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 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 app 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
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Top 10 Open City Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Open City episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Open City for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Open City episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
You can't pickle a shark in a bedsit
Open City
11/17/22 • 42 min
This week Merlin speaks to award winning architectural journalist, and author of 'Monumental Lies: Culture Wars and the Truth about the Past', Robert Bevan.
The Grenfell inquiry concludes and the long road to memorialising 72 deaths begins | London mayor holds emergency summit as more than a third of renters face defaulting | Working class people earning thousands less than middle class peers | And one of London’s oldest pubs faces closure over a landlord rent dispute...
The Londown 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 book a free day pass follow this link.
The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal. If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Lesley Lokko wins RIBA Gold Medal
Open City
01/18/24 • 39 min
Fill out our 2 minute listener survey to be in with a chance to win a 6 month subscription to Open City's Pocket London printed guides.
This week Merlin spoke to Siraaj Mitha, Head of Open City's Accelerate programme.
// Lesley Lokko wins RIBA Gold Medal // The state of Britain’s pavements forces many to stay at home // 2023 named hottest year ever recorded globally by a blistering margin // And the Elizabeth Line station which was nearly never built now faces acute overcrowding //
The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.
The Brief 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 book a free day pass follow this link.
The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.
The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20THEBRIEF at the checkout.
If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
02/15/24 • 36 min
This week Sahiba spoke to Rob Fiehn, the Director of the London Society
// RIBA president Muyiwa Oki slams Labour’s £28 billion pound green U-turn // Michael Gove approves controversial South Bank tower plans // The public toilet crisis isolating vulnerable people // And delivery riders stage a Valentine’s Day strike demanding fair wages //
The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.
The Brief 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 book a free day pass follow this link.
The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.
The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20THEBRIEF at the checkout.
If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
07/13/23 • 44 min
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 Wimbledon kills two children // The Architect Sir David Adjaye steps away from major projects after sexual assault allegations published in the Financial Times // Local authorities call for new raft of policies to transform council housing delivery // And the Jamaican metallurgists rediscovered at the centre of modern architectural and industrial history //
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.
The Londown 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 book a free day pass follow this link.
The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.
The C20 Society are offering Londown supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20LONDOWN at the checkout.
If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
11/16/23 • 35 min
This week Phin spoke to Gareth Dennis, the railway engineer, writer, and sustainable transport advocate.
// Uncertainty rages over the future of HS2’s Euston terminus // Dramatic cabinet reshuffle brings sixth change of housing minister within a year // UK accused of violating international law over poverty levels // And WeWork’s bankruptcy calls into question the future of urban regeneration //
The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.
The Brief 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 book a free day pass follow this link.
The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.
The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20LONDOWN at the checkout.
If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10/13/22 • 35 min
This week Merlin catches up with Hettie O'Brien, assistant opinion director at the Guardian.
Blackstone, one of Europe’s and the UK’s largest landlords under the spotlight | Historic England slams Liverpool Street Station high-rise redevelopment plans | Battersea Power Station’s grand opening boycotted over lack of affordable housing | And could the beleaguered Whitechapel Bell Foundry be about to witness a change of fortunes?
The Londown 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 book a free day pass follow this link.
The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal. If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
09/14/23 • 37 min
The schools estate is crumbling and new revelations over the risks of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) have forced closures across the country, stoking alarm among parents and forcing the government into crisis. Remediation could cost billions of pounds and meanwhile a whole raft of under-maintained post-war buildings could now face demolition. Is decades of under-investment about to come crashing down?
To help us unpack this complex story is Dr Ruth Lang. Ruth is a lecturer in professional practice at the RCA and London School of Architecture, and lead researcher for Low Carbon Housing at Design Museum. Her PhD in Architectural History focussed on the London County Council’s schools building programme after the Second World War...
Links to articles and events mentioned in the podcast:
Panel Discussion: Women in Social: Housing & Architecture St Pancras
Islands Talks: Owen Hatherley and Marianna Janowicz
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The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.
The Brief 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 book a free day pass follow this link.
The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.
The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20LONDOWN at the checkout.
If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Audio Walking Tour of Marylebone
Open City
06/11/21 • 31 min
Listen to Open City’s on-demand audio tour of Marylebone, one of central London’s most attractive and atmospheric neighbourhoods and home to The Howard de Walden Estate.
This fun and engaging audio walking tour led by expert guide Mike Althorpe — an urban historian, architectural researcher, educator and storyteller — follows the route of our popular real-life tour exploring the architecture and history of this urban village.
