Shows / Open City
Open City
Open City is a charity dedicated to making architecture and built heritage more open, accessible and equitable.
Providing you with essential listening, inspiring voices and built environment insights – the Open City Podcast covers news and current events as well as in depth studies of landmark buildings, and cities around the UK and world.
At the centre of our line-up is our flagship show The Brief – an award-winning review of the big stories in architecture, planning and housing news – hosted…
Episodes
Open CityUncertainty rages over the future of HS2’s Euston terminus
This week Phin spoke to Gareth Dennis, the railway engineer, writer, and sustainable transport advocate. // Uncertainty rages over the future of HS2’s Euston…
Open CityTwo pioneering new public green space projects in London
In this episode, Paul spoke to Neil Manthorpe, and Kate Digney. Neil leads the Atkins London Landscape and Urban Design Studio, which has just won planning…
Open CityTransforming London golf courses into housing
This week Merlin spoke to Matthew Lloyd Roberts -- the architectural historian, writer, and editor of the About Buildings podcast // New images of Liverpool…
Open CityHousing crisis takes centre stage in UK media and politics
This week Sahiba spoke to Charlie Edmonds - a project-lead at Civic Square and co-founder of campaign group Future Architects Front. // Housing crisis takes…
Open CityFeminist Cities, and Inclusive Green Design
This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow. Host, Laura Schofield, spoke to Kirstin…
Open CityThe Brief - Housing Special
This week we revisit some of the top housing stories we've covered over the past few months on The Brief Episodes Featured: London faces a crisis of dullness…
Open City‘Mutant’ housing block facing demolition just one year after completion
This week Phin catches up with Joe Giddings: architect, UK lead at Built by Nature, and co- founding member of Architects Climate Action Network. // ‘Mutant’…
Open CityCursed Objects: The Glass & Steel Totems of Canary Wharf
In lieu of a regular episode of The Brief, we are bringing you an episode of one of our favorite podcasts Cursed Objects. We highly recommend you check out…
Open CityGovernment takes over bankrupt Birmingham City Council
This week Fran spoke to Barbara Speed, the Deputy Opinion Editor at the Guardian. // Government takes over Birmingham City Council amid threats of further…
Open CityCrisis in concrete: the school estate shutdown and how we got here
The schools estate is crumbling and new revelations over the risks of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) have forced closures across the country…
Open CityConcrete safety concerns in schools spark a crisis in government
This week Merlin spoke to the new director of The London Society, Rob Fiehn. //156 schools to close over concrete safety concerns, sparking a crisis in…
Open CityLondon faces a crisis of dullness
This week Phin spoke to Nabil Al-Kinani. Nabil is a built-environment professional, cultural producer, and guest curator for the Open House Festival 2023 //…
Open CityLondon's largest architecture event - Open House - launches 2023 program
This week Sahiba spoke to Jim Stephenson and Sofia Smith. Jim is an award-winning architectural photographer and filmmaker. Sofia is a writer and photographic…
Open CityWhat's next for the Museum of London
This week Merlin spoke to Sharon Ament, director of the Museum of London. Museum of London announces strategic objectives for the next five years // The banks…
Open CityThe Londown Climate Change Special
This week we revisit some of our favorite climate related stories we've covered over the past year Episodes featured: Scientists deliver ‘final warning’ on…
Open CityEric Parry's tour of the City of London
This is the second audio tour of a two-part series led by architect and Royal Academician Eric Parry visiting London’s two historic cities: Westminster and the…
Open CityRishi Sunak vows Low Traffic Neighborhoods review
This week Merlin takes to the hot-seat with producer Poppy Waring // Rishi Sunak vows Low Traffic Neighborhoods review // Micahel Gove rejects M&S Oxford…
Open CityInnovative Signage Strategies and Sustainable Urban Development
In this episode Paul speaks to Abukokkar Siddiki and Patricia Brown. Abu is a British Bangladeshi architect who for the past 3 years has been guiding…
Open CityLives at risk as blistering heat scorches southern Europe
This week Sahiba spoke to the writer and Design Museum curator, George Kafka. // Lives at risk as blistering heat scorches southern Europe // Government…
Open CityThe housing policy reforms local authorities are calling for
This week Phin spoke to Leo Pollak, who is Councillor for South Bermondsey Ward in the London Borough of Southwark. // An SUV crash at a primary school in…
Open CityEric Parry's tour of Westminster
This is the first audio tour of a two-part series led by architect and Royal Academician Eric Parry visiting London’s two historic cities: Westminster and the…
