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
- 249
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Five years on from Grenfell with Pooja Agrawal
Five years on Grenfell survivors say they are still waiting for justice. A toxic culture spanning decades at London’s most famous architecture school. Campaigners warn Right to Buy’s revamp could wor…
Help to Buy scrapped early, with Will Jennings
Help to Buy scrapped amid a looming housing market slowdown, Marketisation of landmark buildings takes a twist with some questionable projections, Camden Highline’s submitted for planning as calls fo…
The opening of Crossrail with Deborah Saunt
Crossrail finally opens with 10 new central London stations, public ownership takes centre stage in Old Oak Common’s redevelopment vision, City Hall sets out plans for a new user-friendly website to …
Protestors clash with police in Dalston - with Will Ing
Protestors clash with police over immigration arrests in Dalston, Bitter row erupts over last-minute changes to RIBA election rules, Design competition for a memorial at Grenfell tower announced, And…
The local election results are in with Liane Hartley
Key London councils swing left ending decades of Conservative dominance, Sadiq Khan calls for rent freezes as Bank of England hints at looming recession, New levelling up and planning reforms outline…
Election special with Jenna Goldberg and Shawn Adams
Cost of living crisis set to dominate London’s local elections, contentious plans to extend Right to Buy are dusted off once again, new data reveals the sickening scale of air pollution in the capita…
What's the deal with Secured by Design? With Fran Williams
Michael Gove puts the brakes on Marks and Spencers’ controversial Oxford Street redevelopment, new questions over Secured by Design allowing the police to reshape our cities, fewer new London skyscra…
Londown Live from Architect@Work
We recorded this episode at Architect@Work at the Truman Brewery in Brick Lane. This week our host Phin Harper is joined by Open House Festival Chief Curator Zoe Cave, and Hafsa Adan who is a curator…
Londown Live from the Stirling Prize winning Kingston Townhouse
This episode of the Londown was recorded live at Kingston University with Open City's Siraaj Mitha, the writer and historian Tom Wilkinson, and architect and senior lecturer at Kingston Laura Evans. …
Overdevelopment on the Southbank and the problem with MIPIM
Controversial plans to replace ITV’s Southbank studios with new skyscrapers approved. MIPIM: the global property fair where London’s public housing is bought and sold. A conservation row erupts over …
The true environmental cost of new developments in London with Joe Giddings
This week Merlin catches up with the architect and co-founder of Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), Joe Giddings. On the menu: Stratford Sphere – a colossal 90m-high LED clad orb – wins planni…
Oligarch mansions, the green belt, and Iconicon with John Grindrod
This week Rachel catches up with author of new book 'Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain', John Grindrod. Join us for a discussion all about the squatters who tr…
Sight loss and the city
This special episode is a collaboration between Sustrans and the Open City podcast. In it, we will hear from members of visual impairment charity Croydon Vision about the impacts of street design on …
The radical new Ulez with Oli Lord
This week Merlin is joined by Oliver Lord, head of Clean Cities Campaign UK. They discuss Sadiq Khan's Ulez expansion whouch could transform air quality and congestion across the city, the £1bn of Ol…
The Great Homes Upgrade with Catherine Croft
This week Merlin catches up with Catherine Croft, who is the Director of the Twentieth Century Society. On todays show; retrofit takes centre stage in upcoming architects protest and the RIBA London …
Architecture tested to the brink of destruction with Fran Williams
This week Merlin catches up with fellow AJ journalist Fran Williams. They discuss how London's iconic architecture was tested to the brink of destruction by Storm Eunice, why a beautiful estate regen…
One year of The Londown
The Silvertown Tunnel and Modern Buildings in Britain with Owen Hatherley
This week architecture critic Phin Harper steps in for Rachel Copel as host, and speaks to the author and journalist Owen Hatherley.
They discuss the 11th hour attempt by Greenwich councillors to bloc…
The cost of living crisis with Sadie Morgan
This week Merlin speaks to Sadie Morgan, founding director of Stirling Prize winning architecture practice dRMM and a board member of Homes England.
Our top stories this week include the cost of livi…
Ridley Road market rescued with Sahiba Chadha
This week, host Merlin Fulcher catches up with architect Sahiba Chadha, partner at Cullinan Studio and course leader on Open City’s Accelerate programme
Our top stories this week include the saving of…