TfL CommsCAST

Just six weeks away from the local elections, for this episode we wanted to have a look at what might change when London heads to the polls. We were delighted to be joined by journalist and election specialist Lewis Baston to discuss the boroughs to watch, the impact the boundary changes will have and, believe it or not, the similarities between Tower Hamlets and Havering.  You can follow Lewis on Twitter and read a selection of his writings on the local elections here. 

For this episode we caught up with Steve Chambers from the Transport for New Homes campaign and the publication of their recent report “Building Car Dependency” Steve is an urban planner and sustainable transport campaigner. He has worked in the past on campaigns for Living Streets and Campaign for Better Transport and is co-author of the report. We explore the report in depth as well as the lessons for London. You can read the report here and find out more details about the campaign here. 

For the latest episode we were delighted to be joined by the Chief Executive of Centre for London, Nick Bowes. Nick was most recently the Mayoral Director of Policy at the Greater London Authority. Nick has previously worked at the Royal Society, EEF (now Make UK) and the CBI. We talked about the work of the Centre for London, the challenges for the capital and TfL as well as No Time To Die….You can find out more about the work of Centre for London here and you can watch the TfL Roundtable here. 

For the first episode on the new series we were delighted to be join by Dr Jack Brown to tackle one of the biggest issues facing the capital, it's role within the wider UK. Jack's timely book The London Problem, addresses these issues one by one and we took time to explore the key themes. Jack is a Lecturer in London Studies and is part of the Strand Group, in the Policy Institute at King's. Previously, Jack was Researcher in Residence at No. 10 Downing Street, Research Manager at thinktank Centre for London, and studied Contemporary British History at BA and MA level at Queen Mary University of London. You can get a copy of his book here. 

For the final episode of Series 2 I was delighted to be joined by TV historian Tim Dunn. Tim's series “Secrets of the London Underground” has just finished, providing a fascinating insight into some of the hidden gems across the network. Well worth a watch. We caught up with Tim, and Bird Edmund, our own heritage consultant, chatted about the series, but also about the future and how our work can continue to grow the rich heritage of the network. You can catch up with Secrets of the London Underground here and Tim's previous series, The Architecture the Railways Built on UKTV player here. 

We were excited to be joined by Professor Loretta Lees.  Professor Lees is urban geographer internationally known for her research on gentrification/urban regeneration, global urbanism, urban policy, urban public space, architecture and urban social theory and the hipsterfication of East London Our discussion was a tour de force on the impact of all these issues and how they affect our work but in property development but also commercial and not forgetting the transport side. 

For the second part of the double header on the future of retail and place making we were joined by the dynamic and enthusiastic Adam Scott from FREESTATE.  Adam is the Executive Creative Director and Founder. An architect and designer, he's won several Cannes Gold Lions. A lifelong advocate of the truly transformational experience, his abiding passions are the experiential wonders of the English landscape garden, the Shaman, and the Las Vegas casino, we cover all this, how it could work for TfL. 

For the first our double bill we were joined by Ross Bailey, the CEO & Founder of Appear Here, an online marketplace for short-term retail space. We were joined by Tom Atkinson from the TfL Commercial Development team to discuss how we utilise space, how retail works in those spaces and the role of the retail in future, and in the past. As well how retail is where we can now go to fall in love…and find people who share our identity.

For this episode we were delighted to be joined by Georgia Gould, Georgia is the leader of the London Borough of Camden and the Chair of London Councils. We covered all of this as well as the future for Camden Lock, the response to the pandemic and the need to really think outside of the box when it comes to the types of housing we need to deliver and Hagel and the use of the dialectic. The episode was recorded before the election results were known. You can read more about the 15 minute city here. You can listen to the excellent new “Awkward Conversations” podcast, Episode One focuses on Commission of Race and Ethnic Disparities' unit report of Racial Disparities in Ethnic Minorities. The Group share their insights and feelings on this divisive report and comment on the impact it has or may have on current society. You can listen here, after CommsCAST of course! 

We were delighted to be joined by Lyn Garner, the Chief Executive of the ‎London Legacy Development Corporation. Lyn has not only had one of the most diverse London based careers, working in a number of London boroughs, but also now manages one of the most diverse infrastructure projects in the capital. We touch upon the housing and commercial developments in the park as well as working with the boroughs, the pandemic, the V&A, Eurostar, the future and of course, West Ham United. 