Open CityThames Water sinking under more than £14 billion pounds of debt
This week Merlin speaks to Prudence Ivey, Editor of Homes and Property at the Evening Standard, and guest curator of the Open House Festival. // Thames Water…
Open CityDesigning cities to cope with heatwaves and combat loneliness
In this episode Marsha speaks to Professor Debbie Bartlett from The Cool Towns Project, and Clare Penny who is course leader for Landscape Architecture at the…
Open CityPrince William vows to build social housing and end homelessness
This week Merlin speaks to the architectural critic and the blogger behind McMansion Hell - Kate Wagner. // Prince William vows to build social housing and end…
Open CityThe battle to save 20th century buildings from the bulldozer
On this week's show Phin speaks to the architecture critic, incoming chair of heritage campaign group Twentieth Century Society, and author of the new book…
Open CitySix years on from Grenfell – we ask why housing is still in crisis
This week Merlin speaks to the journalist and author of the powerful account of the Grenfell disaster ‘Show Me the Bodies’, Peter Apps. // Six years on from…
Open CityShaping spaces to be inclusive to all
In this episode the Landscape Institute's Neelam Sheemar speaks to Glen Macfarlane and Pierre Chin-Dickey from Macfarlane + Associates, and the writer and…
Open CityThe millions of adults living with parents amid the housing crisis
This week Fran speaks to the architect, writer and producer Ewa Effiom. // Close to five million adults living with parents amid the housing crisis // A row…
Open CityThe British Pavilion at this years Venice Biennale
This week Merlin travels to Venice to catch up with Jayden Ali, one of the curators for the British Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. // The…
Open CityWith four months to go Open House Festival announces its guest curators
This week Sahiba speaks to Open House Festival assistant curator Hafsa Adan. // With four months to go Open House Festival announces its guest curators // A…
Open CitySuperBloom and the not-so-green credentials of urban trees
In this episode Jaideep Warya, landscape architect at Allies and Morrison and Andrew Grant from Grant Associates, discuss how to steer projects and clients…
Open CityThe Londown Transport Special
This week we revisit some of our favorite London transport stories we've covered over the past year/ Episodes featured: The 15-minute city culture war debate…
Open CityPoor housing costing NHS £1.4 billion each year
This week new host Fran Williams speaks to Melissa York, assistant property editor at The Times and The Sunday Times. || Poor housing costing NHS £1.4 billion…
Open CityGove admits Coalition policies added to social housing failures
This week Phin Harper speaks to the founder and director of the consultancy Municipal, Claire Bennie. | Gove admits Coalition policies added to social housing…
Open CityBritain's first memorial to the victims of the Transatlantic slave trade
This week Merlin speaks to the writer, architecture historian, and head of the London School of Architecture - Neal Shasore. Paris bans rental e-scooters | A…
Open CityPetrochemical reliance & the value of indigenous knowledge
Marsha Ramroop speaks to two contributors of the Material Matters edition of Landscape: Claire Thirlwall and Sandeep Balagangadharan Menon. Together they…
Open Citythe 100th episode of the Londown
In this special bumper 100th episode, Merlin Fulcher takes the guest-pundit hot seat, to answer questions on the housing, cost of living, and climate crises…
Open CityA new budget amid a wave of public sector strike disruptions
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City. This week Merlin speaks to Lachlan…
Open CityLeisured City pt2 - a guided walk around the West End
Following on from Merlin's interview with Angus Lockyer on the Londown this week, here is the second leg of the Leisured City guided walk -- part of Angus' new…
Open CitySpotlighting the women written out of London’s built environment history
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City. This week Merlin speaks to the historian…
Open CityThe Rental Crisis with Michael Walker
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City. This week Merlin Speaks to the…
Open CityWhy Materials Matter in the Age of Climate Emergency
In this episode we are zooming in on the importance of materials, as we design our way through the climate emergency. Joining Paul are Vanessa Norwood and…
Open CityVisionary plans to deliver 1.2 million homes around rural train stations
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City. This week Phin speaks to Denean Rowe…
Open CitySupreme Court grants luxury homeowners victory over Tate Modern
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City. This week Merlin speaks to Charles…
Open CityCarbon credits and zero carbon construction
This week Merlin speaks to the architect and Director of Citizens Design Bureau, Katy Marks. Huge doubts over carbon credits, a key pillar of Net Zero…
Open CityCould Architects be Replaced by Machines?
