Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Young Commonwealth planners win prizes
The Commonwealth Association of Planners has announced the winners of its Young Planners essay competition. The topics addressed by the winners were how to plan for better care of an aging population, and the nature of place-making. The Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) have announced that Joanna Patton (Canadian Institute of Planners) and Wessel Strydom (South…
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China’s New-Style Urban Policy
Urban Transformation and “New Style” Urbanisation in China was the theme of a major conference hosted by the University of Glasgow. In 2014 China launched its New-Style Urbanisation Plan (NUP). The Plan gave a new emphasis to environment and to the quality of urban development, and better urban-rural integration, while anticipating a continued increase in…
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Heimatplanung (Homeland planning)
As European countries become more inward-looking, Professor Klaus Kunzmann sees a possible opportunity for planners to rebuild the reputation of their profession. While spatial planning in Germany is gradually losing its former significance and influence, a new approach to planning is rising in the country: Heimatplanung (homeland planning). Following the last elections, the former Bavarian Prime Minister,…
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Athens – report from the frontline
The impacts of austerity in Greece have dropped out of the headlines, but not gone away. In a vivid account of conditions in his adopted city, Belgian planner Frank d’Hondt reviews the fate of Greeks forced to suffer to repay debts to big banks. Greek unemployment remains at over 20%, while for youths it is…
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Community and film: Akenfield and Byker
Three contrasting films prompt important questions about the nature of communities, past and present, rural and urban. The word „community“ is often invoked by planners and architects, but all too often with disregard for the realities. This week I have been to see three films that explore what communities are and how they function, while also…
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Is Airbnb a threat to historic cities and towns?
A new report on the impact of Airbnb and similar platforms calls for tighter regulation. In parts of Edinburgh, the proliferation of Airbnb and its imitators is having a detrimental impact on local amenity and community cohesion, says a new report by Edinburgh’s Civic Trust, the Cockburn Association. While recognising that short-term self-catering accommodation can…
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Science and Urban Climate Change
A paper in a leading scientific journal calls for much greater engagement of scientists in urban policy and practice. Politicians look for short term fixes. The public has no appetite for „experts“. Many practising planners and other built environment professionals disdain academics and say they don’t have time to read research. Yet a paper by Xuemei…
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UK Launch of „Leading Change“ book
A conference at the University of Birmingham on 22 March on „Planning Challenges in the Commonwealth“ will be the venue for the UK launch of the book „Leading Change“ My latest book, „Leading Change: Delivering the New Urban Agenda through Urban and Territorial Planning“ will have its UK launch at the conference „Think Planning –…
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World Urban Forum 9 – A missed opportunity for UK
The recent World Urban Forum was an opportunity to show UK engagement with urbanisation as a global issue. It was missed. The UK remains myopic about the opportunities and challenges of the urbanisation of the planet. We may fret about the lack of affordable housing in London, or get agitated about barn conversions in the…
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Urban expansion, public space and heritage
Today at the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur I went into three events, which spanned a wide range of themes and places.Each in its own way provoked thoughts. The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community has been working over a period of years now on developing a method for planning urban extensions in medium -sized…
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