"The bike beat the car" says parting Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. That's down to a general dislike of cars, but also: there is no economic disbenefit to banishing cars in a city like Paris with world-class public transport. Bikes beating cars is a choice, not a race. www.ft.com/content/882e...

"Greater Manchester has become more functional as the country has become more dysfunctional... Manchesterism is the polar opposite of Westminsterism." - @mayorofgm.bsky.social at today's @centreforcities.bsky.social event

So what is Manchesterism? "Can you imagine how much that damages trust in politicians if politics can't fix a pothole?" Mayor Andy says at the event. Manchesterism is bottom-up, not top down, and so local government finance must be fixed.

Mayor Andy Burnham will address a Centre for Cities event today on the topic of Manchesterism. So what's distinctive about the way Manchester has grown in the last decade? It's far outperformed other big cities, growing over 3 per cent a year. But residents' living standards growth was average.

You all seem to be really interested in what's happening in Manchester. Maybe you would like to register your interest in Centre for Cities' event in conversation with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, next week? www.centreforcities.org/event/manche...

How do visitor levies operate around the world? This new briefing examines models in cities from Toronto to Kyoto and sets out what should shape England’s approach as mayors gain new powers. Read the full analysis 👇 buff.ly/yjfbesg

Announcement is due from Wakefield where the council plans to buy and then demolish the shopping centre to make way for a big public square. Part of a long line of bold place strategies tackling an over-supply of retail space - e.g. Bradford, Stockton and Basildon. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Excellent from @jesslister.bsky.social today wonkhe.com/blogs/univer...

This post sets out a blueprint for good growth. Combined, the development of urban economies, improvement to urban public transport networks, and skills training can unlock higher pay and better living standards for most Brits. Crucially, you can't dismiss this as "growth for growth's sake".

Loved working on these maps with @mauricelange.bsky.social for his briefing out today, showing Croydon's Suburban Design Guide impact on small-site housing delivery. The flythrough helps show how viability translates into action (in Croydon's case), and where else it could work in London.

NEW REPORT out today. TLDR: Rules-based planning works and we can introduce it in British cities relatively easily. A small thread on Croydon’s 3-year planning ‘experiment’ and what it means for urban planning…

Want to know what switching from development control to rules-based planning might look like in the UK? @mauricelange.bsky.social has numbers 👇 HT @stephenkb.bsky.social

Brit school alum Olivia Dean has won a Grammy. Stormzy is backing an initiative to get 'lapsed readers' back into reading. And new suburban design guides could help London build more homes. What do these exciting developments have in common? ⭐CROYDON⭐ www.centreforcities.org/event/what-b...

What does income deprivation look like within UK cities? This #DataViz shows the distribution of neighbourhoods by income deprivation percentile in 2025. While the average would paint a limited picture, the variation within cities reveals the true shape of inequality.

Frozen fares and relief on bills help households in the short term, but places like Burnley and Blackburn feel the cost of living so strongly because of low living standards. Places need the kind of local economic growth that generates a rise in living standards 👇 labourlist.org/2026/01/cost...

This one was close to home for me, literally. A feature trip to where I grew up: Warrington is a model town, the @centreforcities.bsky.social says today. If its economic performance was replicated nationwide, the avg UK urban resident would be £3,200 better off: www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Research by the Centre for Cities said Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen all saw a decline in disposable income over the decade since 2013

According to the Centre for Cities, the capital has "experienced poor performance on real-terms living standards since 2013".

You've (maybe) heard of Manchesterism. What about Warringtonism? Manchester's living standards growth in the last year was no higher or lower than the national average. Meanwhile the 'Milton Keynes of the North' saw living standards rise over twice as fast. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Cities sit at the heart of the UK economy. Cities Outlook 2026 looks at what that means for growth and household living standards ▶️

Great piece by @paulswinney.bsky.social raising serious concerns about the UK's sub-national productivity data and what it can tell us. I share his worry that misleading conclusions about a northern city miracle may already be skewing policy debates www.economicsobservatory.com/have-the-uks...

In December 2017 a chunk of student debt was sold for less than the value of the outstanding loans to private investors. Graduates can't just collectively buy back the right to collect payments for that lower value and cancel their debt. Why? The student loan system stinks.

It's the great mayor debate in @glasgowbell.bsky.social today. Should Glasgow City Region get a metro mayor? English cities, and European and G7 peer cities have mayors. Glasgow has a clear need to better integrate its city-region economy. Read and decide. www.glasgowbell.co.uk/glasgow-mayo...

