Urban Update 5 September 2025

Politics, Philosophy, Economics

Political tension between “Ruralites” and “Urbanites” - Comparative Evidence from Nine European Countries - Comparative Political Studies
Using original survey data, this comparative study assesses how far place-based affective polarisation exists between “ruralites” and “urbanites”, and how this impacts urban-rural political polarisation. It defines this type of affective polarisation as “an individual’s propensity to like people from their own place more than people from a respective geographic out-group”.

It finds that this form of polarisation is more pronounced among rural than urban populations and is associated with strong feelings of place-based resentment and identity.
This is seen to correlate with political polarisation: the tendency for urbanites to vote for GAL (green, alternative, libertarian) and ruralites to vote for ΤΑΝ parties (traditional, authoritarian, nationalist) was more pronounced the more the members of each group exhibited affective polarisation.
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Definitions…
Affective polarisation is a term originating in American political science to describe the phenomenon where individuals develop a strong dislike for members of an opposing political party, with affinity for one’s own group, and hostility to the other.    “Affective” refers to anything related to feelings, emotions, moods, or attitudes.
Schismogenesis – term used in anthropology describing the formation of social divisions
Othering – term used in sociology to describe the process of defining and labelling other people as different to oneself.  And its something that we all do, sometimes that we actually seem to enjoy doing, and need to guard against.   The philosopher Simone de Beauvoir wrote, "no group ever sets itself up as the One without at once setting up the Other over against itself."  
 
What Liberals Get Wrong About ‘White Rural Rage’ >>>>
An article written last year about the rural-urban political divide in the USA, and how it can be mischaracterised – as an illustration of some of the points raised in the research paper
 
My city or my planet? Rethinking the EU cultural policy toward planetary heritage and planetary senses of belonging - Urban Studies
The paper suggests that people need a stronger connection to the planet to so that society can better tackle problems such as climate change, species loss, pandemics, and social inequality.   It argues that instead of just protecting old buildings and traditions, cities and governments should use their cultural and heritage policies to create a sense of belonging to the entire planet.  The paper proposes a new way to do this: by looking at cultural policies as a set of interconnected components, namely: the ideas behind the policies, the official rules, and the people involved, and then changing these components to focus on global issues.  It concludes that because cities are where many of these policies are put into practice, they are a great place to start applying these new ideas.
Unfortunately it is written in a challenging academic language and difficult to read.
 
Lewes pound UK’s last local currency axed due to rise of digital and card payments >>>>
The Lewes pound was an example of a local exchange trading system or “LETS”. 
 
Power, Paper, and Profit: Street Posters and the Making of Urban Visual Culture - Space and Culture
If you are concerned about Bill Stickers, then this paper is for you.  The paper argues that Posters is an under researched topic.   

History

A Single Mutation Made Horses Rideable and Changed Human History >>>>
Transportation is key to the creating and sustaining of towns and cities, but also can contribute to the collapse of societies.  The Roman empire and the China were both protected by linear fortifications intended to prevent raiding by nomadic tribes.  
 
DNA study suggests that neolithic Irish society was relatively egalitarian, rather than based on elite dynasties >>>>

Natural Environment 

Hot dry summer impacting wildlife, experts say >>>>
 

Movement

Understanding the patterns of human movement – study in Denmark >>>>
This study shows that human mobility is not random but is highly predictable once geographical features like landmasses, lakes and cities are taken into account.
Researchers at the University of Denmark found that after removing the influence of geography, the likelihood of a person moving to a new location decreases consistently with the distance.  This pattern, known as a power-law relationship, was also found to be consistent in other countries, including France and major cities such as Houston, Singapore, and San Francisco, suggesting it's a universal behaviour.  This new understanding could be used to improve urban planning, transportation design, and models for things like epidemiology.
 
Shared mobility during public transport disruptions: Users’ perspectives in a Brazilian city - Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
This research looked at how people in Rio de Janeiro would use shared transportation options like bike-sharing and ridesharing when public transport is disrupted.

