Urban Update 15 August 2025

Friday 15 August 2025

News and Research

Energy and Climate Change

British Geological Survey online platform highlights geothermal potential across the UK >>>>
 
Data centres to be expanded across UK as concerns mount over energy use >>>>
Water consumption has been raised as an issue, but data centres can be fitted with closed-loop cooling systems.  Waste heat can be recycled in other buildings for space heating, hot water, and other processes - but to do this requires a level of planning and design that is not often seen in the UK. 

Why the UK needs more proactive heat risk management LSE 
 
Elsewhere there have been concerns raised about increased fire risk in urban areas. The flammability of foliage increases very substantially and dramatically as moisture levels decline. 

Soil moisture levels are continuously monitored in the UK by the COSMOS network: >>>>

Urban Climate Change and the Realities of the Poor: Perceptions, Risks and Responses in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - Journal of Asian and African Studies
This study employs face-to-face life history interviews with individuals from socially vulnerable groups supported by focus group discussion concerning climate change.  It found that participants in general understood the threat of climate change, particularly women and those younger, including the increased risk of food and water insecurity through droughts and temperature extremes, and damage to vital infrastructure from storms.

  • The study considered the urban poor to be particularly susceptible to these threats owing to:
    • Poor representation and exclusion from policy processes
    • Poorly maintained public infrastructure and housing
    • Financial vulnerability of individual households
  • Methods of adaptation considered by the urban poor included:
    • Migration
    • Use of informal medicine
    • Cultivation of drought resistant and heat tolerant crop varieties
    • Reliance on strong community bonds, in particular communal pooling (“the shared ownership of assets and resources, distribution of wealth, labour, or earnings from particular endeavours among households, as well as the organization and utilization of resources collectively held for times of scarcity”)

The study found that only few participants were taking active measures to address climate change, owing to a lack of skills and knowledge.  Households ability to adapt is limited by lack of resources and community cooperation along with inadequate support from the government and local authorities.

The study finally outlines the challenges faced by local authorities and institutions in addressing these concerns, emphasising limited central government funding as well as a “lack of clarity in local government climate change policies and stakeholder efforts, coupled with undefined implementation strategies and inadequate enforcement measures”.
 

Built Environment 

Tower hamlets joins pilot scheme where materials are reused >>>>
 
Oswestry road name suggestions rejected by town council seeking names that are rooted in the history of the area >>>>
The University of Nottingham Institute for Place Names Studies which provides an interactive map-based place names database will be giving a lunchtime talk to the UDG 27 November 2025.    

Thousands more construction workers needed to meet housing targets >>>>
 
73% of Brits think Labour’s new towns will fail to meet community needs in 50 years, RTPI -YouGov survey finds >>>>

  • 73% of Brits are not confident the next generation of new towns will meet community needs in 50 years’ time.
  • 74% believe incoming residents should have the biggest say in how future new towns are planned, designed and funded over time.
  • 82% would prefer new towns to be built by a variety of organisations – not just large housebuilders.
  • 59% want to experiment with new ways of planning, designing and funding.

Asked what words came to mind when thinking of the new towns built post 1945 respondents most often used negative terms such as “concrete”, “boring”, and “soulless” – with many simply answering “roundabouts”. 

Geohazards Mapping published by the British Geological Survey >>>>

  • Ground movement: Various geological hazards cause the ground to move, which can damage infrastructure and buildings. Examples of hazards that cause movement include: collapsible deposits of soil, compressible ground, running sands, and shrink-swell subsidence.
  • Sudden collapse: Some hazards cause larger underground spaces that can suddenly collapse. Examples include: former underground mines or caves in soluble rock.
  • Radon: a natural radioactive gas that can diffuse into buildings from the ground. It can be a health risk over the long term.

 

Humans, Health, Society

Human connection to nature has declined 60% in 200 years, study finds >>>>
 
Swimming and boating in thousands more English waterways than thought, data finds >>>>
 
Allotments are vanishing when the UK urgently needs more of them >>>>
 
Schoolyards greening for connecting people and nature: an example of nature-based solutions? - npj Urban Sustainability
 
Nature Relatedness Usefully Links Well-Being, the Environment, and Sustainability - Current Directions in Psychological Science
This article reviews research on nature relatedness (“people’s subjective sense of connection with nature”) and its contribution to well-being and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour weighed against eco-anxiety. It identifies early positive nature experiences in childhood as an important root of nature relatedness later in life.  The article further outlines the effectiveness of various interventions to encourage these attitudes, such as environmental education and asking people to reflect on emotions, meaning, and compassion during walks in nature.

 

Politics, Philosophy, Economics, History

Justice at the core: Rethinking the 15-min city for just urban futures - Applied Geography
This paper examines academic papers on 15 minute cities and the extent to which they address social justice, and finds that this often isn’t a core concern.  Of those papers that do address social justice the issues identified include:

  • Gentrification and segregation: Making neighbourhoods more desirable could displace low-income residents.
  • Unequal access to services and mobility.
  • Exclusionary planning: Historically marginalized groups are often not included in the planning and decision-making processes.

To make the 15-minute city more equitable, the following is recommended:

  • Embed justice: Make social justice a core goal of 15-minute cities, not just a side benefit.
  • Use special tools: Implement Equity Impact Assessments and Inclusivity Audits to track how policies affect different community groups. For example, cities like Paris and Bogotá use digital tools to monitor service access and identify underserved areas.
  • Encourage participation: Create platforms for marginalized groups to actively participate in planning and design decisions.

 
Analyzing equity in transport planning using the 15-minute city approach. A case study of Oslo city, Norway - Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
This study uses various methods to measure the level of transportation equity (the accessibility and proximity of key urban social functions) across Oslo neighbourhoods. It then assesses the correlation between this and neighbourhood characteristics (e.g., population density, gender ratio, socioeconomic indicators).
It finds that neighbourhoods in the city centre and those with higher density and population size have higher levels of accessibility, especially in terms of infrastructure for active mobility and access to public transport stations.

B&Q boss urges Reeves to end £135 online import de-minimis rule that disadvantages place-based retail >>>>
  

Movement

Exploring transportation mode choices and air quality concerns: Insights from a diverse urban sample - International Journal of Sustainable Transportation
This study of 1,936 people in Bradford, England, found that most relied on cars for commuting (54%) and general travel (75%). However, half of the participants used sustainable transport for school trips. The study also found a significant link between concern for air quality and travel habits: people worried about air pollution were less likely to use cars and more likely to use sustainable travel options like public transport or walking. These findings suggest that raising awareness about air quality could be an effective way to encourage more environmentally friendly travel behavior.
 
Why do they travel backwards? Understanding passenger travel behaviour in congested urban public transport systems - Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
This paper explores the rarely discussed phenomena of commuters who on very busy routes travel backwards against the flow, in order to arrive at a station where they can get on carriages before they become full. 
 
Railway heritage spotlight: 175 years of Britannia Bridge >>>>