Built environment comment & blogs

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

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Opinion: Where's the money for levelling up?

The levelling up and regeneration bill introduced to parliament is lacking in the resources, will and planning needed to deliver change, writes Tim Williams.

Opinion: Looking for the value in biodiversity net gain

Biodiversity net gain may present challenges in its potential to reduce developer contributions or limit land values but it can also add value, writes Francis Truss.

Opinion: What a new development tax could mean for delivery of infrastructure and affordable homes

Lawrence Turner looks at the potential implications of replacing CIL and S106 developer contributions with a single flat-rate levy.

Opinion: Gove's squeeze on housebuilders could push them away from brownfield sites

Housing secretary Michael Gove's plans to secure a further contribution from housebuilders to help remedy the cladding crisis could have unintended consequences, writes Joey Gardiner.

Opinion: The three megatrends that could redefine placemaking

Policy shifts and social and climate realities may have implications for businesses that have prospered in the environment of the last few years, writes Chris Brown.

Opinion: Could public services be key to town centre revival?

The decline in high streets and town centres presents an opportunity for local authorities to improve service provision while driving regeneration, writes Alexandra Houghton.

Opinion: Developers need to deliver on ESG commitments

Recent plans for developer levies in Australia to fund social or green homes have been dropped in the face of fierce lobbying. Developers can and should do better, writes Tim Williams.

Opinion: Cutting the environmental cost of obsolescence in the built environment

With many former Debenhams stores still empty and more property at risk of becoming outmoded in the future, there is a need to focus on ensuring buildings can stand the test of time, writes Trevor Morriss.

Opinion: Delivering on the beauty agenda

With local authorities reporting back on experiences of piloting the National Model Design Code, Ananya Banerjee looks at whether and how its objective of increasing beauty can be realised.

Opinion: Where does the balance of power lie between housebuilders and government?

From the post-Grenfell cladding crisis to planning policy, tensions have appeared in the relationship between housebuilders and government, writes Chris Brown.

Opinion: Winning and losing in estate regeneration

A new book is critical of regeneration efforts in Newham, east London, but Tim Williams remembers those efforts differently.

Opinion: Making new housing more attractive to local people

Local resistance to development is a common challenge but the Levelling up white paper's regional focus could help, writes Sarah Cox.

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