Rob Richardson

Fill | Heritage & Placemaking Survey The Heritage Alliance is planning to publish a report that showcases how heritage makes places better. This will explore how the heritage sector is helping to create vibrant, creative, thriving, and sustainable...

⏰ Deadline approaching for our Heritage and Placemaking survey! This is your chance to share your experiences and influence our upcoming report and #HeritageDebate2025! Complete the survey and submit your case studies by Friday 17 October ⭐️ forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

Broadway between Union Square and the Flatiron.

Some of the urbanism happening in New York City…is stunning.

Will ‘build, build, build’ put local planning at risk? - Transport for New Homes Will developers be able to bypass local plan production?

New blog post: Will ‘build, build, build’ put local planning at risk?

www.transportfornewhomes.org.uk/build-build-...

Please join us for the 3rd Brian Robson Lecture delivered by Professor John Goddard on 27 Nov 2025 at the University of Manchester. Book your place via the following Eventbrite link. We look forward to seeing you there!

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/high-hopes...

Failing to adopt a national approach to 20mph as an urban/village norm in England increased 2024 casualties by 15,000 per annum and insurance costs by £2bn. Read our latest press release coinciding with the release of the DfT 2024 road casualty stats. bit.ly/4gIBPlJ

Feeling decidedly autumnal on the @manchester.ac.uk campus now. Great to see the buzz of activity as the semester and year gets going!

New Towns Taskforce: Report to government

Tempting to ask ‘when is a town not a town?’ but in fairness most of this feels about right. Placemaking principles especially - clear vision for each town, supported through development-wide master plans and design codes.

Interesting day in Derby speaking with fellow placemaking researchers

How Our Toddlers and Teenagers Must Be Seen as Planners not Passengers An Intergenerational Call for Active Transport Justice

"Infrastructure alone is not enough. Truly #justcities must prioritise #safety, #connection, and #dignity for the most #vulnerable. By centring care in planning, cities can become places where everyone can move freely, live well, and belong."

Read Jac Torres-Gomez and her family's #perspective

🚲 Today is World Car-Free Day!

Have you ever imagined a city designed for people, not cars?

Greenpeace Seoul teamed up with Korean cartoon artist @lazy.drawing to bring this vision to life 👇

Adult holding a child pointing towards something in a lively outdoor park setting with other children playing nearby.

It's World #CarFreeDay! A day to imagine a world with fewer cars, cleaner air, and quieter streets with more space for people.

Helped by wonderful supporters, we are working to improve the alternatives to driving, so that more people can travel car-free EVERY day.

10 Best Ways to Celebrate World Car Free Day: Embrace Sustainable Mobility World Car Free Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide to promote sustainable transportation alternatives and reduce car dependence

10 Best Ways to Celebrate World Car Free Day: Embrace Sustainable Mobility. #worldcarfreeday
momentummag.com/10-best-ways...

Image of the University of Manchester with text that reads 'What's On Welcome Week'

It's the first day of Welcome Week and the campus is getting busy with new students! 🐝👨‍🎓🐝
If you're joining us as a new SEED student you'll find your welcome and induction timetable here 👉 rise.articulate.com/share/BLFuC8...
Join us at our Welcome Fair in Humanities Bridgeford St, Friday 9am-2pm.

Voices from the #GlobalPlacemakingSummit. Great conversation from @spacing.bsky.social's podcast @spacingradio.bsky.social.

With @placemaking-canada.bsky.social, @tjhfx.bsky.social, @andrew-pask.bsky.social
#PlacemakingCanada #Placemaking

Long-term stewardship - Town and Country Planning Association Creating places which enable people to live healthy and fulfilling lives means providing the spaces, places and infrastructure that people need to live well and which enable the natural world to thriv...

We've produced a wealth of guidance & resources to support those interested in long-term stewardship. On 16 October our webinar will explore the practical realities of ongoing management & stewardship of large scale new communities, & wider placemaking and governance. www.tcpa.org.uk/event/stewar...

Ending UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference 2025 in Belfast with a tour of the waterfront. Been a great few days packed with interesting conversations.

First visit to Bath, and definitely won’t be my last. The Georgians designed and built beautifully

Up the Gills!

“What Can I, and Others, Do to Change Things?” Patsy Healey (1940–2024): In Her Own Words Published in Planning Theory & Practice (Vol. 26, No. 2, 2025)

💜 "What Can I, and Others, Do to Change Things?" Patsy Healey (1940–2024): In Her Own Words. Heather Campbell and Theo Lim have selected extracts of Patsy's writings in Planning Theory & Practice over the years. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Safety and space at risk as SUVs reach 30% of car market in English cities, researchers warn Campaigners call for Paris-style parking charges amid fears big vehicles are taking up excessive public space The number of giant cars in England’s cities has increased tenfold in recent years, according to researchers, who warn the vehicles are taking up excessive public space and posing a threat to public safety. Analysis published by Clean Cities has found SUVs have gone from 3% to 30% of existing cars in the past two decades. In London, the number of SUVs has increased from about 80,000 in 2002 to about 800,000 in 2023. Continue reading...

Safety and space at risk as SUVs reach 30% of car market in English cities, researchers warn

I’d agree they should. Stockport’s developing a design code which includes frontloaded participation - won’t be adopted for some time but feels a good way to set local design priorities early

Haha no worries!

Quite. I find views an interesting aspect of planning discourse, partly for that reason

'Building flats could ruin iconic Stockport viaduct view' Residents have their say on how plans for 1,300 new homes could affect Stockport's famous landmark.

When did views become more powerful than what’s actually there? Housing is a much more appropriate use around/under the viaduct than the current industrial units and car parking, or indeed the motorway further along. It’s also absolutely massive and will still be highly viewable, anyway

Lyme Park today, enjoying free entry for travelling by train. Easy too - 20 minutes walk from Disley to the park entrance and a shuttle bus to the main house. Thanks @nationaltrust.org.uk!

A policy that benefited the richest and cost the UK £100bn: it's long past time to end the fuel duty freeze | Larry Elliott Successive chancellors have steered clear of increasing taxes for motorists for 15 years, but this should be a no-brainer for cash-strapped Rachel Reeves, says Guardian columnist Larry Elliott

Very good Larry Elliott column which eloquently makes two undeniable points:
- Freezing fuel duty has been vastly expensive and disproportionately benefits the rich.
- We really need to start talking about road pricing.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Amazes me that anyone would complain about being asked to drive slightly slower when it saves many lives. In the context of 1,600 UK road deaths a year, which itself seems rarely considered to be a problem

Lovely morning in Stockport ☀️

In London and Paris, we’ve experienced vicious backlash to climate action. But we’re not backing down | Sadiq Khan and Anne Hidalgo Around the world, well-funded, organised climate deniers are spreading lies about the crisis. We call on governments and tech companies to step up, say London mayor Sadiq Khan and Paris mayor Anne Hid...

“As mayors of 2 of the world’s great cities, we see every day how the climate emergency is already reshaping people’s lives…From deadly heatwaves & devastating floods to rising inequality & health crises driven by air pollution…”

@annehidalgo.bsky.social & @london.gov.uk call out campaigns of lies.

Finally made it to the Stockroom in Stockport. Really impressive space, buzzing with activity - people reading, working, meeting, drinking coffee, kids playing, etc (photo taken carefully to avoid capturing people). Definitely will be back, if nothing else to sample more of the cafe’s cake selection