Stay Alert > Keep Planning > Improve Lives

Sam Stafford gets some of the 50 Shades gang back together for the type of Friday afternoon, Adam Buxton-style ramblechat that would have taken place in the pub a few months ago. Will the post-pandemic world really not be the same? Old habits do die hard after all. Perhaps a ‘90% world’ in which life will be close to ‘normal’ but subtly different? Sam's conversation with Paul Smith, Vicky Payne and Tom Whitehead takes in density, green space, civic space, active travel and city governance. Paul Smith is the Managing Director of Strategic Land Group and is on Twitter at @Paul_SLG. Vicky Payne is a planner and urbanist at Urbed and is on Twitter at @Victoria_Payne. Tom Whitehead is Group Town Planning Manager at Brookhouse Group and is on Twitter, but does not want you to know that. Some reading to accompany this episode: The pandemic will reduce inequality—or make it worse. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-04-29/how-will-the-coronavirus-pandemic-affect-inequality?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=url_link&utm_content=economics&cmpid%253D=socialflow-twitter-economics&sref=dcitGkK3 Past pandemics changed the design of cities. Six ways COVID-19 could do the same. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-04-22/coronavirus-pandemics-architecture-urban-design The city and the virus. https://medium.com/@maxnathan/the-city-and-the-virus-db8f4a68e404 A backlash against cities would be dangerous. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/urban-density-not-problem/611752/ Coronavirus is not fuel or urbanist fantasies. https://www.curbed.com/2020/5/20/21263319/coronavirus-future-city-urban-covid-19 ‘We’ve seen nothing like this since the 1930s’ - how will Greater Manchester’s economy bounce back from coronavirus? https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/weve-seen-nothing-like-1930s-18170878 If you would like to help support the East Lancs Railway: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?charityCampaignUrl=ELRsupportfund