a place in the Architectural...
Kill the bill, and journey charges with Jonn Elledge
January 20, 2022 10:12 - 26 minutes - 36.1 MBThis week Merlin is joined by journalist, writer, and author of 'The Compendium of (Not Quite) Everything' - Jonn Elledge. Join us for a discussion on: the controversy surrounding new laws targeting peaceful protest and homeless people, the new journey charges facing motorists in London in a bid to clean up London's air, and the new Canary Wharf tower which was sent back to the drawing board after the LFB weighed in on pressing fire safety concerns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy ...
The Colston Four with Rosamund Lily West
January 13, 2022 06:14 - 37 minutes - 50.9 MBFor our first show of 2022, Zoe Cave speaks to Rosamund Lily West - the curator, writer, historian, and Open City tour guide. As Bristol’s Colston Four are acquitted, we ask what next for the decolonisation of London’s built environment / Open City Podcast host Selasi Setufe is awarded an MBE for services to diversity in architecture / Victorian railway arches and Kew treehouses in the spotlight for two new London architecture competitions / And Richard Rogers, Chris Wilkinson and Max Fordh...
The Londown Christmas Quiz Special
December 18, 2021 07:00 - 50 minutes - 69 MBThe Londown Christmas Special is here! This week we have four special guests all vying to win this years biggest architecture quiz. On team one we have head of LSA Dr Neal Shasore, and LSA Design Tutor Holly Harrington. Battling them on team two is 20th Century Society president Catherine Slessor MBE, and Director of Open City Phin Harper. This is a Londown like no other! The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal. If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subsc...
What's ahead for Powell and Moya’s Museum of London with Ella Jessel
December 09, 2021 08:25 - 36 minutes - 50.7 MBNew office plans threaten to flatten Powell and Moya’s landmark Museum of London; Government accused of collusion with industry over flammable cladding used at Grenfell; Lambeth Council shortlists three architects to clear away and redevelop the acclaimed Central Hill estate; Trellick Tower residents call on Kensington and Chelsea Council for meaningful co-design of new estate additions; And Open City launches the Academy of British Housing. This week Merlin speaks with Ella Jessel - feature...
The cladding scandal, gentrification, and infill with Patricia Brown
December 02, 2021 06:21 - 35 minutes - 48.6 MBThis week Zoe Cave is joined by Patricia Brown, the director of the built environment consultancy Central. Join us as we discuss why the cladding scandal is rocking the UK's financial stability, what's sparking new rows over gentrification in Hackney, and why infill plans are proving so controversial in Southwark. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Camden, Heritage, HS2 and TfL with Owen Hatherley
November 25, 2021 06:31 - 35 minutes - 48.1 MBThis week Camden is crowned the start up capital, heritage battles rage across the city, HS2 is part-dumped and TfL faces dire financial woes - yet three big names in the London architecture scene make it to the top of the rich list.... Owen Hatherley - the architecture writer, journalist and author of Red Metropolis; a polemical history of municipal socialism in London - joins Merlin in the studio. The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal. If you enjoyed the show...
Londown Live with Nana Biamah-Ofosu and Hettie O'Brien from the SLG
November 18, 2021 06:16 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MBThis week, the Londown was recorded in front a of a live studio audience at the beautiful South London Gallery. Merlin took to the stage with architect and director of Studio Nyali Nana Biamah-Ofosu, and Guardian Opinions Editor Hettie O'Brien to discuss this week in architecture. As COP26 drew to a close this weekend, we look at the response in architecture and the built environment, and spotlight Norman Foster’s contentious Tulip tower which was last week vetoed over embodied carbon conc...
More on the Marble Arch mound with Jonathan Glancey
November 11, 2021 06:10 - 33 minutes - 45.7 MBThis week, Merlin spoke to the renowned architecture critic and writer Jonathan Glancey. Tune in to hear them discuss the staggering cost of making our homes green, what we mean by radical zebra crossing revolutions, the awful permanent evacuation of an east London tower block, and of course the infamous marble arch mound... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Biobased materials, futuristic architecture, and vertiports with Alpa Depani
November 04, 2021 06:20 - 30 minutes - 41.7 MBThis week Zoe caught up with architect Alpa Depani to discuss this week in architecture. The stories this week include the U+I buyout by behemoth rival, the ground-breaking new research tackling the housing AND climate crisis', why youth homelessness is surging in the city, the new exhibition exploring a novel kind of 21st century architecture, and Grimshaw's plans to electric flying taxi vertiports! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The budget and COP26 with Will Ing
October 28, 2021 05:36 - 33 minutes - 46 MBThis week Merlin is joined by fellow AJ journalist Will Ing. On the menu: A 1.8 billion pounds budget boost for new homes on post industrial ‘brownfields’ | 'Greenwash’ accusations over a rash of vertically planted ‘living walls’ sprouting over London | Outrage after MPs green light dumping sewage in London’s rivers | Hotel plans for Grade-I listed Customs House unanimously voted down | And what the COP26 climate summit could mean for London’s built environment? Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Estate Demolition, Cycling, and Podcasts with Luke Jones
October 21, 2021 05:39 - 38 minutes - 52.9 MBSadiq Khan announces a major review into affordable housing delivery | Lambeth Council forced to compensate residents over refurb works which left Grade II-listed Kate Macintosh-designed homes in disarray | 'Failing to learn the lessons of Grenfell'. A bitter row erupts over redevelopment plans for Ernö Goldfinger's Notting Hill estate | How private companies are ejecting vulnerable Londoners to cheaper cities | The tens of thousands still waiting for safe bicycle parking spaces | And the Lo...
