Category: planning

"Regeneration" research note

Arising indirectly from the long saga surrounding UCL’s plans to develop a new campus on the site occupied by the Carpenters council estate in Newham, the UCL Urban Lab took an initiative to convene an informal meeting of London researchers and community groups on the theme of “regeneration’ research. The first meeting took place in July 2013 and my contribution was a short note calling for longitudinal studies of regeneration impacts. Discussion on this will be warmly welcomed – preferably in the form of comments here in the blog.

This is the note I wrote:  Regeneration research note by ME

A version of it is about to be published in a November 2013 Urban Lab pamphlet #2

HS2 – a comment

I was trying to keep out of this awful project but we had a request for support from tenants in Camden, part of the pan-Camden HS2 alliance, and I’m glad to say that three UCL Bartlett students offered to help (I’ll name them if they agree).  We took part in some meetings, wrote some structuring suggestions to frame the immense local and technical knowledge available and provided some editorial support. We hope it was helpful.  Will add some links when I have them.

On the last day for submitting observations on the “draft Environmental Statement”, yesterday, I added my own pennyworth.  This is it (links added).  Continue reading “HS2 – a comment”

Letter in the FT today

My letter in response to one from a ¿ThinkTank in Brussels which had called for more migration from south Europe to where the jobs are, as a means to reduce (especially youth) unemployment.  I was just stressing the negative housing effects in the destination areas – notably London. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7862b6e6-c867-11e2-8cb7-00144feab7de.html#axzz2VL46VLb7  Not dramatic, but part of trying to haul EU institutions into a more active (or more positive) housing role.

Alain Lipietz talk

At the DPU “The crisis of the “liberal–productivist” model of development: a regulationist analysis, an ecologist response.” 20 May.  My rough notes.  NB an audio recording is now (later) available here as a podcast http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/latest/podcasts and there is a text in English on Alain’s own website here.

[Was economist at CEPREMAP, then elected as a green for the Paris region, the EuroParl… Says he was always connected with spatial issues, and naturally came to political ecology.]

Talk about the present crisis and its ecological dimensions.  It is a “major crisis” in regulation – school terms. Characterises Fordism as a period when capitalism was pushed by demand, by demand especially for cars and housing….  and when it came into crisis in 70s… we wondered why it hadn’t happened earlier, since C is such an unstable mode of production. Continue reading “Alain Lipietz talk”

How to nip German house price rises in the bud

6 May 2013 This is part of a Twitter exchange (reproduced below) with @Frances_Coppola and econgirl (@raluca3000) My comment that the beginnings of housing price escalation in some German cities should be ‘nipped in the bud’ met the response “how?”

I can’t reply in 140 characters so here is a longer one:

Surely a combination of some or all of the following should do it: Continue reading “How to nip German house price rises in the bud”

Wuppertal seminar "cross_solidarity"

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung #rosalux international meeting. One morning worksop and one in the afternoon. http://www.rosalux.de/event/48108/cross-solidarity-internationale-solidaritaet-in-der-krise.html Some English material at http://cross-solidarity.net/wordpress/?page_id=558

The first part of this is notes on a Workshop “we are all bank tenants”. Later are notes on a second workshop. Do not rely on an statistics or other stuff in here: check with original authors etc. Please do send me corrections or add them as comments at the end.  M

Continue reading “Wuppertal seminar "cross_solidarity"”

GLA Assembly debates future growth

Planning Committee debating London’s future growth, with guest experts. Discussing a paper which is item 5 in

http://www.london.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=258&MId=4645

Webcast supposed to be at http://www.london.gov.uk/webcasts/30883/asx tho I can’t make it work. At the end of this post is a letter I just sent to the Chair, Nicky Gavron. Comments welcome

Niky Gavron starts on how we can cope with another million people each decade on present terms.

John Hollis (demographer) stresses that 2011 Census found 1/4 more net international migrants than thought (tho it didn’t explain their status). Continue reading “GLA Assembly debates future growth”

pnuk Sheffield launch meeting

Andy Inch sheffield introducing the manifesto on land and planning drafted by the Planners Network UK. It’s not finished and only a start. It represents as far as we could get among a few of us 4±2…and needs more inputs now.  Public Interest securely at the front, challenging neo-liberal perspectives on urban and regional policy. Continue reading “pnuk Sheffield launch meeting”