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
Apr 28, 2022 • 46min
What's the deal with Secured by Design? With Fran Williams
Michael Gove puts the brakes on Marks and Spencers’ controversial Oxford Street redevelopment, new questions over Secured by Design allowing the police to reshape our cities, fewer new London skyscrapers coming forward despite record approvals, and Thomas Heatherwick’s tree sculpture for the Jubilee.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.
Apr 15, 2022 • 52min
Londown Live from Architect@Work
We recorded this episode at Architect@Work at the Truman Brewery in Brick Lane. This week our host Phin Harper is joined by Open House Festival Chief Curator Zoe Cave, and Hafsa Adan who is a curatorial assistant at Open City.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.
Apr 7, 2022 • 37min
Londown Live from the Stirling Prize winning Kingston Townhouse
This episode of the Londown was recorded live at Kingston University with Open City's Siraaj Mitha, the writer and historian Tom Wilkinson, and architect and senior lecturer at Kingston Laura Evans. We experienced some technical difficulties during the recording, so our apologies for the audio quality in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 31, 2022 • 34min
Overdevelopment on the Southbank and the problem with MIPIM
Controversial plans to replace ITV’s Southbank studios with new skyscrapers approved. MIPIM: the global property fair where London’s public housing is bought and sold. A conservation row erupts over plans to demolish the 1980s Angel Square in Islington. And the Royal Institute of British Architects seeks a new head of culture just as its diversity chief resigns only one year into the role. Hattie Hartman joins Merlin Fulcher to discuss the big stories in London's architecture, planning and development scene.The Londown is produced by Open City and the London Society in association with 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.
Mar 24, 2022 • 36min
The true environmental cost of new developments in London with Joe Giddings
This week Merlin catches up with the architect and co-founder of Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), Joe Giddings. On the menu: Stratford Sphere – a colossal 90m-high LED clad orb – wins planning approval // An unbuilt skyscrapers development in London’s troubled Vauxhall Nine Elms regeneration zone changes hands at a colossal loss // Waterloo, the UK’s busiest station seeks a masterplanner for a zero-carbon revamp // And Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement – what does it mean for London’s green construction ambitions in the year ahead?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.
Mar 17, 2022 • 35min
Oligarch mansions, the green belt, and Iconicon with John Grindrod
This week Rachel catches up with author of new book 'Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain', John Grindrod. Join us for a discussion all about the squatters who tried to create a refugee centre inside an oligarch mansion, two London developments being hampered by cars, the plans to redevelop London's once iconic Euston Station, and much more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 12, 2022 • 20min
Sight loss and the city
This special episode is a collaboration between Sustrans and the Open City podcast. In it, we will hear from members of visual impairment charity Croydon Vision about the impacts of street design on their journeys. In commissioning this piece, Sustrans hopes to spotlight the importance of design that is inclusive and considerate. Sustrans is a charity focused on making towns and cities more liveable, amplifying voices that are sometimes less heard in the decision making process. In this podcast, members of Croydon Vision share stories of journeys in the capital in a series of workshops, the recordings of which were edited by the creative minds at Haus Projects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 10, 2022 • 37min
The radical new Ulez with Oli Lord
This week Merlin is joined by Oliver Lord, head of Clean Cities Campaign UK. They discuss Sadiq Khan's Ulez expansion whouch could transform air quality and congestion across the city, the £1bn of Oligarch property in the capital, the London architects ditch Russia projects in protest over Ukraine invasion, and yet another cyclist is killed at one of London’s deadliest junctions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 3, 2022 • 35min
The Great Homes Upgrade with Catherine Croft
This week Merlin catches up with Catherine Croft, who is the Director of the Twentieth Century Society. On todays show; retrofit takes centre stage in upcoming architects protest and the RIBA London awards shortlist, critics slam a new development at Tottenham Court Road accused of 'murdering' the neighbourhood, the RIBA names seven practices vying to redevelop its 66 Portland Place headquarters, and a new projects sets out to immortalise 1,000 dead architects in a series of limited edition NFTs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 24, 2022 • 33min
Architecture tested to the brink of destruction with Fran Williams
This week Merlin catches up with fellow AJ journalist Fran Williams. They discuss how London's iconic architecture was tested to the brink of destruction by Storm Eunice, why a beautiful estate regeneration has fallen short for local residents, Assemble's psychedelic ‘Dreamachine’ landing in London this spring, and the residents of south London’s Central Hill Estate who are calling on architects to abide their climate pledges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
