Julian Dobson

Brunnenmarkt, Vienna: the common good not as a benefit bestowed by planners but as emergent and fluid, generated through the everyday exchanges of some of the city’s most precarious residents.

Well, who’d have thought it? High streets do better in wealthier places.

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So we need to build wealth in the communities that don’t have it, in ways that lock the benefits into those communities. And that’s what the big-ticket investments consistently fail to do.

New Post: Can a university be civic if it fails to invest in local relationships? www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/07/07/c...

Civic capitals at risk: the fragile foundations of the civic university - Civic University Network Explore the risks and opportunities facing civic universities, and discover strategies to sustain civic capitals in challenging times.

I wrote the report with my colleague Femi Owolade for @ncia-project.bsky.social based on in-depth discussions with people in 'civic' roles at 21 universities. Full report here: civicuniversitynetwork.co.uk/portfolio-it...

Can a university be civic if it fails to invest in local relationships? - HEPI The Government wants English universities to play a greater civic role in their localities. But new research shows universities are failing to invest in the people who perform this work, putting local...

Universities risk losing focus, memory, credibility and relevance as they strip back their civic work at a time when they are being called on to better serve their communities. New research from @cresr-shu.bsky.social out now. Blogged at @hepi-news.bsky.social:
www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/07/07/c...

Hundertwasserhaus, if you haven’t been there already

Environmental wellbeing: a concept and principles for research, policy and action Environmental wellbeing is often referred to in academic literature but seldom defined. This article provides two contributions to knowledge: (1) developing an integrated concept of environmental w...

In which my @cresr-shu.bsky.social colleague Jamie Redman and I get to grips with the question of environmental wellbeing: what environment, whose wellbeing, and what about those who cause harm? Free to read.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Freshly picked kohl rabi and beetroot, placed almost artistically on a couple of slates

Opening sunflower at 6am

There’s nothing like turning up at the allotment at 6am just before the solstice…

Really pleased to be working with @ella-hubbard.bsky.social and @riverdonproject.bsky.social on this - a chance to understand the rich variety of relationships between people and the river than connects South Yorkshire.

Two or three so far…

It’s all so blinkered. Now if we started thinking in terms of urban biodiversity and rural social diversity we might start inching toward better ideas of thriving…

Julian Dobson – “Sabbath” Sabbath I’d observe a cherry tree through the arch whisking through seasons while Sunday sermons drifted over me in spent blossom. At the time I’d missed the point of boredom, which was only partly…

A short poem about long Sunday mornings. Thanks to @benbanyard.bsky.social for taking this for Black Nore Review.

blacknorereview.wordpress.com/2025/05/08/j...

Robert Macfarlane’s new book is a plea to feel the pulse of our rivers Robert Macfarlane’s new book asks a simple question that poses a profound challenge to environmental policy and the drive for economic growth.

I've reviewed Robert Macfarlane's new book, Is A River Alive? for The Conversation
📚 It's a great read
🌳 It's an urgent call for new ways of relating to the natural world
😀 It’s timely inspiration for everyone who wants systems for mutual flourishing

theconversation.com/robert-macfa...

Green bike shed covered with pink flowering clematis montana

Always nice to see a bike shed in full bloom.

Window decorated with fish graphics

Fascinating conversations and challenging discussions at the ‘Meeting of Rivers’ workshop in Sheffield today. Kudos to the person who picked the room.

Freshly picked rhubarb

It’s that time again…

Reflections in Easedale Tarn, Lake District

Stone in mist by the shore of Stickle Tarn

Reeds and branches reflected in Elterwater

Overhanging branch reflected in Loughrigg Tarn

Embracing the bank holiday spirit: Easedale Tarn, Stickle Tarn, Elterwater and Loughrigg Tarn.

A Lake District scene: sunlight filtering through low, threatening cloud seen from a ridge.

It’s the sort of weekend (gloomy, ominous, unpromising) when thoughts turn to Lake District hillwalking. Here’s my take on the Kentmere round, just out in And Other Poems: andotherpoems.com/2025/04/16/a...

I think they forgot to turn ours off for the winter…

Plum blossom

Damson in bud and about to flower

Plum and damson blossom against a cloudless sky. The allotment is waking up, and thirsty already.

Installation focusing on ochre in the rivers of Sheffield

Part of Joanne Lee’s installation at Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield

Prints inspired by litter picked along the River Don and the skeletons of creatures living in the river

An impressive range of responses to the River Don at the Faethm exhibition at Kelham Island, Sheffield. Industry, history, poetry, litter and the backdrop of an unfolding ecological crisis.

Perhaps my favourite starter pack: #poets with collections - finished, WiP - they want to share. Let me know if you'd like to be included. Publishers, reach out to these fine people. There's gold in here. Everyone else, please follow and repost #booksky #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #vss365

Thank you!

Yes please :)

Great to have a snippet in this fine zine today.

The Putinization of America Trump’s deference to the Russian dictator has become full-blown imitation.

I started today’s “Putinization of America” article for the Atlantic before the Trump-Zelensky meeting was announced, but I have a bad track record when it comes to hoping I’m wrong. It could’ve been scripted by Putin, especially Vance’s attacks. Maybe it was. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Once he’s had his free banquet at Balmoral, Trump will show the same level of respect to us. The only difference is that our survival isn’t at stake, yet.

Entirely possible. There’s also a high risk of apoplexy, hyperventilation, and broken crockery.

It’s the middle of the night, it’s raining, and I’m walking across Sheffield. Here’s what it feels like.

Thanks to Ink Sweat & Tears for finding a home for this today.

inksweatandtears.co.uk/julian-dobso...

Trump 2.0: an assault on science anywhere is an assault on science everywhere US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.

This is what a free press should do. www.nature.com/articles/d41...