The Developer

Get updates from The Developer straight to your inbox Yes, please!

How PEACEPLUS is set to transform communities in Northern Ireland from Belfast to Ballykinlar

What started as a political settlement now forms the basis for strong, collaborative, resilient placemaking, writes Kimberley France

Firewave: Extreme heat sparks urban wildfires in London in Walthamstow and Stratford

Concern is mounting as wildfires in London impact housing and transport infrastructure after incidents surge during the third declared heatwave of the year, Hillary Boye Doku reports

How PEACEPLUS is set to transform communities in Northern Ireland from Belfast to Ballykinlar

What started as a political settlement now forms the basis for strong, collaborative, resilient placemaking, writes Kimberley France

Most park users don’t feel safe after dark new study reveals

Research into use of parks in Leeds and Bradford reveals safety, lack of toilets and antisocial behaviour as ’wicked problems’ for the use of public parks and green spaces, Christine Murray reports

Do local communities lose out when biodiversity net gain is delivered off-site?

Delivering biodiversity off-site could fund significant large-scale nature projects, but where does this leave local residents? Asks Kimberley France

Engagement: We must listen to communities – and recognise participation as labour

Where early listening has been embedded, the benefits can be striking. Compensating people for their time broadens participation and signals that lived experience is being taken seriously, writes Anne Wynne

New guidance tests homes against 2050s climate scenario

Model referenced in Part O has been revised to tackle future overheating risk, addressing concerns its 2020s thermal model was not future ready

Global Generation opens permanent community garden in King's Cross

With an unprecedented 999-year lease, Global Generation has found its permanent home in buildings constructed out of waste and bio-based materials by 3,000 volunteers. Harriet Saddington reports

opportunities

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council seek designers for Lurgan Park Regeneration Plan

The largest Park in Northern Ireland is set for improvement as wider transformation projects happen across the town [Deadline 28 July 2026]

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council seek delivery team for Collaborative Interaction Programme

The Collaborative Interaction Programme is designed to sustain cross community relationships as part of PEACEPLUS [Deadline 29 July 2026]

North Northamptonshire Council seeks consultant for habitats regulation and strategic environmental assessments

The reports form part of the preparation of the North Northamptonshire Local Plan [Deadline 31 July]

Swanage Town Council seek developer for coastal regeneration

The scheme will stabilise and protect the town’s seafront [Deadline 31 July 2026]

Conwy County Borough Council seeks a multidisciplinary design team for Eirias School

Block A – one of four blocks in the school grounds – has been out of use in recent years and is now earmarked for refurbishment, redevelopment or demolition [Deadline 23 July 2026]

Elmbridge Borough Council seeks supplier to deliver public consultation on three green spaces

Council seeks recommendations based on detailed feedback regarding future uses of Lower Green Recreation Ground, Littleheath Recreation Ground and George Froude Open Space [Deadline 20 July 2026]

more opportunities

Search the Place Database for key information on UK places undergoing development

podcasts

Homesick: What happens when London's affordability crisis meets the climate crisis?

Journalist Peter Apps discusses the changing demographics of the capital and how the lack of ...

Participatory building: How community construction takes engagement to a new level

Working in collaboration with charity Global Generation, Jan Kattein Architects has been building ...

Neuroarchitecture: Design for the unconscious mind

Professor Nick Tyler discusses his experiments at UCL’s PEARL laboratory uncovering the hidden ...

Design by AI: Why we need to hack the algorithm

Amid dystopian predictions, the fact that AI tends towards the typical, standard and normative ...

If we want to create inclusive, supportive and safe places, we can't ignore trauma

Olaide Oboh, director of mixed-use developer Socius, speaks about trauma-informed practice and why ...

Purple pounds: Designing for the deaf and disabled

Disability urban strategist Amanprit Arnold speaks about the growing role of technology in ...

more podcasts

films

Family journeys to school: "It's life or death sometimes"

A home to die for? We can do better

"There's a real outdoor community. Everyone joins up and plays"

placetests

Placetest: Brighton’s high streets

What is it like to live here – to be part of its history and its future? Anthropologist Dr Muriel ...

Placetest: Park Hill, Sheffield

What is it like to live here – to be part of its history and its future? Anthropologist Dr Muriel ...

Placetest: Folkestone

Investment in the arts, town and Harbour Arm has spearheaded the regeneration of this coastal town ...

Placetest: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Anthropologist Caroline Bennett speaks to locals with photography by John Sturrock

Placetest: New Poundbury

Its Royal patron makes Poundbury the focus of much attention, and the development is not even ...

Placetest: Nine Elms

What is the experience of this nascent place and its people? Anthropologist Caroline Bennett visits ...

Placetest: Liverpool One

In this exclusive placetest, anthropologist Rebecca Toop explores the user experience of ...

Placetest: King's Crescent Estate

Placetest King’s Crescent Estate: A part-demolished estate in Stoke Newington is enjoying an ...

Placetest: MediaCityUK

Placetest MediaCityUK: What is it like to live and work in Peel’s MediaCityUK and has it brought ...

Placetest: King’s Cross

Placetest King’s Cross: How does it work, who is there – and who isn’t? How does the masterplan ...

talks & events

Designing for legacy: “Place is not something that's delivered at completion, it's already there”

Experts say collaboration and being proactive in your design key to the longevity of a place

Building archaeology: “When used well, it can actively contribute to better places and better placemaking"

Speakers at Festival of Place Bytesize say the benefits of historic fabric are often overlooked; ...

“Don’t treat soils like dirt” say experts highlighting waste on construction sites

In one teaspoon of soil, there are more living organisms than people on the planet and yet we ...

A brand-new seafront for less than a footballer’s wages

It’s not an easy task to stretch the flood defence grants but with an integrated team, you can get ...

Rain gardens: “It's not just an engineering solution. It's also landscape. It’s biodiversity”

If the street is going to be dug up, then you should get as many positives out of the disruption as ...

Passivhaus social housing: “They don't have to choose between heating and eating”

The health and economic benefits of Passivhaus make it worth the increase in quality control and ...

view all talks and events

most popular

Winners for the Pineapples awards for place 2026 announced

See all the winners and read the judges citations after a glittering presentation at Trinity Buoy Wharf on 22 April 2026

Government scraps public consultation on data centres and major infrastructure projects

Scrapping mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects will “disenfranchise” locals and “embed resentment”, experts say. Christine Murray reports

Burnham to overhaul procurement in favour of social value

First policy speech hints at national adoption of the Preston Model of community wealth building, Christine Murray reports

Andy Burnham pledges biggest council housing building programme since post-war period

In first major policy speech, potential PM Andy Burnham has promised Number 10 North, a new extension of the prime minister’s office based in Manchester, would deliver a Finnish-style "Housing First" programme and "the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen" writes Hillary Boye Doku

Sign up to our newsletter

Get updates from The Developer straight to your inbox

Thanks to our organisation members

Become a member