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

Entertaining review of the new Thatcher centenary document. Apparently, Rishi Sunak complains that the post-Brexit world is not as in favour of free trade as he expected. It's a huge day for irony. www.ft.com/content/7ad4...

In 2024 it was quicker to get to Central London from parts of Hertfordshire than it was to commute in from the end of Old Kent Road. Interested to know how the Bakerloop will have changed this. (Graphic: The Times with Centre for Cities data).

I don't understand what is going on with sub-national productivity data in the UK. @centreforcities.bsky.social doing their best here, but I'd be wary drawing any substantive conclusions: www.centreforcities.org/publication/...

Good piece but I disagree with it, specifically: - Sticking it to the deregulatory "technocrats". The UK is short of over four million homes. - YIMBYism as "place-less" - the places are big cities, where all people belong. - The suggestion that "ordinary hope" should temper actual change.

Loved writing this. The local productivity data has got a lot of attention lately, and here I try to unpack what goes into the data

You may know Thiel's preachings of apocalyptic Christian nationalist-tech bro gobbledygook distorted from Rene Girard's writings with extreme Silicon Valley prejudice. 'Silicon Valley titan desperately tries to detach self from power in amateurish talks attempting to ape his favorite philosopher'

🏘️Housebuilding is one of the key challenges cities face. Today Centre for Cities hosted officials from the UK and New Zealand, including Housing Minister Chris Bishop, to learn about the country's latest planning reform efforts that have helped NZ cities tackle housing shortages.

The map below shows how far behind France and Germany we are in mass transit. In France, every place with over 150,000 people has some form of tram or metro. But if mayoral areas can 'become builders' as @tracybrabinmayorwy.bsky.social puts it in the foreword, we can turn this around. 🧵 1/9

Based on population by 'primary urban area', Manchester misses out to Birmingham as Britain's second city. Centre for Cities is hosting an online event next week to show how places compare on productivity growth - that's the key race among big cities. www.centreforcities.org/event/briefi...

Work for a lifetime and you still won't be one of the wealthiest people in the country. It's not a lifetime of work but a fortunate start that makes you wealthy. People in the southeast are more likely to enjoy such a start in life than those in the northeast. www.theguardian.com/inequality/2...

Somewhere free, quiet, and right next to Liverpool Street? 👀 Whether you’ve got a deadline looming, are polishing off a chapter on your lunch break, or hunting for a calm spot to do some work, our new Reading Room is open to you. 👋 https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/whats-on/activity/reading-room/

Homes are unaffordable in big cities and across the South East because of housing shortages. Brits make big sacrifices to afford a home, the New Towns Taskforce says. So, what role will New Towns have in housebuilding? Centre for Cities' discusses next week: www.centreforcities.org/event/centre...

💍Anniversary! Ten years ago today, Chancellor George Osborne met local leaders to establish the Sheffield City Region, led by an elected mayor. Now the South Yorkshire Combined Authority. Back in 2015, it was just the 2nd big UK city to reach a devolution deal. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl...

📅 Join Centre for Cities at our annual reception to welcome the Conservative Party Conference to Manchester. Register your place 👇 buff.ly/bdKDdvy

There are enough wonks fascinated by Tempsford and the prospect of a new town. Will there be any musicians willing to step up and record a single about it (like Linda Jardim did for Northampton)? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023...

Leeds City Council welcomes Gov't plans for 'new town' urban regeneration at South Bank 👍 Like in most big cities in the UK, house prices in Leeds are nearly 8x local average salaries. And compared to similar-size European cities, relatively few people live centrally. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness will speak at a Centre for Cities fringe event where she will make Labour's support for jobs in green industry a key dividing line with Reform UK More here 👇 www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Narrator: Was this considered a "legitimate concern" by the UK political/media class? Come back after the break (party conference) to find out!

In the last panel of the day, Pete Buttligieg, Biden's former transport secretary, is immediately the most eloquent speaker of the day. Asked how he would define progressive patriotism, he starts with this.