This week Merlin speaks to the architect, director of Frame Projects and chair of Open City; Deborah Denner. A linear park for Camden on the route of a disused…
Open CityLeisured City - an Audio Walking Tour of The West End
Historicity is a brilliant new series of audio walking tours which explore how cities got to be the way they are - starting with London. This episode -…
Open CityCould increasing congestion on London’s roads improve transport?
This week Merlin speaks to the architecture critic and Chief Executive of Open City, Phineas Harper. Could increasing congestion on London’s roads be the real…
Open CitySchool of Place and the revival of traditional architecure
This week Rachel speaks to the architect and co-author of the new book 'Meanwhile City', Petra Marko. Census map blows the lid on London's housing and…
Open CityWhat public space designed for men, means for women
In this episode we are looking at how public space has been designed by and for men, and how this can have potentially deadly consequences for women. Joining…
Open CityBuilding with Timber, with engineer Andrew Lawrence and architect Lina Ghotmeh
Open City presents Episode One, Season Two of Words on Wood, a podcast series created by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) in conjunction with…
Open CityThe Londown Christmas Review of the Year
Join Phin Harper, Peter Arkley Bloxham, Sonny Malhotra, Cath Slessor and Ruth Lang for a epic end of year quiz where we look at some of the biggest, boldest…
Open CityLeading London architects called out over Qatar world cup
This week Merlin speaks to the journalist and the former director of inclusion at the RIBA -- Marsha Ramroop. Leading London architects called out over Qatar…
Open City100 years of Women shaping Landscape Architecture
In this second episode of Talking Landscape - a monthly series produced by the Landscape Institute and Open City - host Paul Lincoln speaks to two contributors…
Open CityAudio walking tour of London Bridge
A walking tour of the extraordinary architecture around London Bridge, Southwark and the Square Mile created for Shangri-La The Shard, led by architect Charles…
Open CityFrom black and white nostalgia to internet memes
This week our host Rachel speaks to the urban designer, and co-director of ZCD Architects, Dinah Bornat. Toddler killed by mould a defining wake-up call for…
Open CityYou can't pickle a shark in a bedsit
This week Merlin speaks to award winning architectural journalist, and author of 'Monumental Lies: Culture Wars and the Truth about the Past', Robert Bevan…
Open CityAusterity hits London's cultural sector
This week Merlin speaks to Alpa Depani, an architect and head of strategic planning and design the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Austerity restarts with…
Open CityWhat a global housing slump means for London
This week Merlin speaks to Russell Curtis, founder of RCKa Architects A global house price slump is coming – but what does it mean for London and those most in…
Open CityWhat Rishi Sunak as PM means for London
This week Phin speaks to Aydin Dikerdem. Aydin is a Councillor for Shaftesbury & Queenstown in Wandsworth and Cabinet Member for Housing. Rishi Sunak – the…