Open City

Open City
  • 4.7 (57)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY

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 by Sahiba Chadha and Fran Williams on a fortnightly basis. Alongside this is Deconstructed – a monthly podcast hosted by Matthew Lloyd Roberts taking apart the architecture of individual buildings and InterCities – a monthly podcast hosted by Owen Hatherley exploring municipal transformation around the world.  All three shows profile new, expert and diverse voices from across industry, journalism, academia and beyond. The Open City Podcast is produced by Hunter Charlton and Paige Reynolds. The commissioning editor is Merlin Fulcher.  The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau.  To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend. Photo credit: Owen Hatherley portrait © Antonio Olmos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Rethinking Recruitment

    5 DAYS AGO

    In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Rethinking Recruitment

    In The Room at Accelerate Debates is a podcast which broadcasts the live debates from Accelerate, Open City’s free educational programme. In this episode, you’ll hear our third debate of the year, “Rethinking Recruitment”, where we ask: just how transparent is the recruitment process in the field of architecture and design? Moderators Siraaj Mitha and Jasmin Yeo are joined by six guest speakers: Andrea Villate, Associate Architect who, at the time, was driving talent development and HR policies at architecture practice RCKa; Mat Barnes, architect and director of CAN, an architecture and design studio based in London; Accelerate-alumna and founder of the publication For African People Hani Ali; Nikki Linsell, who was working at the time as Chief Operating Officer at Public Practice; Neil Onions, Creative Strategist, Cultural Leader, and the Founding Director of Beyond the Box CIC and Sana Tabassum, Creative Director of to scale and multi-disciplinary designer.  Hosts: Siraaj Mitha and Jasmin Yeo Music: Massive Music This episode includes conversations about problematic practice in recruitment processes that some listeners may find challenging. If you’ve been affected by the issues discussed, please find support through the organisations below: * Samaritans – 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day) – samaritans.org  * Mind (mental health support) – mind.org.uk Further reading:  - Open City Accelerate Alumni  - RIBA Future Architects  - Section of Architectural Workers (SAW)  - Future of London Emerging Talent Programme  - Future Architects Front (FAF)  - Beyond the Box  - To Scale - The London Practice Forum - CAN instagram - Public Practice The podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. It's recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Subscribe on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes and to further support, become an Open City Friend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min
  2. RIBA vs ARB, Nnena Kalu's Turner Prize win and data centre design

    18/12/2025

    RIBA vs ARB, Nnena Kalu's Turner Prize win and data centre design

    This week on The Brief Merlin Fulcher is joined by curator of Digital Design at the V&A Natalie Kane to discuss: The president of the Royal Institute of British Architects tears up his accreditation in a bid for greater protection // Nnena Kalu wins the 2025 Turner Prize in a breakthrough for neurodiverse artists // London architecture grandee Peter Murray announces a mayoral bid // And finally, amid a surge in new data centres could now be the time for a design rebrand? Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  3. Deconstructed: Matilda House - Co-operative Council Housing

    11/12/2025

    Deconstructed: Matilda House - Co-operative Council Housing

    Deconstructed. Matilda House - Co-operative Council Housing. In this episode, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Dr Holly Smith to discuss Matilda House, the home of a radical experiment in co-operative housing which was welcomed by politicians of all stripes as a solution to the crises of the late 1970s. Matilda House is one of several projects discussed in Smith's new book, 'Up in the Air: A History of High-Rise Britain', which we also discuss. Archive photos: © Stephen and Matilda Tenants’ Cooperative © Paul Barbara © Barbara Philips Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  4. Rough sleeping surges to post pandemic-high

    04/12/2025

    Rough sleeping surges to post pandemic-high

    This week on The Brief Fran Williams is joined by the writer and activist, Adam Peggs to discuss: Rough sleeping surges to post pandemic-high // Government housebuilding forecast downgraded // New measures to ease planning for homes near transport hubs // And an alternative vision to save Liverpool Street Station’s vaulted glass concourse roof from being lost to redevelopment Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  5. In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Constructive Criticism

    27/11/2025

    In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Constructive Criticism

    In The Room at Accelerate Debates is a new podcast from Open City, broadcasting the live debates from Accelerate, Open City’s free educational programme. In this episode, you’ll hear our second debate of the year, “Constructive Criticism”, where we ask: where do we draw the line between constructive and destructive criticism in the field of architecture? Moderator Siraaj Mitha is joined by five guest speakers: Shumi Bose, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at Central Saint Martins; Alberto Villanueva who is Associate Professor and Programme Director at Ravensbourne University; Accelerate-alumna and graduate sustainable design consultant at Savills Aretha Ahunanya; Jenny Russell, Director of Education and Learning at the RIBA and Neil Pinder, honorary professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture and head of product design and architecture at Graveney School in South London. Host: Siraaj Mitha Music: Massive Music Image credit: Luke O'Donovan This episode includes conversations about problematic practice in architectural education as well as discussions of mental health challenges. If you’ve been affected by the issues discussed, please find support through the organisations below: * Samaritans – 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day) – samaritans.org  * Mind (mental health support) – mind.org.uk Further reading: Festival of the Future 2025Festival of the Future in the AJStudent MindsYouth Endowment FundArchitecture Social The podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. It's recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Subscribe on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes and to further support, become an Open City Friend Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min
  6. AI nimbyism threatens to upend UK planning

    20/11/2025

    AI nimbyism threatens to upend UK planning

    This week on The Brief Sahiba Chadha is joined by the architect and co-founder of We Made That, Holly Lewis, to discuss: AI nimbyism threatens to upend UK planning // Highstreet developer goes into liquidation // VAT imbalances found to be incentivising demolition // And a furore over plans to install uPVC windows on Peter Barber’s award-winning housing in Bow Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min
  7. Deconstructed: The Old Justice - Multiculturalism and the Public House

    13/11/2025

    Deconstructed: The Old Justice - Multiculturalism and the Public House

    In this episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Alfred Yatlong Yeung to discuss British multiculturalism through the lens of The Old Justice in South Bermondsey, a South Korean styled public house that was built by Sidney C Clark in 1933. If you’ve enjoyed this series about the London County Council, check out @LCC_Legacy on Instagram. ( https://www.instagram.com/lcc_legacy) Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  8. A new House of Commons report on child-centred design, financial strain for UK architectural firms and bold changes to the London Plan

    06/11/2025

    A new House of Commons report on child-centred design, financial strain for UK architectural firms and bold changes to the London Plan

    In this episode, technical editor and deputy architecture editor of the Architects’ Journal Fran Williams is joined by Dinah Bornat, an architect and co-founder of ZCD Architects. She’s also the author of All to Play For: How to design child-friendly housing, published by the RIBA in February this year. Together they discuss: A new House of Commons report demands a greater role for children in urban design // UK architectural businesses face growing financial strain // London’s affordable housing ratio slips amid a watering down of development guidelines // And the architects picked for the long-awaited pedestrianisation of Oxford Street are revealed Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min
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4.7
out of 5
57 Ratings

About

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 by Sahiba Chadha and Fran Williams on a fortnightly basis. Alongside this is Deconstructed – a monthly podcast hosted by Matthew Lloyd Roberts taking apart the architecture of individual buildings and InterCities – a monthly podcast hosted by Owen Hatherley exploring municipal transformation around the world.  All three shows profile new, expert and diverse voices from across industry, journalism, academia and beyond. The Open City Podcast is produced by Hunter Charlton and Paige Reynolds. The commissioning editor is Merlin Fulcher.  The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau.  To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend. Photo credit: Owen Hatherley portrait © Antonio Olmos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Open City
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    263
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Open City

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