For this episode we were joined by Melanie Leech - Chief Executive · ‎British Property Federation. Melanie joined the British Property Federation in 2015, following nine years as Director General of the Food and Drink Federation and subsequently held a number of senior roles in the civil service. Our conversation covering many aspects of industry, from commercial to build to rent and the future of town centres, post pandemic.  You can read more about the PBF's “Redefining Real Estate” at   https://bpf.org.uk/redefining-real-estate/ 

Delighted to be joined by Owen Hatherley for this historic look at the governance of the capital. Owen has recently authored Red Metropolis, and we took the opportunity to discuss with him the roles of the LCC and LCA, the impact of their architecture practice and house building programmes. And of course the creation of London Transport. You can get Red Metropolis at – https://repeaterbooks.com/product/red-metropolis-socialism-and-the-government-of-london/ The films we discussed are: London – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.d0aa77e3-8837-b21c-6258-3cfb61ef418e?autoplay=1&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wb Utopia London – http://www.utopialondon.com/  Finally, Owen's discussion with Kate Macintosh is available here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrOSqHBhedo&t=777s 

This is the first of our borough specials where we sit down with the senior stakeholders. Hounslow is sandwiched in-between Heathrow to the west and Kew Gardens and Chiswick in the east. We spoke with Ruth Cadbury, the MP for Brentford and Isleworth, Seema Malhotra, the MP for Feltham and Heston and Leader of the Council, Steve Curran. We spoke to each about the impact of Covid, housing design and delivery, consultation and ambitions for the future.

We were delighted to be joined by Luke Ives (Building Equality) Mia Scaggiante and Scott Hudson (Planning Out) to talk about the issues facing the LGBT+ community working within the built environment. What more we can do to be an inclusive industry and how LGBT+ issues can help inform our work.  You can get in touch with Building Equality via https://www.buildingequalityuk.com/ and Planning Out https://twitter.com/planningout?lang=en. 

One of the big questions we ask ourselves is how do you build in suburbia? Is the answer in our own history? With that in mind it was great to sit down with Sharon Giffen (TfL)  as co-host and Joshua Abbott, the author of the fantastic Modernism in Metroland. We look at the impact and the architecture of area's that grew due to the expansion of the lines out of the capital. What do we need to save and what lessons can we learn from the eras of development.You can order a copy of the book at here. You can visit Joshua's website here.  And follow him on Twitter here. 

A special edition of the podcast we spoke with AJ Kahle co-founder of Blue Shift about the upcoming U.S Elections. We touched on how the campaign has gone, what to look out for on the night and what might be expected from the candidate who wins. 

For the first episode of series two we are delighted to welcome Alicia Kennedy to the podcast. Alicia recently took over as the new Director of Generation Rent. Generation Rent campaign for private renters and we discussed their current campaigns as well as the impact of Covid and what happens next in relation to the eviction ban. As well the build to rent market and what TfL could be doing in our schemes.You can find out more at: https://www.generationrent.org/ We discussed Vent Your Rent which can be viewed here: https://ventyour.rent/ 

For the final episode of the series we where delighted to be joined by Professor Danny Dorling, the Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography of the School of Geography and the Environment of the University of Oxford.Danny has written several books that focus on the issue of inequality, including All that is Solid that focuses on how housing impacts inequality. We discussed this plus much else including the impact of the pandemic, examples of successful housing policy from Finland as well as Massive Attack. It's a honest and thought provoking interview and obviously the views are that of Danny and not that of TfL. You can read All that is Solid at https://southwarknotes.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/danny-dorling-all-that-is-solid-the-great-housing-disaster.pdf (the section we discuss is on page 973) and Danny's new book is called “Finntopia” and will be out in September.

Another special edition of the podcast where we were delighted to be joined by Jonn Elledge. Jonn is a journalist and works freelance now but has before  written in the Guardian, was assistant editor of the New Statesman as well as, as many of you will know, editing the City Metric website and the Skylines podcast. A bit different from the usual episodes as we focused on transport as well as the usual issues of housing and the commercial aspects of TfL.You can visit CityMetric at: https://www.citymetric.com/The Greggs map of Britain article is: https://www.citymetric.com/business/what-map-uks-1650-branches-greggs-can-tell-us-about-british-high-street-1669All 150 episodes of Skylines can be found at: https://www.citymetric.com/content/skylines-podcast but only after you've listened to CommsCAST.

We were lucky to be joined by Sadie Anna Morgan OBE is the co-founder of dRMM, the RIBA Stirling Prize winning architecture practice. She is the chair of the Independent Design Panel for HS2 and a board member of the National Infrastructure Commission. She is one of the Mayor's Design Advocates and is on the board of Homes England. We discuss all these roles as well lifetime community engagement, alternative housing models and diversity in the architectural industry.

