Opinion

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“Most public spaces are male spaces. It is men who do the looking”

What is inclusive public space for LGBTQ+ citizens? The report, “Queering Public Space” a collaboration between Arup and the University of Westminster, unpicks public spaces and the white male gaze

The truth about poor doors

Who is to blame for poor doors and cores? Developers, architects, registered providers, local authorities, housebuyers? One thing is clear – it’s not a technical or regulatory requirement, writes Steve Taylor

“Street lighting and increased undercover police numbers will not overturn misogyny and racism”

Every single woman should be able to walk through any city, day or night, writes Part W founder Zoë Berman in this open letter

Urban logistics: We must plan for this new city-centre asset class

The increased demand for couriers is forcing logistics centres to move into urban centres. We need to proactively plan for this, writes Marco Fok

“15 minutes? I'm living the 15-second city”

All six elements of a successful place are within reach of where I’m sitting, bleeding into and infecting one another, writes Rachel Fisher

The price of everything and the social value of nothing

In the quest to quantify the outcomes of regeneration, we have put a price on everything, writes Steve Taylor. But what value are we creating?

When Londoners come to towns: “Communities will push back against them”

The sudden influx of city dwellers into towns, small cities and villages can have an impact on local communities, and fears of rising house prices and gentrification are not unfounded. Chris Stokel-Walker reports.

Smart windows score best for wellbeing and productivitySPONSORED ARTICLE

Tipner West: Portsmouth’s once-in-a-generation communitySPONSORED ARTICLE

Involving communities in the design of homesSPONSORED ARTICLE

Success in placemaking always requires a bespoke approachSPONSORED ARTICLE

Tripping the light fantastic: Imagine a building filled with light, but with no need for blindsSPONSORED ARTICLE

The paradox of the ever and never-changingSPONSORED ARTICLE

fresh thinking

If Boris backs a cycling revolution, why is he spending £27bn on roads for cars?

Boris Johnson said he would kickstart a cycling and walking revolution, so why is the Treasury not backing the prime minister’s words with funding? James Wilmore reports

Could carnivals become a radical tool for reimagining public space?

Philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin says: "Carnival is the world standing on its head." If this year has turned the world upside down, could Carnival become a radical tool to reimagine our public realm? Rosanna Vitiello explores her Radical Rethink

Both offices and people are migrating: Where are they going?

Working remotely, it turns out, is more focused, customer-oriented, supportive of professional development, and less boring. But where does that leave office space and the city centre? Steve Taylor reports

Night time knife-edge: “When the first lockdown lifted, we thought we had prevailed”

The endless quest for space as a creative entrepreneur has shown me just how unappreciated the night-time economy is, writes Lucia Massey

Planning has prevented squalor. Don’t scrap it

The government needs to fess up that its foray into the deregulation of planning has already created slums. Their white paper proposes a fatal return to “laissez-faire” in the middle of a health pandemic and climate emergency. It must be opposed, writes Christine Murray

Shared space or segregated space?

Shared streets and surfaces were supposed to promote equity and safety, but resulted in the exclusion of the blind and partially sighted. What now for the dream of bringing pedestrians and motorists together? Nile Bridgeman reports