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Family journeys to school: "It's life or death sometimes"

Parents Jasmine, Luke and Matt describe their concerns around their daily school journey with their children

A home to die for? We can do better

Too many new homes are built to poor quality. A new photobook from the TCPA explains why the housing crisis is more than a numbers game and pushes for the adoption of healthy principles to prioritise housing fit for living

"There's a real outdoor community. Everyone joins up and plays"

"White Flats" is a powerful short film on how the design of a housing estate can create community and encourage independence and child’s play

"The cough develops again and its grown" – The impact of air pollution

In a film commissioned by TRUUD, Shakar and his family explain the impact of traffic noise and pollution on the health and wellbeing of their families

"I feel stressed in this house" – The impact of damp

In a film commissioned by TRUUD, Kadra and Wendy explain the impact of damp on the health and wellbeing of their families

"I fell asleep at school" – The impact of overcrowding

In a film commissioned by TRUUD, Samuel explains the impact of overcrowding on the health of his two young sons

Fabrications: Using knitted artworks to challenge developer narratives

Artist Sam Meech chronicles the displacement and erasure of South Asian textile workers at Crusader Mill and shares the knitted artworks created in response

Opinion

Martyn’s Law means we now have a duty to protect people from terrorism

Good design will mean reducing terrorist threats while keeping places inclusive and welcoming, writes Richard Hilson

Councils need to prepare for objection letters from neighbours that don’t exist

We urgently need to reform our democratic systems to keep up with AI generated waffle and fakery, writes Christine Murray

Planning for life, not for movement

It’s not that we are bad at planning transport, it’s that we have been planning for the wrong thing, writes Christopher Martin

On this much we agree: A shared definition of good placemaking is emerging in policy – it won't be enough

Between the NPPF and the Built Environment Committee, we are edging closer to an agreed definition of a well-designed place and the kind of society we want to live in, writes Christine Murray

Shifting the dial for small sites

Despite policy support in principle, small site applications are still subject to lengthy and often unpredictable determination periods, writes Ned Scott

The community came together to stop flooding – and failed: “There is only one winner from all of this”

After an extreme flooding event in 2021, my neighbours worked together to develop a sustainable drainage project. With one planning application rejected, the other withdrawn, what happens now? writes Dr Elizabeth Rapoport

Search the Place Database for key information on UK places undergoing development

Roker and Seaburn: Breathing new life into Sunderland's stunning coastal landmarks Sponsored by Vestre

Is my project resilient for the future?Sponsored by Hawkins\Brown

Caregivers and young children rarely consulted in community engagement despite representing a third of the population Sponsored by Van Leer Foundation

placetests

Placetest: Park Hill, Sheffield

What is it like to live here – to be part of its history and its future? Anthropologist Dr Muriel ...

Placetest: Folkestone

Investment in the arts, town and Harbour Arm has spearheaded the regeneration of this coastal town ...

Placetest: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Anthropologist Caroline Bennett speaks to locals with photography by John Sturrock

Placetest: New Poundbury

Its Royal patron makes Poundbury the focus of much attention, and the development is not even ...

Placetest: Nine Elms

What is the experience of this nascent place and its people? Anthropologist Caroline Bennett visits ...

Placetest: Liverpool One

In this exclusive placetest, anthropologist Rebecca Toop explores the user experience of ...

Placetest: King's Crescent Estate

Placetest King’s Crescent Estate: A part-demolished estate in Stoke Newington is enjoying an ...

Placetest: MediaCityUK

Placetest MediaCityUK: What is it like to live and work in Peel’s MediaCityUK and has it brought ...

Placetest: King’s Cross

Placetest King’s Cross: How does it work, who is there – and who isn’t? How does the masterplan ...

most popular

How the new NPPF puts design back at the heart of planning

What you need to know about the draft NPPF and Planning Practice Guidance before the government consultation ends on 10 March by Hilary Satchwell

Winners for the Pineapples awards for place 2026 announced

See all the winners and read the judges citations after a glittering presentation at Trinity Buoy Wharf on 22 April 2026

NSPCC calls for walkable, low-traffic and car-free streets to safeguard children

Leading charity releases toolkit and calls on built environment to enshrine child safeguarding into the property development cycle

Size matters: Larger parks, longer visits and wildlife spotting improve mental health boost from urban green spaces, study reveals

What you do in the park matters too: Activities such as walking, running, cycling and picknicking can boost wellbeing too, major report reveals

Raising incomes essential to lifting residents out of deprivation says report, but what about affordable homes?

Centre for Cities report shows 80% of most income-deprived postcodes in 2010 were still depressed in 2025 – but some cities bucked the trend. Does that point to inclusive growth or gentrification? Christine Murray

Ruth Glass: Gentrification visionary

Not only was Ruth Glass remarkably ahead of her time in identifying and naming gentrification as a new phenomenon over 60 years ago, her work has continuing relevance in the subsequent social and housing market changes in London and other cities, writes Chris Hamnett

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