Built environment comment & blogs

Expert comment on town planning, urban regeneration, economic development, urban design, sustainable development & community building.

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Opinion: Universities have a vital role to play in local economies

Institutions must engage with businesses and their communities, as Teesside University is doing to help Tees Valley recover from the closure of the SSI steelworks, writes professor Jane Turner.

Opinion: Why some developers embrace the green agenda

February's report from the Committee on Climate Change, the independent government advisory body, came to the unsurprising conclusion that more must be done to ensure new and existing homes are fit for a warming planet and to minimise carbon emissions.

Opinion: Where the jobs are going

Increasing automation of employment has implications for city transport, housing markets and the concept of employment land, writes Tim Williams.

There's no place for bad design in placemaking

And it means councils are increasingly avoiding selling land to, or partnering with, developers. Chris Brown looks at possible solutions to this problem.

Opinion: No-deal exit could throw planning law into turmoil

As if the possible impact on jobs, the economy and housebuilding rates weren't enough, the growing prospect of a "no-deal" Brexit also raises fears of planners being mired in legal confusion over former EU rules.

Opinion: Regeneration needs to get back to its roots

Urban regeneration has become an adjunct of the property sector and needs to rediscover its values, writes Tim Williams.

Opinion: The future is places made by everyone

A new wave of placemaking could be on the way, where local authorities and communities co-produce new and regenerated places, writes Chris Brown.

Developers may be wary of cities' density drive, by Joey Gardiner

Politically speaking, high-density housing is definitely in vogue. The tragedy at Grenfell seems to have done little to dampen the enthusiasm, with both national and local politicians looking for a solution that appears to offer a route to providing the homes needed without encroaching on valued green fields (or green belt).