Nicholas Boys Smith suggests a little more humility in how we design and manage our streets and buildings if we want to enjoy hot summer days in the city Nearly everything we’ve done to our towns and cities for the last century has heated them up. That might be good in the winter. But it’s […]
I am very saddened to learn of Léon Krier’s death. He is probably the most consequential urban and architectural thinker of our era. Only Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander can compete with his significance. As an architect, urban designer, theorist, and planner, his career was foundational for the sustainable, human-scale and traditional place-making renaissance that is […]
For planners, councillors, communities – and anyone who cares about making better places A well-crafted design code is like a good recipe. It sets the parameters, guides the process and leaves room for creativity. Done well, it doesn’t just unlock good development – it unlocks trust, momentum and investment. Done badly, it gathers dust. We’ve […]
Nicholas Boys Smith summarises some high level points for creating and stewarding prosperous and sustainable places into the future I was recently invited by my good friend Carlos Moreno to talk about sustainable cities at a conference (the Redefining the Future Conference) in a rather sultry summer Athens. No slides. Only a few minutes. Not […]
A Coventry public official writes anonymously about the restitched future he would like for his city. I often ask myself, what might have been had Coventry taken a different planning approach after World War II. Where might we be now? How might we reverse some of the twentieth century’s planning decisions? It is a question […]
We are often contacted by individuals or community groups asking how to improve their neighbourhoods. We have previously published some advice on this, Love thy neighbourhood, in 2016. It’s mainly aimed at those living in England, though many of the principles will apply more widely. However, it is a little out of date now thanks to […]
When you think about it, nearly all of our happy Christmas clichés depend on traditional towns, walkable streets, beautiful houses and vernacular homes with (let’s be honest) slightly antiquated approaches to keeping warm. Here are six components of the traditional Christmas. I’m not saying you can’t enjoy these in the deep countryside, the wide suburb […]
A few people (well actually quite a lot) have asked me what I think of recent announcements and media reports on “the war on motorists.” Here’s my reply. I suspect it may annoy everyone. But I nevertheless think that it’s correct and the best route to more homes, a more productive economy and happier and […]
How should London physically commemorate Queen Elizabeth II? It’s a subject that will be widely and deeply discussed in the months, years and even decades to come. Here are some early thoughts that might guide our collective thinking. Firstly, commemoration should be significant and meaningful. The longevity of her reign and the significance of her […]
Why Birmingham’s 2022 Commonwealth Games was all about getting about An American Perspective, by Jon Bibbins A native Virginian here, reporting from Birmingham, England not Birmingham, Alabama. The 2022 Commonwealth Games were a smashing success! I was blown away by the world-class quality of the event. ‘Brum’ transformed itself with a spectrum of colour splashed […]