Listening point 1: St Marylebone Parish Church
1817 landmark by architect Thomas Hardwick in a grand classical style. It is the fourth such building to serve the parish of Marylebone and symbolic of early 19th century urban changes.
Listening point 2: Devonshire Street
Development of Portland Estate summary close to fine examples of 18th century streets and speculative building pattern and site of old Marylebone Gardens - a popular rural entertainment spot.
Listening point 3: Marylebone High Street
Home to Marylebone Village. It started life as a rural lane between the highway of Oxford Street and the Manor House. In recent decades carefully curation by The Haward de Walden Estate has created a retail destination with genuine balance and character. – unlike so many other cookie cutter high streets.
Listening point 4: Grotto Passage
Behind the scenes Grotto Ragged and Industrial School opened in 1846 and Ossington Estate model dwellings1888 and 1892 - landmarks of the urban diversity of the area and shifting pattern of living.
Listening point 5: Paddington Street Gardens
Historic 1880s landscaped gardens and former site of 18th century Marylebone workhouse - important story of urban change on the edge of the historic estate and life of the parish
Listening point 6: Manchester Square
Landmark square developed with Hertford House in the 1760s, home to international Wallace collection since 1900. Former site of EMI offices and iconic Beatles photo shoot
Listening point 7: Hinde & Mandeville Streets
Landmark neoclassical Hinde Street Methodist church 1887 by James Weir created in aftermath of impressive 1870s urban clearance projects in French renaissance style at bottom of high street
Listening point 8: Scheon Clinic
Landmark new development with hidden depths on site of former ironworks with sculpture marking gateway to Marylebone High Street from south.
Listening point 9: Debenhams & Wigmore Hall
Colossal department store designed by architects William Wallace and James Gibson in 1907 in an grandiose Edwardian Baroque style and covered in dolton carrara ceramics. And celebrated 1901 concert venue by Thomas Edward Colcutt.
Listening point 10: Henrietta Place
Former private estate chapel of St Peters, 1724 by James Gibbs and nearby Royal Society of Medicine.
Listening point 11: Cavendish Square
First move of the historic Portland estate in 1719, mixed fortunes landmark architectural set pieces, sculpture and new development as part of public realm enhancements.
Listening point 12: Chandos House
Speculatively landmark house built between 1769 - 1761 by Robert Adam, the most prominent architect in Georgian Britain. Rare London house in Edinburgh quarried stone.
Listening point 13: Harley Street
The Harley Street Medical Area (HSMA) is a community of Marylebone-based hospitals, clinics and specialists, renowned for their outstanding patient care, pioneering treatments and use of cutting-edge technologies. – The Centre of which is Harley Street which was first laid out in 1729.
Listening point 14: Portland Place
Landmark urban space laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam as part of second wave of historic Portland estate surviving terraces of 1780s, transformed in 1820s as part of Nash’s royal route, remade in 1930s with apartments and office. RIBA Landmark at heart of space subject to proposals to change.
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The Londown Climate Change Special
Open City
08/10/23 • 39 min
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 climate crisis: act now or it’s too late with Merlin Fulcher
UK insulation scheme set to take 300 years to meet government targets with Clare Bennie
Global heating will push billions outside ‘human climate niche’ with Peter Apps
Britain is addicted to the wrecking ball. It’s trashing our heritage and the planet with Denean Rowe
Carbon credits: towards net zero or zero credibility? with Katy Marks
New legislation mandating verdant urban wetlands to tackle urban flooding with Phin Harper
Click here to get early, ad-free access to the Londown, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.
The Londown 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 book a free day pass follow this link.
The Londown is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.
The C20 Society are offering Londown supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20LONDOWN at the checkout.
If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
02/10/24 • 26 min
In this episode Paul spoke to the architect, curator and urbanist, Madeleine Kessler. Together they looked at waste water management in London, and investigated the value of holistic design-led approaches to major infrastructure projects.
You can find an online version of Landscape for free here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Open City have?
Open City currently has 231 episodes available.
What topics does Open City cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, London, Architecture, Design, Urbanism, Podcasts, Arts and Engineering.
What is the most popular episode on Open City?
The episode title 'The opening of Crossrail with Deborah Saunt' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Open City?
The average episode length on Open City is 36 minutes.
How often are episodes of Open City released?
Episodes of Open City are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Open City?
The first episode of Open City was released on Aug 13, 2020.
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