For this episode we went out and spoke to our tenants across the TfL estate to understand how the pandemic had impacted their business. We spoke to Carmen O'Neal from 58Gin, Adam Cozens from Perky Blenders, Jeremy Wilson from Lakeland Climbing Centre and Andy Lewis-Pratt from Market Halls. We were also delighted to be joined by Rajesh Agrawal the Deputy Mayor of London for Business who spoke about his plans to get London back to its best and answered questions from the tenants. Tom Atkinson from TfL joined us as co-host.

Helen Evans is Chief Executive of Network Homes and is the current Chair of the G15. She joined Network Homes in March 2010, having previously been chief executive of Brent Housing Partnership.She has a background in London's local government, having begun her career at Southwark Council and subsequently becoming assistant director of housing at Brent Council.You can view the Broken Housing Market Video at: https://g15.london/news/new-g15-film-asks-politicians-to-properly-fund-affordable-homes

This is a special episode of the podcast focusing on the issue of diversity and inclusion in the built environment. We look at some of the lessons for us in Commercial Development as what more the wider sector can do. We were delighted to be joined by Adina David (Director of Flexible Housing at Greystar) who established Ladies in Real Estate and Priya Shah (Communications Consultant for Grayling) who set up BAME in Property.You can find out more about:Ladies in Real Estate at https://www.ladiesinrealestate.co.uk/BAME in Property at https://www.bameinproperty.com/Invisible Women - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invisible-Women-Exposing-World-Designed/dp/1784706280/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

For this episode we were joined by Cllr Peter John OBE. He has been the leader of Southwark council since May 2010 and was appointed London Councils' executive in 2012. And has chaired the City Hall taskforce in response to Covid-19. We chatted about all this as well development in the borough, the relationship and lessons with TfL and how to balance the different priorities of one of the most diverse boroughs in the capital.  

I was delighted to welcome Peter Murray, Chairman of New London Architecture and the London Society on to the podcast. Peter has written several books and a renowned commentator on architecture and the built environment. We spoke about tall buildings, the legacy of the pandemic on the capital and even the Shard!You can find out more about the work of the NLA at https://nla.london/ and find out more about the work of Janette Sadik-Khan visit her website at http://www.jsadikkhan.com/

With over 85% of our commercial property tenants being SME's, it was great to welcome Matthew Jaffa on to the Podcast. Matthew is the Senior External Affairs Manager for London at the Federation of Small Businesses. We covered the impact on business that Covid has had and what the longer term legacy might be as well as what makes a good landlord client relationship and what we as a landlord could do better. I was delighted to be joined by Tom Atkinson, Customer Performance Manger at TfL as co-presenter.

Welcome to what we hope will be the first of our conversations with Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor of London for Housing. Tom set out his career to date and what expects to see from both local authorities and developers in the post COVID-19 aftermath. He talks about his passion for TfL and what he wants to see from our schemes. You can follow Tom on Twitter @tomcopley

For this episode we had the chance to catch up with Peter Apps from Inside Housing. Peter is the Deputy Editor and we had the chance to discuss some of the topical issues around the housing sector as well as his fantastic coverage of the ongoing enquiry into the Grenfell tragedy. Inside Housing's website is https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home and Peter tweets @PeteApps

This is the second part of our interview with Professor Tony Travers from the London School of Economics. In this episode we focus on the politics of the capital, how it has evolved, the roles of the boroughs and the GLA and are we set style for a repeat of the 1945 election?  

On this episode we are delighted to be joined by Mary Creagh. Mary was  Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs before becoming Shadow Secretary of State for Transport in 2013. We go on a deep dive into the world of sustainable development and how it directly effects our work in TfL Commercial Development. We cover Tom Cruise, what to do with your old jeans and the benefits of applying social value to all our work streams.You can follow Mary on Twitter @MaryCreaghMP 

In this episode we are delighted to joined by Tony Travers from the London School of Economics. This is the first of two episodes, in this one we tackle the history of planning in the capital. We look at some of the work of previous Mayors, the impact of medieval sheep paths and what might come next?Tony's book mentioned in the podcast is available at www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/londo…oughs-at-50

On this episode we talk to Claire Kober; the Managing Director Homes at Pinnacle Group and the former leader of the London Borough of Haringey.We talked about why engagement matters and how meaningful engagement can impact a project. We discussed about evolving appetite for how schemes are delivered. Plus what do politicians hang up when they retire?Find out more about Urban Splash at www.urbansplash.co.uk/

In this episode we talk to Matthew Downie of Crisis, the homeless charity. We discuss how we can help tackle homelessness, how TfL impacts the homeless community, the impact of Covid 19 and much more.