The Stirling Prize and estate demolitions with Siraaj Mitha
October 14, 2021 05:30 - 33 minutes - 46.1 MBJoin critic Phin Harper and head of Accelerate Siraaj Mitha to chew through the week's big stories in London's architecture, housing and planning worlds. On the Londown this week, a Cambridge eco-mosque tipped to win the Stirling Prize, the ARB shake-up architectural education, City of London vetoes new skyscraper next to listed synagogue, an alleged ‘unfair’ estate demolition ballot in Tottenham, iconic post-war housing set to be flattened in massive Lambeth redevelopment, and the life and ...
Michael Gove, the cladding scandal, and Cosmic House with Edwin Heathcote
October 07, 2021 05:19 - 35 minutes - 48.7 MBThis week on the Londown Zoe and FT architecture critic Edwin Heathcote analyse Gove's first public outing as housing secretary, and his comments on 'ugly' concrete and steel buildings. They also discuss why George Clarke is blasting the government over the cladding scandal, the newly opened Cosmic House, the plans for V&A Youth, and the new competition to redesign RIBA HQ... tune in! The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal. If you enjoyed the show, we recommend ...
Nine Elms regeneration & retrofit with Cllr Aydin Dikerdem
September 30, 2021 05:34 - 39 minutes - 54.3 MBThis week Merlin spoke with Aydin Dikerdem - the councillor for Queenstown Ward in the Battersea and Nine Elms area of Wandsworth, south west London. They discussed the criticism of the Northern Line extension, the very real flooding threat London faces, the pros and cons of retrofit, and the architecture lecturers who are standing up against unfair and discriminatory contracts. The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal. If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you su...
Londown Live with Cath Slessor and Thomas Aquilina
September 23, 2021 05:12 - 33 minutes - 46.1 MBThis week we bring you the first ever Live Londown - direct from the Museum of the Home as part of their Festival of the Home. Merlin is joined by Catherine Slessor; President of the Twentieth Century Society, and architect Thomas Aquilina. Tune into their conversations on legendary bane of architects Michael Gove named housing secretary, the London co-living pioneer teetering on the verge of administration, Kevin McCloud's radical housing reform views, the pedestrianisation of Strand Aldwyc...
The Stirling Prize shortlist with Ellis Woodman
September 16, 2021 04:45 - 36 minutes - 49.9 MBTwo London landmarks vye for architecture’s highest accolade, the Stirling Prize // Government looks set to water down its contentious planning reforms // New Northern Line stations open at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms // A leading London architecture studio becomes employee owned // And a major international competition to renew the Barbican Centre... Ellis Woodman - director of the Architecture Foundation, joins Merlin on the Londown this week. The Londown is produced in associa...
Peter Barber and ABBA with Shawn Adams
September 09, 2021 05:25 - 29 minutes - 40.9 MBRushed Grenfell demolition-plans spark fury over lack of consultation // Architect of London’s new-wave of social housing - Peter Barber - feted for lifetime achievement // Heated debates ignited over fresh wave of iconic London demolitions and retrofits // And why ABBA’s virtual comeback could be big news for architecture. This week Zoe speaks to writer, architectural designer, and cofounder of POoR Collective - Shawn Adams. The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Jour...
Transport: cycling and walking with Ruth Lang
September 02, 2021 05:16 - 49 minutes - 67.4 MBSoho ditches al fresco dining as Brick Lane turns car free; A tragic road death sparks new protests over cycling safety; Battle lines drawn over social homes on green spaces; Chloe Phelps leaves Croydon’s Common Ground Architecture; And we ask what this year’s RIBA awards say about architecture in the capital This week Merlin catches up with Ruth Lang: architect, writer, historian, and head of critical practice at the London School of Architecture Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...
London's 'golf belt', Trellick Tower, and XR with Robin Hutchinson
August 26, 2021 05:30 - 29 minutes - 39.8 MBThe staggering scale of London’s ‘golf belt’ revealed, a redevelopment row erupts next to Ernö Goldfinger’s iconic Trellick Tower, a fortnight of Extinction Rebellion climate protests target the City, and Croydon Council abandons its Westfield dream after a decade of disputes. Merlin gets the community perspective from Robin Hutchinson; activist and director of The Community Brain. As ever, listen, like, share, subscribe and this week complete our survey and tell us what you think. The Lo...
Pubs, trains, and grassroots culture with Tim Dunn
August 19, 2021 05:15 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBNew research suggests community-owned pubs help temper extreme political views | Why planning deregulation could be to blame for 800,000 new unsustainable homes | A London council picks infill over estate demolition | And why trains and rail architecture could be Britain’s most overlooked grassroots culture. This week Merlin is joined by Tim Dunn; presenter of Secrets of the London Underground, and The Architecture the Railways Built As ever, listen, like, share, subscribe and this week co...
Devastating climate report, and this years Open House Festival with Phin Harper
August 12, 2021 05:13 - 38 minutes - 53.1 MBDamning climate change report warns of unprecedented devastation in our cities; victory for Save-Latin-Village after fifteen years of campaigning by dedicated community; central London unable to lift footfall as return-to-office-push lacks enthusiastic uptake; and Greenwich Royal Observatory seeks architect for historic upgrade. This week Zoe Cave is joined by none other than Phineas Harper: director of Open City who talks us through some of the highlights of the 2021 Open House London Festi...