• Ridesharing (like Uber or Lyft) is considered a viable option during these disruptions, as users are willing to pay more to save time.
• People are more likely to use shared bikes if they live close to a bike-sharing station, are younger, or already own a private vehicle.
• Bike-sharing is not considered a good option for commuting during disruptions because people are not familiar with the service and have concerns about traffic and safety

Uncovering the social and spatial effects of fare cuts on public transport with mobile geolocation data - Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
This study measures the impact of the introduction of the cheaper Deutschland Ticket on the mobility behaviour of 11.1 million individuals living in Germany.  It found that the ticket increased the number of visits made by individuals by 26.2%, and the visiting distance from their homes by 11.8%.  This increase was greater in designated zones with higher public transit network density, concentration of activities, and those with a larger proportion of foreign visitors and low-rent populations. However, the study stresses several limitations: a lack of precise data on the method of transportation used, and the ability to evaluate only short-term effects.

Energy and Climate Change

UK’s first 1GigaWatt battery site to power homes, industries and electric ships >>>>
 
A spatial typology of energy efficiency in the private rental sector in England and Wales using Energy Performance Certificates - Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science
The private rental sector in England and Wales has some of the lowest quality and most energy-inefficient properties, even though they house some of the most vulnerable people. Researchers have created a new data tool that uses Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data to categorize areas based on the energy efficiency of rental properties showing the results as maps. This classification helps show how energy inefficiency is concentrated in specific areas, highlighting the socio-economic inequalities that affect tenants' daily lives.
 
Group of scientists issue excoriating response to the US Department of Energy’s report on Climate Change >>>>
A review by over 85 scientists refutes a report from the Department of Energy's Climate Working Group (CWG).  The review finds the DOE report's main claims to be "misleading or fundamentally incorrect," due to the use of cherry-picked evidence, an overemphasis on uncertainties, misquoting of peer-reviewed research, and a general dismissal of decades of research.

The review asserts that human-caused climate change is real, already causing "potentially dangerous impacts," and that humanity is on a trajectory for a significant amount of warming.  The review confirms that in the 16 years since the 2009 Endangerment Finding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (that Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endanger public health and welfare; and that  mix of six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), poses a threat to public health and welfare by contributing to climate change)  the evidence for human-caused climate change and its threats to public health has only grown stronger. It compares the tactics used in the DOE report to undermine scientific evidence with those previously used by the tobacco industry to try to discredit the causal link between smoking and cancer and heart disease.  It calls for the DOE to rely on assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Climate Assessment instead of its own flawed report.
 
Met Office confirms summer 2025 was UK’s hottest on record >>>>
The UK’s mean temperature from 1 June to 31 August was 16.10°Centigrade,  which is 1.51°C above the long-term meteorological average.
Analysis by Met Office climate scientists has also shown that a summer as hot or hotter than 2025 is now 70 times more likely than it would be in a ‘natural’ climate with no human caused greenhouse gas emissions.  

Humans, Health, Society

One  third of children do not play outdoors after school, UK research finds >>>>
According this study by the University of Exeter, more than a third (34%) of children in the study don't play outside on school days, and one in five (20%) don't play outside on weekends.

The study found that outdoor play habits vary by ethnicity. Children of British heritage tend to play outside more on school days, while children of South Asian heritage play outside more on weekends.

Children in less deprived communities play outdoors more frequently than those in more deprived communities
Recommendations include creating safer, more "play-friendly" urban and residential areas to encourage outdoor activity. The researchers stress the importance of understanding cultural differences when implementing these initiatives.

DNA study reveals a variant of Yersinia Pestis (Bubonic plague) was the cause of the Justinian plague  >>>>
 
How murals and public art can play a role in mental health >>>>

Built Environment 

Neighbours transform neglected back alley >>>>
Back alleys are a traditional feature of terraced housing in some parts of the UK used to provide access to the rear yard and a route for the disposal of refuse and nightsoil that avoids going through the house. Most are neglected and despoiled by flytipping and litter, but this example shows what can be done to turn these spaces into places of delight.  
 
Urban governance to support adaptable solutions for conversion of residual street spaces into social spaces - Scientific Reports
This paper uses space syntax combined with a visual assessment to rate spaces within the walled town of Cagliari and to make predictions about their potential as social spaces.  The paper lacks subsequent real-world observations to confirm whether the predictions are valid.   
 
Residents concerned over new Glasgow’s 1600 home development lacking promised community facilities >>>>
  
Bicester market square designs agreed for £5.1m >>>>
 
Smarter cities: The role of technology in futureproofing urban water management >>>>
 
From village to ‘new town’: Tempsford frets over possibility of massive housing plans >>>>

Contractor found liable for cycle accident caused by base of vandalised cycle wand >>>>
The grey base was hard to see when without the reflective wand in place.  In the site in question wands were repeatedly being taken.