A walking tour of the extraordinary architecture around London Bridge, Southwark and the Square Mile created for Shangri-La The Shard, led by architect Charles Holland.You can find details about the route on Open City's websiteThe production of this tour and audio guide was sponsored by Shangri-La The Shard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week our host Rachel speaks to the urban designer, and co-director of ZCD Architects, Dinah Bornat.Toddler killed by mould a defining wake-up call for the housing sector | New Voter ID rules freezing young people out of civic life | ‘Who remembers proper binmen?’ - the nostalgia meme rejecting modern progress | And Wandworth council reclaims the streets… from e-bikes 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin speaks to award winning architectural journalist, and author of 'Monumental Lies: Culture Wars and the Truth about the Past', Robert Bevan.The Grenfell inquiry concludes and the long road to memorialising 72 deaths begins | London mayor holds emergency summit as more than a third of renters face defaulting | Working class people earning thousands less than middle class peers | And one of London’s oldest pubs faces closure over a landlord rent dispute...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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin speaks to Alpa Depani, an architect and head of strategic planning and design the London Borough of Waltham Forest.Austerity restarts with £50 million pounds of cuts to London culture | World leaders talk climate change while sustainable rail transport falters at home | Essex’s newest new town shows one way to meet London’s housing need | And is built environment heritage becoming all too political? | Plus, a cultural roundup.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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin speaks to Russell Curtis, founder of RCKa ArchitectsA global house price slump is coming – but what does it mean for London and those most in housing need | Mega housing association criticised for evicting tenants over safety concerns in new block | South London council hires one of London's trendiest rising star architects for a new wave of social housing | And Michael Gove promises 300,000 new homes a year. Will it happen and will it help?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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Phin speaks to Aydin Dikerdem. Aydin is a Councillor for Shaftesbury & Queenstown in Wandsworth and Cabinet Member for Housing.Rishi Sunak – the wealthiest MP in history – becomes the new Prime Minister | Campaign group, Just Stop Oil under threat from new bill targeting peaceful protests | Battersea Power Station finally opens, with flats on sale for £7 million despite 11,000 person waiting list for housing | And new developments on the Barbican site scaled back after quite a backlashThe 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode of Talking Landscape – a monthly series produced by the Landscape Institute and Open City – host Paul Lincoln discusses beauty in the planning system and beyond with two contributors to the summer edition of the Landscape Journal; Julie Waldron and Ruth Lin Wong Holmes.Julie – who is Senior Landscape and Water Planning Officer at Edinburgh City Council – embarked on an investigation to try and define what we mean by beauty, and argues why the omission of the term in Scotland's draft National Planning Framework is a missed opportunity.Ruth – Design Principal Landscape and Public Realm at the London Legacy Development Programme which runs the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – looks at the beauty of the ongoing stewardship of one of London’s newest and biggest public spaces.To read their articles and all the others in this edition, you can find an online version of Landscape for free here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin catches up with Hettie O'Brien, assistant opinion director at the Guardian.Blackstone, one of Europe’s and the UK’s largest landlords under the spotlight | Historic England slams Liverpool Street Station high-rise redevelopment plans | Battersea Power Station’s grand opening boycotted over lack of affordable housing | And could the beleaguered Whitechapel Bell Foundry be about to witness a change of fortunes?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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin speaks to Jonathan Morrison, architecture correspondent at The Times and author of a new report on the longevity of architectural firms called The Practice of SuccessionCampaigners hit out at ‘misleading’ data justifying Museum of London and Bastion House’s demolition | Government backtracks on tweet claiming stamp duty cut could help average-income London house buyers | Fulham community centre tipped to win UK architecture’s highest accolade | And what Norman Foster’s hypoctratic oath for architects tells us about the important issue of succession within architectural practice 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week host Phin Harper is joined by the architectural historian and editor of the brilliant About Buildings and Cities podcast, Matthew Lloyd Roberts.Mini-budget crashes the pound | Westminster Council to seize oligarch mansions | London architects John McAslan and Partners to redesign New York's biggest architectural blunder | And plans brewing for Queen Elizabeth mini memorial gardensThe 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin speaks to Julian Robinson. Julian is Director of Estates at the London School of Economics and winner of this year’s Open City Irene Barclay PrizeAlton Estate spared demolition but more than 100 other London estates face regeneration | Speculation grows over the green belt's future under Liz Truss | Campaigners call for Queen Elizabeth Hall's listing as a mark of respect | And Open City reveals the winners of this year's Stewardship AwardsThe 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rachel is joined by journalist and author, Jonathan Nunn, to discuss his new book London Feeds Itself. National mourning and mass cancellations in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death | London’s pubs and restaurants in jeopardy as cost of living spirals | Sadiq Khan praises Scottish rent freeze as ‘exactly what Londonders need’ | London Feeds Itself, Jonathan Nunn’s new guide to London’s food culture. 