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June 23, 2023

Urbanist Extraordinaire

Nova Thompson on life with John Thompson, her best friend for 35 years. A life that was nothing but eventful in which she experienced and..
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June 22, 2023

The man in the middle

Kevin Murray remembers John as something of a force of nature ­– hard to avoid and often even harder to resist, even by those coming..
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June 22, 2023

No potatoes for you!

Kerri Farnsworth recalls John as a friend and mentor but still wonders what he did to upset that Basque waiter.  I first met John when..
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June 22, 2023

It’ll be fine, it happens all the time

Jas Atwal, Chair of the Academy of Urbanism describes how she first met John over 20 years ago and couldn’t have imagined what an impact..
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June 22, 2023

How genuine engagement can identify real solutions

Janet Sutherland remembers working with John while at Camden Council when HTA were planning the regeneration of the Maiden Lane Estate.    I first met John..
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June 22, 2023

Learning from good places, and a dogged determination to do something about it

George Ferguson remembers his time as president of the RIBA when he asked John to set up what became the Academy of Urbanism I like..
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June 22, 2023

Running a workshop is like walking a tightrope

David Rudlin remembers a particularly challenging community planning weekend run by John in the Hulme Estate in Manchester.    When I was a local authority..
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June 20, 2023

It’s not just about bricks and mortar, it’s about people’s lives

Marcus Adams and Charles Campion mourn the passing of a friend, colleague and mentor and reflect on John’s remarkable 50 year career.  The passing of..
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May 1, 2023

THE URBAN IDIOT: Social Value

In the world of the built environment most of the policies that do harm were conceived with the best of intentions. Social value is now..
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May 1, 2023

New City Court

Ming Chung: Head of Model Making, AHMM My workplace is at AHMM Architects in London, where I have been for the past seventeen years, but..
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May 1, 2023

Adriatic Harbour

Dave Watson: Trades Unionist A hobby can be important for your well-being, especially if you have a demanding work life. I am a former senior..
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May 1, 2023

England’s Future

In his new book Nigel Moor explores the impact of politics on shaping the environment. Nicholas Falk finds much to agree with in his analysis..
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May 1, 2023

Great Towns and Small Cities

We are used to seeing strong leadership when visiting European towns and cities. Tim Challans and Steve Bee celebrated the three towns shortlisted in this..
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April 21, 2023

Cities

The shortlisted cities for the current AoU Awards were Malaga, Mechelen and Trieste with the latter emerging as a narrow winner. AoU Director Victoria Whenray..
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April 21, 2023

Railway Viaduct, Berwick-upon-Tweed

Rebecca: School Student This picture shows me with Robert Stephenson’s Royal Border Railway Viaduct in Berwick-upon-Tweed. For hundreds of years Berwick has changed hands between..
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