For more than a decade, Future of London has offered its cross-sector urban network independent, timely, practical content in a convivial atmosphere that supports diversity and next-wave leadership. More than 5,000 people engage directly with FoL across its live and online platforms; as of 2020, 500+ increasingly influential city leaders will have graduated from our professional development programmes.
Future of London is now expanding that offer beyond its core network of built environment practitioners – and beyond London and the UK – via a new podcast, CityBites. The ingredients are all here: a trusted platform; a track record in intelligent, objective analysis; a broad, mixed-level network; an online audience growing rapidly through webinars and social media; and the capacity to connect diverse groups and ideas.
This is a peer-driven podcast: FoL staff, associates and members of the alumni network invite guests from different sectors and roles to share stories, insights and ideas. The main aim is to support and inspire the next wave of city leaders. As other city lovers join the conversation, all the better.
Programme
How heritage-led regeneration is transforming Woolwich (August 2023)
In our two-part podcast, FoL alumni Bhavna Brooker and Rob Timmer find out how major regeneration project is balancing community identity, housing viability and historic preservation.
Part 1 – walking tour
Part 2 – expert roundtable
Party On? The night-time economy and London’s Covid recovery (November 2022)
Laetitia Lucy of Arup and Mark Inger of the GLA consider how the night-time economy is part of a vision for London as a 24-hour city.
Can tall buildings ever be sustainable (September 2022)
This podcast, produced in partnership with Montagu Evans, explores the future of our capital through the lenses of high streets, socially inclusive tall buildings and more.
Emerging talent podcast (April 2022)
Focusing on members of our Emerging Talent Programme, this series will explore the experiences of members of the cohort while launching their careers in the built environment on the programme.
Leading the way for cities (April to September 2021)
Part of an alumni-led series of events, podcasts and blog posts that engage with city-makers in their aspirations for the future of our cities, drawing on their collective experience, ideas, resilience and leadership as we emerge from the pandemic. The series seeks to re-appraise the status quo, bring fresh thinking to tricky issues, and help us to challenge ourselves on ways to be more ambitious for our cities, through our work.
Connections (August to December 2020)
Moving on from the kick-off series, we next explore how the pandemic is changing our relationship to shared space, community engagement, negotiation, connectivity and culture as the lockdown eases and we enter the recovery phase. We talk with a spectrum of frontline workers, analysts and strategic-level influencers charged with restarting the UK economy in an era of unpredictability and eroded public and business confidence.
Leading through crisis (May to August 2020)
A special run of FoL alumni-led interviews on staying resilient and effective during the Covid-19 crisis. In these five episodes, decision-makers from the public, private and third sectors share their views on how the sector is adapting and what the future may hold for cities, and leadership, post-crisis. This series ties to FoL’s multi-media Learning from Crisis programme.
Get involved
We’re looking for partners interested in helping FoL shape content around sector priorities, gaining profile and connection with FoL’s cross-sector, mixed-level network and reaching a potential global audience of prospective partners. To find out how you can get involved and support the podcast – or a mini-series of episodes – get in touch with Fran Lord.
Episodes
Proposal for London: A Roof Plan for London
Frustrated by all those wasted rooftops? So was PTE’s Peter Watkins. Check out his proposal for a tool that could bring acres of dead space to life. Video, podcast & resources from around the world.
Leading the way for cities #2: Adam Cossey – The future of civic centres
Episode 2 of Leading the way for cities with Alumni Rep Katie Randall talking with Adam Cossey, Partner at Hawkins\Brown, about how councils are transforming their historic civic centres to create new mixed-use spaces and meet modern demand from their communities.
Leading for way for cities #1: Arthur Kay – Homes for key workers
Episode 1 of the alumni-led Leading the way for cities series with Arthur Kay, chair of the £100m Key Worker Homes Fund and Founder and CEO of Skyroom – an award-winning technology and urban development company which delivers precision-manufactured homes in the airspace above existing buildings.
Proposal for Greater Manchester: “A Call to Green”
Interested in ways to green your town centre? Check out the video of this great Proposal for GM and get-it-done discussion. Got a Proposal to deliver yourself? Catch the six-minute behind-the-scenes interview for tips and inspiration.
‘Connections’ Ep. 8: Creative use of public assets
This ‘Connections’ episode focuses on the creative and progressive use of public-sector assets to achieve greater local impact. Local authorities are increasingly asking how they can deliver more social and economic value through the properties that they own, control and influence.
Taking Leaders Online – CityBites Podcast interview with Miffa Salter
Need some New Year’s inspiration? Try this City Bites interview with Urbancanda’s Miffa Salter, including great tips on leading and learning virtually, plus a snapshot at how FoL took its Leaders programmes online.
‘Connections’ Ep. 7: Digital + Small Business
Been urged to ‘pivot’ your career, shift from B2B to B2C, commute digitally or “Unmute!” lately? Join guests from LOTI, Firefly Learning and OneTech as we unpick terms and trends in the evolving relationship between digital & small business.
‘Connections’ Ep. 6: Children and families
This episode explores how Covid-19 has affected children, young people and families – and the impact this is having on women’s careers, children’s education and wellbeing, and our use of public space – particularly green space.
‘Connections’ Ep. 5: How to build connection – when we are all two metres apart
In this podcast we ask Bethan Harris from The Loneliness Lab and Stephanie Goldberg from the GLA: how can we build community within the context of Covid-19?
‘Connections’ Ep. 4: Culture + Place
Hear about the shifting connections between culture and place in this lively conversation with cultural strategist Aida Esposito, Southbank Centre’s Gillian Moore CBE and placemaking strategist and FoL alum Paul Augarde.
‘Connections’ Ep. 3: Back to work
This episode is the third in our Learning from Crisis ‘Connections’ series, and is about how we’re getting back to work in the recovery phase. Featured image credit: Elliot Brown on Flickr. Licence (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
‘Connections’ Ep. 2: Checking in on Community Engagement
This podcast episode revisits community engagement with three guests working at its heart: Jenna Goldberg, Jamal Miah and Sib Trigg. Hear helpful tips plus a debate that will evolve over time.
City Bites: Podcast with Ria Bailes, One Housing
Rounding off our series of alumni interviews with sector leaders on Covid resilience, Peter O’Brien talks to One Housing’s Ria Bailes about the need for empathy and other ‘soft’ skills for really effective crisis leadership.
‘Connections’ Ep. 1: Government(s), with Barbara Brownlee & Tony Travers
In the first of our City Bites “Connections” series, Westminster Council’s Barbara Brownlee and LSE Prof Tony Travers debate how UK government tiers must interact for economic recovery.
City Bites: Podcast with Naz Hussain, RB Kingston
Covid-19 has hit local authorities hard, but they’re rising to the challenge. FoL Alumna Laura Davy talks with Nazeya Hussain, RB Kingston Executive Director of Place about resilience, leadership and priorities.
City Bites: Podcast with Alex Russell, Westway Trust
How has the third sector continued to deliver community services during the Covid crisis? How have priorities changed and what role will charities play in recovery? These questions and more were the focus of our latest City Bites podcast.
City Bites: Podcast with Bek Seeley, Lendlease
City Bites podcast with FoL alumni board member Nnenna Urum-Eke talking to Lendlease’s Bek Seeley on the development outlook post Covid-19 and how developers have adapted their approaches to construction and public consultation.
City Bites: Podcast with David Lunts, GLA & OPDC
City Bites podcast with alumni board director Lucy Webb interviewing David Lunts, Executive Director at the GLA Housing & Land and interim CEO at OPDC about the public sector in lockdown and how London could change in the long term.
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