Govt response to New Towns Taskforce recommendations. The Taskforce’s 12 locations still being considered (“Tempsford, Crews Hill and Leeds South Bank looking particularly promising”). More by next Spring so watch this space or rather these various large spaces. www.gov.uk/government/p...

I’m immensely grateful to the New Towns Taskforce, under the expert leadership of its Chair, Sir Michael Lyons, and Deputy Chair, Dame Kate Barker, for producing such a considered and comprehensive set of final recommendations 👇🏻 www.gov.uk/government/p...

So impressive what Jim has achieved in the first year of London Centric. If you live here, you owe yourself a subscription

London’s weather has had enough of flags it seems

Tried Amazon’s “Prime Vision” football with live data overlays. Pretty interesting, but you definitely wouldn’t want it on a game you really cared about

Hopefully soon they’ll be drinking this instead:

So THIS is what central government was using all these years whenever Leeds called asking for a metro system

Next in this series of economics riders and qualifiers: Dan Ariely, and the wider replication crisis

Doing an “economics book club” with son, as Uni prep, which has been fun But find myself making a surprising number of “you do not gotta hand it to them” updates on people mentioned in older books Reinhart-Rogoff, Carlos Ghosn, amongst others

It’s the vinyl countdown

Son has no idea how expensive a hobby he’s just acquired…

Here it comes… www.lightningmaps.org

Can anyone guess what this conveyor belt carries…

This is true and I’d add: a) Peak aircon energy use maps relatively neatly onto peak solar energy production, so easier than winter heating to make green b) Aircon units are ultra efficient heaters too, so easier first step to wean people off gas central heating, compared to air-to-water heat pump

Looks like I got a write-in vote in the New York primaries! Only second preference though, probably not enough…

First comprehensive catalogue launched for Gilbert Spencer (Stanley’s under-appreciated younger brother) Thanks to the work of Prof Paul Gough, and Dr Amy Lim

Depressing glimpse of the future today - wrong number phone call from a lettings agent, who only several exchanges in to the conversation told me they were an “automated assistant” How long before every call starts with an awkward dance as you each try to work out if the other person is real?

Time to make some rendang First step, a prodigious amount of spices

New Thames Water refinancing initiative just dropped: They want to charge my mother-in-law £400 based on an estimated meter reading. They “estimate” (for no reason) that she has suddenly increased usage tenfold So I read her meter and they actually owe her £200…

Saints’ draw with Man City takes us past Derby’s record low points finish We are NOT the worst team ever to play in the Premier league! So that’s something I guess…

By coincidence, our heat pump arrived on Earth Day. Hoping to be gas-free soon

Always been sceptical of “bee hotels”. Seemed tokenistic, usually rotting covered in cobwebs But mason & orchard bees have absolutely loved this They fill tube with eggs & pollen then seal it. Larvae & pupae live most of their life in there. Hatching for a frantic few weeks of nesting next year

Hammersmith Bridge has reopened at last!

If I had a penny for every time a successful western economy had randomly blown up its trading relationships for no reason, I’d have two pennies Which is not a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice

Exciting times for defined-contribution pensions…

Taps the sign:

This is frankly unacceptable (if not surprising). Major news outlets in the UK, particularly the BBC, have a long track record of letting political journalists confidently opine on economic issues they don’t understand - who wildly misinform their audience as a result. It needs to stop.

TFW Radio 4 is explaining Trump’s tariffs are a complicated calculation of reciprocal tariffs, non tariff barriers and VAT… While all the economists in my timeline are crying in disbelief that it’s actually just a dumb ratio of trade deficits…

"Don't Be a Sucker" by the US War Department (1947) The film follows a young American, drawn in by a speaker promising an end to jobs for minorities and removing foreigners. He encounters a Hungarian professor who explains this is how Nazis grab power for themselves. archive.org/details/Dont...

I don’t really understand American politics, and don’t know what “cloture” is But from what I can gather from my feed right now, it seems like both sides there agree everything wrong in America is somehow the Democrats fault.? 🤷‍♂️

Michael Kiwanuka was great at Hammersmith Apollo tonight

Strong recommend for Second Best, Asa Butterfield’s one man show at the Riverside, Hammersmith. Two weeks left

I don't think we're going to make any progress with making housing space more equitable if we continue to talk about "unused bedrooms". Need to understand what people use them for: telegraph.co.uk/gift/dce22e4...

In the wake of the 2016 Brexit vote, I followed a bunch of Trade experts To be honest, I had kind of hoped I’d be able to unfollow them by now, but here we are again…

Behind on watching Traitors, but props to Maia for her “60% suspicion” First time on any series of Traitors that anyone has ever used a percentage below 100%?

Particularly pleased about this one - permission for 8,500 homes at Gilston, East Herts Not only a major consent for a fantastic new community, but one we've worked on right from the start, and across all our different disciplinary teams. Proper place-making Congratulations to Places for People!

@alfiehouse.bsky.social @georgerees-julian.bsky.social Hi, thanks for your work on here. Do you think there’s any prospect of persuading Saints to set up on Bluesky? And do you know if @southamptonfc.bsky.social is an official placeholder or just a squatter?

I owe you all an apology. I didn’t think the Peter Thiel article could be as unhinged as you were all saying. But oh my goodness…

Welcoming Housing Minister @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social to Bluesky!

Latest app update allowing landscape image view means people “of a certain age” like me can finally read all those text screencaps you’ve been posting! Now we just need to normalise this as default setting:

Seoul is an incredible city

So zebra! Much crossing!

Urbanists - any Tokyo recommendations? Third time so looking for less obvious things to do, places to visit

The phrase 'executive homes' sums up the meanness of current British policy discourse. You are describing a dwelling *any* regular family should be able to have as if it is some kind of bizarre extravagance.

Tomorrow's edition of OnLondon Extra to feature TfL Travel in #London report, latest Oxford St pedestrianisation gossip, how City Hall working with Rayner & developers to get housebuilding moving & Bits of Joy (incl Xmas cards by sister of @barneystringer.bsky.social). davehillonlondon.substack.com

Thanks John My sister (a book illustrator) does some lovely Christmas cards on Etsy, beautifully printed www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Head...

My wife (not on here) got stuck inside a Berlin U-Bahn train headed for the depot But on the plus side she got this really cool/spooky photo so who’s to say it was bad?

A remarkable stat: Heidi Alexander’s appointment as Transport Secretary means the cabinet is now 100% state-educated for the first time in history.

Inspector Sands you say? I think I’ll get on this first train out of here after all, even though it’s not going my way (Apologies to non-uk readers for the niche tweet)

In an ageing country, with falling birth rates, labour shortages, high debt-to-gdp, and a flat-lining economy - this is a huge economic (and cultural!) opportunity. But we talk about it as a problem instead Let's plan, invest and build to embrace this opportunity and make the most of it