The Developer

If public buildings hold up a mirror to our society, what state are we in? Our next edition explores public buildings from lidos to parks to the library, and considers their role in creating liveable and loveable places. Anthropologist Caroline Bennett writes a placetest of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with new photography by John Sturrock. Sarah Wigglesworth explores the past and future of civic architecture. Laura Mark visits new Amsterdam social housing. Teshome Douglas-Campbell takes in Sidcup's new public library. We'll peak inside markets, urban rooms, new public spaces and question the rise in green gentrification

The latest issue of The Developer magazine is on sale now. Get your copy: https://thedeveloper.live/purchase/an-uncommonly-beautiful-magazine

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.

This film was created alongside a toolkit for practitioners working on traffic and street improvements to use as part of their engagement work with the public. It introduces the need for change by highlighting the impacts of traffic on health and wellbeing through the sharing of people’s direct experiences.

Watch it here: https://thedeveloper.live/film/family-journeys-to-school-its-life-or-death-sometimes

Is my project resilient for the future?

Architecture practice Hawkins\Brown now has a dedicated Foresight team helping developers embrace the unknowns of an increasingly unpredictable future, reports Harriet Saddington

Read the article here: https://thedeveloper.live/sponsored-features/is-my-project-resilient-for-the-future

Part W x Festival of Place: Built Barriers – Online Workshop
📅 3 December 2025 | ⏰ 1:00–3:00 PM GMT | 📍 Online

We’re excited to invite built environment professionals and allies to join us for the next stage of Part W ’s campaign—an online workshop exploring the everyday obstacles women face in the built environment, and the systemic forces that create them.

Since launching on International Women’s Day, and following a successful workshop at the London Festival of Architecture in June, the campaign has been crowdsourcing real examples of design barriers—from poorly lit public spaces to inaccessible facilities. These everyday features reveal deeper underlying issues.

This session will explore those root causes, including:
• Policy decisions
• Economic priorities
• Systemic and entrenched gender bias
• Wider cultural and structural factors shaping our cities

You’ll hear from a panel of insightful speakers who will share perspectives on the challenges identified so far, before joining an interactive workshop facilitated by Part W.

Who should attend?

Built environment practitioners, designers, planners, architects, policymakers, students, community voices and allies of all genders and backgrounds—anyone committed to more inclusive, equitable places.

Let’s work together to understand why persist and how we can begin to dismantle them.

👉 Join us on 3 December to be part of this important conversation. Get your free space here: https://www.airmeet.com/e/220b8800-c0b5-11f0-9be4-375c53bcf15c

Deadline extended: Final entries due 28 November for The Pineapples awards 2026

Submit your contribution to making better places by 21 November for consideration by newly announced judges, chairs and sponsor partners

Read more: https://thedeveloper.live/reportage/deadline-extended-final-entries-due-28-november-for-the-pineapples-awards-2026

"In the frenzy to attract private money, government must ensure regeneration projects are not driven solely by the expectations of global capitula."

"The necessity of adopting a holistic and interventionist approach to urban policy becomes increasingly apparent. Sustainable urban transformation requires not only the regulation of market forces but also the proactive engagement of public authorities to safeguard social justice and spatial equity"

To continue reading, pre-order your copy here: https://thedeveloper.live/purchase/an-uncommonly-beautiful-magazine

To put the Wellbeing Economy into practice, we need to have deeper conversations to uncover the complex, knotty, place-specific challenges that designing for wellbeing poses, Milly Warner reports

Full article: https://bit.ly/3WLJ6br