Urban Update 11 September 2025

News and Research

Built Environment 

Designing play into urban environments: strategic-level challenges and best practice in Bradford and Tower Hamlets, UK - Cities and Health
This study reports findings on interviews with policymakers and practitioners involved with children’s play and physical activity.
The findings identify several challenges:

• Financial and staffing constraints
• Pressure to build housing competing with green space
• Lack of clarity over land ownership
• Lack of robust local evidence

They research also highlights some key factors that lead to better play facilities

• Alignment of play initiatives with public health goals
• Strong collaboration between departments and external organisation

National Press coverage:
The Guardian: Children in England ‘face barriers to outdoor play owing to poor planning’ >>>>
 
 
Urban transformation initiatives in Johannesburg and public space user perceptions - Cities
This study looks at the use of public spaces as a way to address social and spatial segregation. Using a case study of three public spaces, the research found that temporary events such as street performances and markets helped to bring people together. The effect, however is often not long-lasting without support from the government.   Public space users were found to have mixed feelings, appreciating the aesthetic and cultural vibrancy of some areas while being concerned about safety and accessibility in others. Many users prefer privately managed spaces, which reflects a lack of trust in the local government.
 
Celebrating the winners of the C40 fourth Students Reinventing Cities competition >>>>
 
Infrastructure deficits and informal settlements in sub-Saharan Africa - Nature
“When you look at developed cities you see something universal: Every building has street access, no matter if your city is a grid like Chicago or curvy like Rome. These connections give people access to water, sanitation, and garbage disposal, and an address to register for school or where the fire department can find them in an emergency”.  However this is not the case for many parts of the world.  This University of Chicago study uses a new dataset of over 415 million buildings to create a detailed map of sub-Saharan Africa.  The research highlights the critical role of "last mile" infrastructure, such as street access, in urban development.

• The study introduces a new metric, "k complexity," to measure a block's accessibility by counting the maximum number of buildings one must pass to reach a street. This metric helps pinpoint areas with poor connectivity, such as informal settlements.
• The research found a direct link between a block's complexity and human development. The less accessible a neighbourhood is, the worse its residents fare on key indicators like education, health, and economic well-being.
• The findings allow for "localization" of development efforts, enabling aid organizations and governments to focus resources on specific, highly disconnected blocks.
• The project provides a comprehensive, open-source dataset and tools for global use, filling a critical data gap for many nations.

 
Informality in Globalizing African Cities: Hybridity Toward Southern Decoloniality - Journal of Planning Literature
This paper suggests a hybrid between informal and planned settlement patterns and critiques the concept of the Global City.   
 
 

Schemes

 
Housing Design Awards 2025 – Winners >>>>
 
“169ft – 50 metre timber office tower built in Malmö, Sweden >>>>
 
Transformation of Stafford town centre mapped out in masterplan vision >>>>
 
Bradford City Village regeneration plans submitted >>>>
 
UK Design Capital of the Year: How Manchester is setting the pace for regeneration and urban living >>>>
 
Could the Hazelmead co-housing scheme in Bridport be a template for future homes? >>>>
 

Energy, Climate Change

Deep-learning model visualizes urban heat stress at the one metre scale >>>>
Using a deep learning model, researchers simulated the future urban climate in Freiburg for 2070 to 2099 based on three climate change scenarios.  The results are shown in detailed heat maps of streets and buildings.
 
Increased incidence of domestic violence recorded during heat waves >>>>;

Extreme heat and pollution may be programming children's stress responses before they are even born owing to hormonal changes – levels of progesterone  >>>>.
 
Leicestershire Council says light dimming trial saved nearly £540k >>>>
Lights were dimmed between 8pm and 7am by 30 percent, no changes were made in town centres or by pedestrian crossings.  There were no complaints, accidents fell.

Politics, Philosophy, Economics

Helping Local News Services to evolve to meet local need >>>>
Local newspapers are under threat from falling advertising revenues and circulation as use of digital media grows; yet they perform an essential role in strengthening local communities.  This study looks at how local news services in Australia need to adapt.  Regional audiences want more hyperlocal news, human-interest stories and practical information like weather and local events.  Trust in local news remained higher than national or international media, especially when journalists have local knowledge and community ties.  Boosting coverage of culture and community issues instead of relying on crime and sport would improve diversity and representation in news coverage.  Full report >>>>
 
America’s housing market gained $20,000,000,000,000 (Trillion) in 5 years  - a rise of 57% >>>>
 
Judge halts Kirklees homes plan on public 'transparency' grounds BBC
The council failed to publish a draft of its Section 106 agreement with the developer, before it decided to approve the plan last year.  The judge determining the case held that the proposed agreement should have been published on the council's planning portal to allow for scrutiny and comment from members of the public and other interested parties.

History

Commemoration of the 1675 Northampton Great Fire >>>>
The fire destroyed over 80% of the buildings in the town.  Many other towns suffered catastrophic fires, such as Blandford Forum, Newcastle, Warwick, Edinburgh.  See the list of international conflagrations on wikipedia.

Natural Environment

England’s toxic road runoff pollution being ignored, MPs told >>>>

Movement

Quantifying carbon emissions for local transport planning – Guidance published by Department for Transport >>>>
This document provides guidance on:

• how and when carbon analysis can be integrated into the process of developing transport strategies and schemes
• different methods for assessing carbon impacts, including the methodologies and datasets that can be used

 
Using generative AI to design and assess pedestrian and vehicle networks  Journal of Urban Design
“We’re unlikely to see an entire neighbourhood designed by AI anytime soon, but AI-assisted, human-centric design is already a reality,” said Asst Prof Song. “What we’re building are methods that can support fast, informed, and inclusive urban design that is rooted in hard data but shaped by real people.”
 
Four new stations proposed in new Oxfordshire rail strategy >>>>
 
Hundreds call for planned north London LTN to be scrapped over fears of 'increased pollution and journey times' >>>>
In a survey 58% of respondents stated that they did not believe the scheme would be “at all effective” at making streets safer.  These beliefs are unsurprising given that the research and data on the very positive impacts of LTNs (and area-wide urban 20MPH limits) is reported by a minority of media outlets; while a majority portray these measures as part of a “War on Motorists”.

• Low Traffic Neighbourhoods shown to reduce deaths and injuries by over 1/3 - study results from 117 LTNs - University of Westminster - Full paper BMJ     

 
Why Is Ice Slippery? New Study Overturns 200-Year-Old Physics Theory that ice melts under pressure creating a lubricating layer  >>>>
 

Humans, Health, Society

Caring Cities: Towards a Public Urban Culture of Care? Urban Planning
This paper article discusses the "Caring City" concept, which is a new approach to urban design which aims to address crises of care by creating cities that are systems of mutual support. Policies range from care centres to neighbourhood networks, but the long-term effectiveness of these initiatives still needs to be monitored.  Elements include:

• Integrated and Comprehensive Care Strategies
• Neighbourhood Care Systems and Centres
• Caring Communities
• Outreach Support Programmes
• Awareness‐Raising and Recognition Policies
• Caring Urban Planning for Sustainable Cities