A low-carbon economy – with a target of an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide levels, on 1990 levels, by 2050 – is a long-standing objective of UK energy policy. But what will a low-carbon economy look like and what will it be like to live there? A paper in Energy Policy by Gavin Bridge and colleagues (‘Geographies of energy transition:
Read more
Monday 20 June, 5.30pm – 7.15pm (followed by networking drinks) Delivering affordable, timely and sustainable housing for London’s workforce The Housing and Planning Bill and current Greater London Authority initiatives will, arguably, only partially address the substantial need for genuinely affordable, timely and sustainable housing – for rent and for purchase – for London’s workforce now, and in the future.
Read more
In the run-up to the election for the new Mayor of London, on 5 May, the British Academy last night held a discussion to consider whether the model of an elected ‘metro mayor‘ is really one that should be adopted across the rest of the country, as per the Government’s policies for devolution. There is no doubt that government in this
Read more
Panellists at a lively Question Time – style event at UCL last night set out various technical solutions to London’s housing crisis, but concluded that ultimately strong and forward-thinking political leadership was most important to lead to genuine change. Chaired by Peter Wynne-Rees, Professor of Places and City Planning at the Bartlett, UCL, the panel’s discussion was wide-ranging and at
Read moreA new report shows the scale of the divide between economic development in the north and the south of Great Britain. The report, ‘Uneven growth: tackling city decline‘ reveals that although many Northern cities are growing, this growth often lags significantly behind national levels. The report was written for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) by geographers at the Centre for Urban
Read more
Last week the 21st Century Challenges programme travelled to Newcastle, to the Great North Museum, to run a public discussion meeting exploring the opportunities and challenges that decentralisation might bring to the North East of England. Our regional partners were the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) and the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (APL) at Newcastle University. Chaired
Read more
The full panel for ‘Cities, growth and rebalancing the UK economy’ has now been confirmed. The event will take place at the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in South Kensington, London, on 21st October. Our high-profile panel will take part in a conversation with the audience regarding if and how the UK Government can realise the productivity benefits promised by
Read more
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, chairman of Network Rail, and Tom Bloxham MBE, the co-founder and chairman of Urban Splash, have today confirmed that they will be joining the panel at ‘Cities, growth and rebalancing the UK economy‘ on 21st October. They will join our already-confirmed speakers, Professors Ron Martin and Brian Robson OBE, in discussing how investing in skills, infrastructure
Read more
21st Century Challenges 