NEW REPORT out today. TLDR: Rules-based planning works and we can introduce it in British cities relatively easily.
A small thread on Croydon’s 3-year planning ‘experiment’ and what it means for urban planning…
Cities sit at the heart of the UK economy.
Cities Outlook 2026 looks at what that means for growth and household living standards ▶️
NEW PODCAST 🎙️
@andrewcities.bsky.social is joined by Researcher @oscarselby.bsky.social to explore why London’s suburban high streets are doing better than many of the UK’s high streets and city centres.
Listen to the podcast 🎧👇
buff.ly/9G60fFs
The high street isn't doomed - just look at London!
Unlike some city centre's across the country London does not have an empty shops crisis, this is particularly true in its suburbs.
Its incomes - not business rates or online shopping - that explain why.
See the full report: tinyurl.com/yc8yxkp6
Glasgow city region needs a Mayor!
The eight local authorities in the region function as one cohesive labour market with Glasgow at its core.
Aligning local powers with economic geography would help the city address its £7.3bn-a-year underperformance.
Check out the briefing: tinyurl.com/54ydrrj3
The geography of high streets within cities is also important.
In Stoke the presence of Festival retail park drags spending out of the city centre, increasing vacancies there.
This is not the case in Brighton which subsequently has the 5th lowest high street vacancy rate of all UK city centres.
We also found that geography is key. Mapping high street catchments revealed that smaller cities like Wakefield and Bradford struggle partly because of their proximity to Leeds city centre.
By analysing millions of card transactons we investigated why some UK high streets are succeeding while others are struggling.
Full report: tinyurl.com/msawaxz7
We found that high streets are a symptom of economic decline not a cause: there are more empty shops where incomes are lowest.
BRIEFING | The myth of “left behind”
❓How should government respond to the political discontent signalled by the vote to leave the European Union and the more recent rise of Reform UK?
buff.ly/g8K7EDQ 👇
Peak time central London tube station tap out data indicates that the return-to-the-office has plateaued at 75% of pre covid levels, with the West end furthest behind.
Check out the full blog here: www.centreforcities.org/blog/tube-da...
In this year's Cities Outlook we explore what drives regional wage inequality and show how the strength of a city's tradable sectors determines economic prosperity.
To read more and explore how UK cities have fared over the last year check out the report: www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
When ULEZ was expanded back in 2023 some argued the policy would serve another blow to struggling high streets by prevent people going out to spend.
Using credit card transaction data, my recent blog for Centre for Cities reveals this was not the case.
www.centreforcities.org/blog/ulez-ex...
We don’t build very many public houses anymore. Want to find out what was going on when we did?
Lessons from the last 80 years of public housebuilding – the highs and the lows – are out in my new report with @xuanrulin.bsky.social for @centreforcities.bsky.social
If (like me) this is your idea of fun, find this tool at the end this latest blog on visitor spend clusters by my colleague @oscarselby.bsky.social and have a play around! Also a good read on the concentration of visitor spend and its implications if tourist levies are to be enacted in England
NEW REPORT | Spending time: the role of the visitor economy in UK cities 🧳
This new report presents a comprehensive picture of domestic visitor spending in UK cities, which accounts for three quarters of all visitor spend nationally.
Read the report 👇
www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
