Open City
Open City
Open City is a charity dedicated to making architecture and built heritage more open, accessible and equitable.Providing you with essential listening, inspiring voices and built environment insights – the Open City Podcast covers news and current events as well as in depth studies of landmark buildings, and cities around the UK and world.At the centre of our line-up is our flagship show The Brief – an award-winning review of the big stories in architecture, planning and housing news – hosted by Sahiba Chadha and Fran Williams on a fortnightly basis.Alongside this is Deconstructed – a monthly podcast hosted by Matthew Lloyd Roberts taking apart the architecture of individual buildings and InterCities – a monthly podcast hosted by Owen Hatherley exploring municipal transformation around the world. All three shows profile new, expert and diverse voices from across industry, journalism, academia and beyond. The Open City Podcast is produced by Hunter Charlton and Paige Reynolds. The commissioning editor is Merlin Fulcher. The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend.Photo credit: Owen Hatherley portrait © Antonio Olmos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 2, 2023 • 43min
The Rental Crisis with Michael Walker
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.This week Merlin Speaks to the broadcaster and and host of the brand new podcast series Crash Course, Michael Walker. 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.
Feb 25, 2023 • 35min
Why Materials Matter in the Age of Climate Emergency
In this episode we are zooming in on the importance of materials, as we design our way through the climate emergency.Joining Paul are Vanessa Norwood and Duncan Paybody. Duncan is Director of Landscape at Studio Egret West, which has just delivered a new six-acre park in the heart of Manchester. Vanessa is a curator and consultant who was Creative Director of the Building Centre from 2018-22, and commissioned the exhibition 'Homegrown: Building a Post-carbon Future' which is on now.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.
Feb 16, 2023 • 39min
Visionary plans to deliver 1.2 million homes around rural train stations
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.This week Phin speaks to Denean Rowe, project manager at the Town and Country Planning Association.Visionary plans to deliver 1.2 million homes within walking distance of rural train stations | Britain’s addiction to the wrecking ball costing us 55,000 buildings a year |A new culture war erupts over 15-minute cities | And the City of London forces office skyscrapers to dim their lights at night. 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.
Feb 9, 2023 • 35min
Supreme Court grants luxury homeowners victory over Tate Modern
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.This week Merlin speaks to Charles Begley, Chief Executive of the London Property Alliance.Supreme Court grants luxury homeowners victory over Tate Modern viewing platform | Housing in every London borough declared unaffordable for local average earners | First time rough sleeping up by a third in central London | And the long-awaited pedestrianisation of Bank junction finally moves forwardThe 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.
Feb 2, 2023 • 34min
Carbon credits and zero carbon construction
This week Merlin speaks to the architect and Director of Citizens Design Bureau, Katy Marks.Huge doubts over carbon credits, a key pillar of Net Zero construction | Pop-up urinal death prompts debate over London’s vanishing public toilets | Michael Gove pledges to scrap ‘feudal’ leaseholder system | And fears Stratford’s LED-clad sphere could shine as bright as the ‘sun’ 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.
Jan 26, 2023 • 29min
Could Architects be Replaced by Machines?
This week Merlin speaks to the architect, director of Frame Projects and chair of Open City; Deborah Denner.A linear park for Camden on the route of a disused railway wins approval | New research reveals the shocking health inequalities seen with rising house prices | Last year’s huge police raid on Hackney’s Antepavilion ruled unlawful | And could Architects be replaced by machines? We discuss how AI could radically transform the future of London...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.
Jan 21, 2023 • 34min
Leisured City - an Audio Walking Tour of The West End
Historicity is a brilliant new series of audio walking tours which explore how cities got to be the way they are - starting with London. This episode - Leisured City - covers the transformation of the West End, as wealth is invested, hierarchy reproduced, and luxury consumed, in its streets and square…More about the series:Most existing tours either explore particular themes in a city’s history (like crime) or use the city as a stage for other stories (like works of literature and art). Historicity focuses instead on the city itself, weaving its stories together with its connections to the world beyond, and so explaining why we see what we do. Recorded on location and delivered as a podcast, each walk is designed to be followed in real time, at the listeners' own pace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 19, 2023 • 45min
Could increasing congestion on London’s roads improve transport?
This week Merlin speaks to the architecture critic and Chief Executive of Open City, Phineas Harper.Could increasing congestion on London’s roads be the real cure to all transport woes? | Shock as Grenfell firefighters diagnosed with incurable cancers six years on | Right to camp wild under the stars formally outlawed across England and Wales | And the new legislation mandating verdant urban wetlands to tackle urban flooding 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.
Jan 12, 2023 • 33min
School of Place and the revival of traditional architecure
This week Rachel speaks to the architect and co-author of the new book 'Meanwhile City', Petra Marko.Census map blows the lid on London's housing and transport inequalities | Michael Gove vows to revive traditional architecture with a new ‘school of place’ | The true scale of social housing demolitions in the capital revealed | And an enormous new public space opens in what was once a major West End roadThe 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.
Jan 7, 2023 • 27min
What public space designed for men, means for women
In this episode we are looking at how public space has been designed by and for men, and how this can have potentially deadly consequences for women.Joining Paul are Eleanor Trenfield, Jade Goto and Sophie Thompson. Eleanor and Jade are from EDLA landscape architects, and Sophie leads public realm at LDA Design, and has been involved in the design and delivery of liveable streets, squares, and green space for the past twenty years.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.
