Just Neighbourhoods?

We attended the launch of the much anticipated #ICON final report yesterday in London. Great to hear place planning come up.

JustNeighbourhoods work is coming to it conclusion soon and we are holding a symposium where this will be discussed along with #C4 and #ICON representation. Contact us if you are interested in attending on 5th Feb – we have just a few slots going still #planning for #socialjustice

A beach toy library organised by Together for Colwyn Bay – a group of local residents that organise and fund community projects using asset-based community development.

Check out more here: research.reading.ac.uk/justclp/phot...

Our latest paper is now available to read:
"Justice in Community-Led Planning: A Four-Nation Review"
We analysed community-led plans across the UK—especially from left behind areas—to explore how justice is understood and acted on locally.
What does this mean for how we theorise justice?

Big digital billboards can emit 11 homes' worth of energy and cause harmful light pollution - but local authorities aren't allowed to take this into account when deciding whether to allow them to be built. This week I called for this to be changed #BetterWithoutBillboards @adfreecities.bsky.social‬

Covered this idea a bit here: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Why does planning need more time? And how long 'should' a planning decision take?

Dr Mark Dobson has studied the reasons for and impacts of the widespread use of Extensions of Time in determining applications for development.

Find out more: www.rtpi.org.uk/policy-and-r...

Announcing the publication of a new book on planning theory, Critical Planning Futures, with some amazing contributions from academics across the Global South & North, all devoted to analysing the form & future of urban planning. Plus this is Book #20 for me! www.routledge.com/Critical-Pla...

Great to see The Economist coverage of ICON's recent research with Public First.

You can read the piece here: www.economist.com/britain/2025...

Robbie Calvert: Land Value Capture The success of approaches to land value capture has varied markedly across the country.

Where next with land value capture and planning obligations in England?

Robbie Calvert defines what land value capture is and how it can be refined 👇
https://www.rtpi.org.uk/blog/2025/april/robbie-calvert-land-value-capture/

Screenshot of a paper abstract in Area by Julius Baker (2025) entitled 'Ethnographic fingerprints: Examining co-participation, positionality, and interpersonal relationshisp in diary method' with a black banner at the top.

#OpenAccess paper in Area:

'Ethnographic fingerprints: Examining co-participation, positionality, and interpersonal relationships in diary method' by Julius Baker

This paper explores the growing use of solicited diaries in human geography research.

doi.org/10.1111/area... #geosky

How can land value capture policies contribute to the Gov's house building plans and help fund affordable housing and public infrastructure?

Dr Sotirios Thanos, Dr Eero Valtonen, and Prof Anupam Nanda have provided evidence to the Housing, Communities & Local Government Committee inquiry.

Over half the UK believe that giving community groups more power over local decisions would improve their areas.

With local elections fast approaching, polling reveals a clear demand from the public: devolve power, and do it at the community level.

Over 50% of the UK believes that giving community groups more power over local decisions would improve their areas.

Read more: www.right-here.org/wp-content/u...

They inevitably mention the Auld Alliance in the build up to every France/Scotland rugby test match

Learning old lessons can improve delivery of the government’s new Plan for Neighbourhoods But the government would do well to learn from past mistakes – and successes – in efforts to improve the most deprived areas

Learning old lessons can improve delivery of the government’s new Plan for Neighbourhoods
www.theplanner.co.uk/2025/04/10/l...

Our latest working paper shares information about the case studies we are exploring:
🔹 England – Middlesbrough & Doncaster
🔹 Scotland – Glasgow & Fife
🔹 Wales – Denbighshire & Conwy
🔹 Northern Ireland – Belfast & Armagh

Read the Working Paper 4 here: research.reading.ac.uk/justclp/just... ‎

The latest title in the Routledge @rtpiplanners.bsky.social RTPI Library book series is Rural Planning Futures edited by @markscott-ucd.bsky.social John Sturzaker Nick Gallent @gavinparker.bsky.social Amy Burnett & @ianmell.bsky.social www.routledge.com/RTPI-Library...

"Most plans do not talk about equity, nor do they include many goals & recommendations that would advance equity. More recent plans, plans in communities with more planning capacity... & plans with strong public participation processes have stronger equity orientations." — Loh & Kim

📚 Published Article

A very important piece of work on children’s playgrounds.

To Play or Not to Play : Mapping Unequal Provision of Children's Playgrounds by Paul Brindley, Yueshan Ma, @ruiwang.bsky.social , @mic-martin.bsky.social, and Helen Woolley

Read Here : lnkd.in/dVVk_2hV

Social Media Imaginaries and the City: How the Attention Economy Is Reshaping Urban Built Environments - Petter Törnberg, 2025 Social media are becoming a growing presence in our cities, filtering our experience of urban place and enabling locations to “go viral.” This article examines ...

Great article by @pettertornberg.bsky.social on how investors in Rio boost the online visibility of their establishments. The Instagrammable props, such as neon letters and graffiti, are merely the most striking expressions of a profound reshaping of places
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Book presentation: Planning Beyond Growth, by Yvonne Rydin. 9/4. Registration Link: urban-futures.at/hot-off-the-... #urban #sociology

Coggeshall man giving up fight to install solar panels Barry Thompson's local council refuses his efforts to install six solar panels.

The planning system can do better than this surely.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Just Neighbourhoods team response to the Plan for Neighbourhoods - Just Neighbourhoods? The research team - Gavin Parker, Matthew Wargent, John Sturzaker and Tessa Lynn - penned a short response to the  recently launched ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’  asking how people will actually be invol...

The research team – Gavin Parker, Matthew Wargent, John Sturzaker and Tessa Lynn – penned a short response to the recently launched ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ asking how people will actually be involved...
research.reading.ac.uk/justclp/just...

'Biggest building boom' in a generation through planning reforms Homes and key infrastructure will be built faster under Planning and Infrastructure Bill

I am very interested in the extent to which the Planning and Infrastructure Bill may remove powers from the Senedd and Welsh Ministers - if it does, or if it does without requiring their consent. I hope someone will enlighten us!
www.gov.uk/government/n...

Why community energy is a vital piece of the net zero puzzle, and what the state needs to do to support it 👇

Public First - Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods: Opinion Research Summary - ICON

Read Public First’s report here: www.neighbourhoodscommission.org.uk/report/publi...

To inform our interim report, Think Neighbourhoods, Public First examined public attitudes towards neighbourhoods.

We found a palpable sense of visible decline across the country, which was most acute in those neighbourhoods furthest from the government’s five missions.

This looks great, thanks for sharing

Critical toolkit from @philipphorn.bsky.social and colleagues underscoring the importance of challenging epistemic orthodoxies and hierarchies