What Next For London?

We spoke to John Batten, Global Cities Director at Arcadis, to get his take on the future of major global capitals, how they’ve responded to the pandemic and the new opportunities to live and work differently that are emerging. He joined us from Lisbon but with insights from Milan, New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam and more. From road pricing to vertical forests, we covered a lot of extremely topical ground.

Apex Airspace CEO Ash Bhatti and London First CEO Jasmine Whitbread talk about the role of innovation in solving London’s housing crisis, how airspace development can help the capital’s councils make the most of their estates and why the next Mayor needs to keep housing delivery front of mind during the CV-19 recovery.

This week, we are joined by Sir Charles Bowman and Sunil Patel, both partners at PwC, to talk about the urgent need to focus on reskilling and upskilling, which has been made even more urgent in the COVID-19 context. They share lessons from around the globe with Mark Hilton and Laura Osborne, making a clear case for a skills-led recovery across the UK.

Zoe Humphries, Director at AECOM, and Mathieu Proust, General Manager at WeWork, talk to David Lutton and Laura Osborne about the future of office. From interactive studio space, through to the value of a human connection, they discuss why rumours that the office is dead are premature and what the future of office design needs to look like to bring people back to physical collaboration spaces.

With the shape of the economic recovery still subject to debate, Mark Hilton (London First ED for People) spoke to Ant Mazen (Head of Skills and Capabilities at Lloyds Bank) about the pragmatic changes needed to support the capital’s workforce now and into the future. Following the release of the Skilling London report, they talked about the need for reskilling to be made easier, for deepening expertise to be accompanied by a focus on “soft skills” and for this to be embedded into the education system, supported by business.

Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners (L&P), and Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chair at the City of London Corporation, join London First CEO Jasmine Whitbread to discuss rebuilding confidence and returning to growth. From making space for cyclists, to a shift to risk-based international travel, via the return to the office, they discussed the decisions that must be made urgently for the capital to unlock, recover and grow again.  

Kate Kenny, Jacobs' VP and Head of Sector for Cities and Places (Europe) talked to Laura Osborne and David Lutton about the choices that need to be made as we seek to build back better and why inclusive growth should be at the heart of those plans. They discussed levelling up in the UK and across London, addressing inequality in all its forms and the many benefits of more inclusive design.

Laura Osborne and David Lutton talk to London Night Czar, BBC Radio 6 broadcaster and author Amy Lamé about the recovery of the night-time economy in the capital. From planning and licensing reform, through the night tube and the future of cultural venues across the city, Amy makes the case for why we need to think about all 24 hours in the day when we plan for recovery.

Apprenticeship starts have been hard hit over the last few months: Sandy Lindsay MBE, North West Business Leadership Team, and London First’s Mark Hilton discuss what’s needed to get the system back on its feet and ensure that the apprenticeship “brand” bounces back. From innovative ways of using the apprenticeship levy to making the system easier for SMEs to use, now is the time for Government to make a real difference

Dr Mike Lynch, founder of Invoke Capital and artificial intelligence pioneer, joined John Dickie and Laura Osborne to explore the role of AI in London’s recovery. From remote working technology, through to the jobs of the future, this episode digs into what new normal could look like and why there could be less to fear than we might think.