michael edwards

At past inquiries we have often been told that the plan is “evidence based” and wished we had “evidence” with which to challenge it. The planning team has told us (in a Just Space meeting) that now is the time to tell them if we think the research they are doing is the wrong research. So we have made a submission and it’s here as the rest of this post Continue reading “… and London Plan research gaps”

A sustainable economy for London, submitted to the GLA by David Fell (the main author), Michael Edwards, Richard Lee, Jenny Bates, Richard Bourn and Darren Johnson. PDF version at http://www.brooklyndhurst.co.uk We hope soon to have a wiki version because it is designed as a basis for discussion and further development. Later:  revised version as  David Fell’s submission to Boris Johnson’s draft plan 12 January 2010 here.

Ken wrote in the Evening Standard on 6 July and they asked me to comment. They edited my letter but this was what I actually wrote:
London v Paris

For a socialist, Ken Livingstone is too easily dazzled by the bright lights of capitalism and he’s still behaving like the rabbit in the headlights. Ken is being hysterical when he argues that London needs a grand strategy like Sarkozy’s to prevent Paris overtaking London as Europe’s capital (ES 6 July).

As usual, his position is a mix of radical good sense with utter rubbish and we have to try and disentangle them. Continue reading “Criticising Ken Livingstone again”

Bob Colenutt and I have both gained Leverhulme Fellowships to research, write up and disseminate ideas about how the dysfunctional urban development mechnisms of the UK can be replaced by ones which are fairer, more stable, better value for citizens and more collective than the market individualism which has recently been dominant. Continue reading “Leverhulme Fellowships for re-thinking urban development”

On 14 May Peter Hall and Michael Edwards had an open debate at UCL, discussing the current crisis and especially the kinds of insights offered by Schumpeter and Marx. There was a good discussion among about 20 people and it was resolved to have further sessions this summer and/or autumn. Please let us know if you would like to join in and/or if there are topics or speakers we should include. Here is a short paper by Peter Hall (reprinted from Town and Country Planning) hallcrisis0905141, a short note from Michael Edwards edwards090514 and an adequate but not very professional podcast (1 hour 33; 32MB) Recording of the seminar

For once the tables were slightly turned. There was an RIBA debate on whether the UK ‘urban renaissance’ really happened. Curious idea, and a bit like being at school. But it was between Roger Madelin (Argent plc) and Fred Manson (formerly Southwark LB) on the one side and myself and Austin Williams (in effect an anti-authoritarian architect) on the other. The chairman initially took a vote and found 3 on our side and everyone else, with some abstainers, on the other. But in the end we won by 42 to 41 so clearly it was possible to sway some opinion and I was enouraged by that. Continue reading “Victory in a debate… (now with podcast)”

Did a seminar yesterday in the LSE geography department’s London series. My talk was a modification of what I did in Berlin (below) and it seemed to generate quite a good discussion – not least because Ian Gordon, Duncan Bowie and Paul Cheshire were active.  The slide show here for those who want to see it  – edwardslselondon09 and you can find it on the lse London site, apparently. Continue reading “The coming crisis and London planning”

For the new year I just wrote a letter to the Guardian, finding myself irritated by the recent splatter of letters they have had on housing, triggered by CPRE etc people a couple of weeks ago. It’s probably too long for them to publish. [later: it was. ] This is it:

You have carried a great deal of material on the housing crisis this year and since Tristram Hunt’s tear-jerker on the protection of green belts (17 December) there have been sporadic responses in the letters page. Most of the coverage and correspondence, however, has been piecemeal and trivialising of a complex field. Can we start the new year, please, by taking a more comprehensive view which sees the dire housing situation as the outcome of lots of different aspects of the neo-liberal project? Continue reading “New Year / housing”

Just spent a highly stimulating day in a workshop on housing, real estate and the crisis, and was particularly interested to meet one of the other guest speakers Christian Zeller, a young prof in Wirstchaftsgeographie Salzburg whose analysis was very strong.  I’ve tried to summarise it below. Continue reading “December seminar on the crisis, housing”