Reposting this as US publication date is tomorrow @politybooks.bsky.social @lsegovernment.bsky.social - it is increasingly important to understand Postliberalism given its place in US and UK politics but it’s also important to understand how it might be challenged…

Northern Growth Strategy aims to fix cities' poor internal transport. E.g. Centre for Cities analysis found roughly half as many people in Leeds can reach the city centre compared to similar-size Marseille. Browse more of the Centre's work on transport here 🚋 www.centreforcities.org/transport/

🚌 It's all about trains in the news this morning but buses are still the backbone of urban transport It's worth reading the latest piece by @marthagill.bsky.social for @theobserveruk.bsky.social to see where the North is at on better buses. observer.co.uk/news/columni...

Big differences between the UK's strongest and weakest urban economies explain why the UK economy is performing so poorly. Centre for Cities launches Cities Outlook 2026 on Monday 26 Jan, a crucial doc for understanding the shape of UK growth and living standards. www.themj.co.uk/big-differen...

Joined Bluesky recently and interested in high streets, public transport, productivity and other aspects of urban economics? Here's a starter pack for you: go.bsky.app/Tws62S1

Apparently if we clamp down on drink-driving, rural pubs will go out of business But it's London that is riddled with crime if you're really 'paying attention'(ie. ignoring the statistics and listening to X bots) Make it make sense

Laura Cunngham says she will scrap ULEZ to revive London's high streets. Central London's high streets are of course iconic, and some of the suburbs are better occupied and more desirable for high street businesses than York or Oxford. www.centreforcities.org/press/london...

The PM is touring the UK this week to talk living standards. Places have to embrace change to grow their economies and improve lives for residents. An example of what that looks like: this strong statement of intent from the Mayor of Doncaster. www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...

Local government reform is tricky but incredibly important for the economy and public service reform. Our new briefing sets out how to do it in the key areas facing a decision next year - by matching political geography to economic geography and allowing cities to grow.

oh my GOD

England is still the most centralised G7 country and it's holding back regional growth. This is why the levy on overnight stays feels so pivotal, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram writes. www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/ec...

The Chancellor reiterated SR commitments to connecting cities and towns by investing in city-region transport. Here's why that matters 👇 A better commute means a stronger economy | LBC share.google/l5v6b2c6MYso...

Condé Nast Traveller has followed BBC News and LDRS reporting on the prospect of a tourist tax for London. www.cntraveller.com/article/lond...

As rumours swirl that a 'tourist tax' might be included in this budget it's worth revisiting this piece from @centreforcities.bsky.social Director Andrew Carter on how this could and should work. labourlist.org/2025/11/tour...

Britain is missing 2.3m urban homes. Our new report shows cities like Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds are far less dense than peers in France and Japan — holding back growth 👇 buff.ly/fkqDTjU

British cities are too flat — and it’s holding back housing supply. Our new blog shows a big density gap with France and Japan, driven by missing mid-rise homes. Read more 👉 buff.ly/mm3GBRX

Travelling in Central Europe and I've brought a few books to occupy the train journeys, including 'Against Post-Liberalism' by @pjthinker.bsky.social - decided it could not wait until I got back home.

Devolution is critical to improving UK cities. Now that we're on the way to European-style integrated transport in big cities, European-style fiscal devolution could help fund transport upgrades out of their local economies www.lbc.co.uk/article/metr...

Last-minute trick or treat costume idea for urban economists - go as a 2021 census data collecter www.centreforcities.org/blog/the-cas...

Labour and Tories both know the route to levelling up is through tackling big cities' underperformance. The Conservatives' Levelling Up White Paper and Labour's Industrial Strategy all rightly focus on the work to be done to fulfil our cities' potential. www.lbc.co.uk/article/labo...

The Government has set a clear mission – to get the UK growing again 🌱 To achieve this, they will need to increase residential density. Join us for the launch of a new report exploring where higher densities could be expected in UK cities👇 www.centreforcities.org/event/report...

London isn't building houses and now we've got some emergency measures to fix things? What to make of them? ...

Really humbled to share this profile The Independent has written of me

I did my undergrad at the dinivity faculty where James Orr holds a position. There are loads of thoughtful critics of righwing policy there, many in the public eye like Michael Banner (a regular contributor to Thought for the Day). You have to ask why noone is choosing to acknowledge them.

"I am telling you, if there is a God, when I get to heaven I'm not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading straight in. I have earned my place in heaven. It's not even close." - Michael Bloomberg, then one of the ten wealthiest Americans, in an NYT interview, 2014 www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/u...

Amazing 😂

📈 That light green line is wind energy ramping up overnight. At 09.35am, Storm Benjamin is generating 40.3 per cent of the National Grid's electric power transmission. Source: grid.iamkate.com