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greenwich Peninsula, located at a bend in the river Thames, East of historic Greenwich and opposite the mouth of the river Lea, has historically been a peripheral area of London. It was a farm and marshland until, in the 19th Century, it became home to Europe’s largest gas works. Until the extension of the Jubilee line and the construction of the Millennium Dome, this industrial legacy was a barrier to the development of the peninsula. The dome — not the O2 Arena — was intended to mark the start of an ambitious plan for a new urban centre, but a post-party wrangling about the area’s future and the onset of the 2008 financial crash slowed progress considerably.In 2013, the majority of the peninsula was bought by the developers Knight Dragon, who set about one of the largest urban regeneration projects in Europe. The latest addition is Design District, already named by Time magazine as one of 2021’s World’s Greatest Places, and featuring a rare density of buildings by leading contemporary architects such as 6A, Adam Khan Architects and David Kohn Architects.This tour tells its story.We made this tour from our offices 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the first day of the 30th Open House Festival, Merlin speaks to Chief Curator, Zoë CaveOpen House – London’s biggest festival of architecture and community kicks off today | Questions over new prime minister Liz Truss' vision to tackle the energy crisis | More people than ever seeking warmth and shelter on London’s night buses | And urban parks left reeling after a summer of drought, wildfires, and under-fundingThe 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin is joined by the journalist and author of Red Metropolis, Owen HatherleyWandsworth's new council vetoes a development for lacking affordable homes | Right to Buy takes its first bite out of Stirling Prize winning Goldsmith Street | 70 percent of pubs could be forced to close as energy costs spiral | And could Jacob Rees-Mogg be the next housing minister?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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rachel speaks to Helen Arvanitakis, Director of the Design District in North Greenwich.Average workers now spending just a day and a half in the office | Emerging small-scale London architects win huge commissions in the capital | Bill Bryson joins the chorus of names calling to save Oxford Street’s M&S from demolition | And could golf courses be taking more than their fair water share as drought strikes Europe?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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin is joined by Joris Lechêne, the diversity and inclusion trainer and the man behind the Tiktok channel @Joris_explainsRishi 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 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 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 refurbThe 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leadership 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 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week host Rachel Copel is joined by Fran Williams, deputy architecture editor at the AJOn 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 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A 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 occupy the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in 1999. In this episode of Power and Public Space Wallinger discusses the installation “State Britain”, which reconstructs a protest encampment originally erected in Parliament Square by the peace activist Brian Haw. If you enjoy the show please subscribe to it via the Architecture Foundation wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For 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 timber construction. And conservationists celebrate victory in the battle to save London’s former City Hall from demolitionThe 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 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 capitalThis 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 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Five 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 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Help 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 UCL Bartlett and Greenwich.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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crossrail 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 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Protestors 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, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To book a free day pass follow this link.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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Key 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 prizeThe 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cost 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 Shawn Adams.Apologies for the poor audio quality on Shawn's track – his microphone was not turned on properly.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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael 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 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 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 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.

Controversial 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 development scene.The Londown is produced by Open City and the London Society in association with 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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 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 green construction ambitions in the year ahead?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. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 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.

This 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 this podcast, members of Croydon Vision share stories of journeys in the capital in a series of workshops, the recordings of which were edited by the creative minds at Haus Projects.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 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.

This 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 NFTs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 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.

We 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.

This 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'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 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 what really caused the Marble Arch Mound debacle... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Merlin Fulcher catches up with architect Sahiba Chadha, partner at Cullinan Studio and course leader on Open City’s Accelerate programmeOur 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.com/privacy for more information.

This 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 canon... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 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 for more information.

For 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 Fordham – who all recently passed away – remembered Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 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 subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.