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 platform 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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- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 35 minutes
- Episodes
- 248
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
The UK government announces a £2bn boost for affordable and social homes
On The Brief this week, host Fran Williams is joined by Peter George, Strategic Director of Economy and Sustainability at Ealing Council.
Government announces a £2 billion pound boost for affordable …
InterCities: Sheffield with Johny Pitts
InterCities is a brand new podcast from the team at Open City. In this six-part series, we travel to a number of cities and boroughs around the world that have transformed over time to discover what …
Plans for Manchester United's new stadium revealed
On The Brief this week, host Fran Williams is joined by Robin Nicholson, fellow of Cullanan Studios, to discuss:
Plans for new 100 thousand-seat Manchester United stadium // Top architecture firms ann…
Deconstructed: Crossness Pumping Station - The Birth of Modern Sanitation
In this episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Petra Cox – heritage educator, Open City tour guide and Golden Key Academy graduate. They discuss Crossness Pumping Station, const…
Criterion Capital under the spotlight and how safe are London's Lime bikes?
On The Brief this week, host Sahiba Chadha is joined by the editor of London Centric Jim Waterson, to discuss:
The man behind Criterion Capital, Asif Aziz // Safety concerns around London Lime bikes /…
InterCities: Greenwich with Ana Francisco Sutherland
InterCities is a brand new podcast from the team at Open City. In this six-part series, we travel to a number of cities and boroughs around the world that have transformed over time to discover what …
Dozens of new towns planned across England and the contentious dismantling of Grenfell Tower
In this episode, host Merlin Fulcher is joined by the CEO of Open City, Manijeh Verghese to discuss:
UK government unveils plans for dozens of new towns across England // The proposed dismantling of G…
Deconstructed: St Anne's Limehouse - East End Baroque
In this episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by George Saumarez Smith, Design Director at ADAM Architecture. They discuss the church of St Anne's Limehouse, designed by Nicholas …
Barbican revamp revealed, Denys Lasdun’s ‘glass castle’, Archigram and the save Prince Charles cinema campaign
In this episode, host Merlin Fulcher is joined by Jon Wright, an historian and 20 Century lead at Purcell to discuss:
Plans to revamp London’s Brutalist Barbican Centre // A redevelopment bid for Den…
The Elizabeth Line sparks jobs and housing growth and a transformative redesign of London's Regent Street
This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by Julian Maynard, industrial designer and the managing director of Maynard Design Group.
The Elizabeth Line spurs on new development, but across England, planning a…
Deconstructed: Finsbury Health Centre - Healthcare for a modern age
In the first episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Eleanor Marshall, an architectural designer and civil servant at the Department for Transport who runs Open City’s London Pub…
Is the UK housing crisis threatening the economy and NHS recovery?
This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by journalist and YouTuber Jon Stone to discuss the week's major stories in architecture and the built environment:
Ministers warned UK housing crisis threatens the …
Deconstructed (coming soon)
De-constructed is Open City's brand new podcast which explores buildings, places, landscapes and communities, taking apart their architecture piece by piece to better understand what makes them so co…
Angela Rayner approves M&S’s contentious Oxford Street redevelopment
This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by Peter Murray OBE, the co-founder of New London Architecture to discuss the week's major stories in architecture and the built environment:
Angela Rayner approves…
Smithfields closure, unrealistic housing targets and Brighton's white elephant
This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by the author, columnist and SAVE founding trustee Simon Jenkins to discuss:
Smithfields meat market closes for good after 850 years // Councils raise concerns over…
Office for Place scrapped, empty High Streets and C20's 'Coming of Age' campaign
This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by award winning architect Gurmeet Sian, to discuss:
Government design champion, the Office for Place is scrapped // New powers for councils to tackle empty High Str…
21,000 Saudi worker deaths, The Duchy of Cornwall and the Pay 100 survey
This week Fran Williams is joined by Ramsey Yassa, an architect and founding director of NOOMA studio, to discuss:
UK architects facing scrutiny amid reports of 21,000 Saudi worker deaths // ACME tak…
The budget, China's super embassy and the legacy of Britain's Empire Exhibition
This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by the architectural worker, writer and editors of the magazine Failed Architecture to discuss:
Rachel Reeves commits £500 million pounds more for affordable housin…
Rachel Reeves' billion pound boost for council housing, design codes and the vital role of retrofit
This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by the architect Tara Gbolade to discuss:
Rachel Reeves' £1 billion boost for council housing in the autumn budget // How planning reform and design codes could help…
The Elizabeth line wins the RIBA Stirling prize, councils declare new UK housing targets unrealistic and the battle for Bethnal Green Working Men's Club
This week Fran Williams is joined by the architectural journalist Amy Frearson to discuss:
The Elizabeth Line comes out on top at this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize // Government housing targets branded…