News

New report from the Council on Urban Initiatives shares insights from four years of thought leadership on just, healthy and green cities.

From 2021-2025, the Council on Urban Initiatives was a leading research and advocacy platform co-led by LSE Cities, UCL Institution for Innovation and Public Purpose, and UN-Habitat. To cement its learnings, the Council has summarised it’s key insights into a final report.

06 May 2025

Find out more
Download the final report here
Learn more about the Council on Urban Initiatives

Santiago government will hold a city conference with national and international experts to advance key changes to improve the quality of life.

LSE Cities is presenting its year-long study on the regional development strategy being implemented by the Metropolitan Regional Government of Santiago in Chile. The public event in Santiago on 4 April will feature LSE Cities director Ricky Burdett with international experts from Barcelona, London, Milan and Medellin, alongside Governor Claudio Orrego and leading regional and national policymakers.

01 April 2025

More information here.

Raising the healthiest generation in history, why where children grow up is important to their life outcomes

Katie Beck, Policy Fellow and Urban95 Academy Manager and Marie Kaune, Researcher at LSE Cities were invited to represent the Urban95 Academy at the House of Lords for the launch of the Policy report 'Raising the healthiest generation in history: why it matters where young people live'.

The report was authored by Gemma Hyde of the TCPA and the launch was held at the House of Lords at the invitation of Baroness Hamwee.

03 December 2024

Read more about the report launch
Download the report

Philipp Rode to give Keynote at the 2024 Annual POLIS Conference

LSE Cities Executive Director, Philipp Rode, will give the Keynote at the 2024 Annual POLIS Conference in Karlesruhe, Germany on 27 November 2024. POLIS is the leading network of European cities and regions working together to develop innovative technologies and policies for local transport.

Philipp Rode will be speaking on the urban transport mix, better accessibility and the politics of change.

25 November 2024

More information on the programme here.

Ricky Burdett guest interview on The Century of Cities podcast

In episode 7 of The Century of Cities podcast, Ricky Burdett, Director of LSE Cities, discusses London's transformation since the 1980s, highlighting the impact of democratic accountability and directly elected mayors. He also explores the critical decisions cities face by 2080, including environmental challenges and the need to design spaces that build community and connection.

05 November 2024

Listen to the podcast here

How do the spaces and places of London impact children and young people?

Katie Beck, Policy Fellow and Urban95 Academy Manager at LSE Cities joined the London Child Poverty Summit as a panellist discussing London as a city of contrasts exploring the physical and emotional implications of lacking public spaces for children and their caregivers.

14 October 2024

Read more about the session

The Paris Olympics are kicking off today.

Reflecting on the legacy of the 2012 Olympics on London and the local communities, Ricky Burdett explains what similar attempts to use the Olympic Games as a force for urban regeneration might mean for Paris and its surrounds.

26 July 2024

Watch the video

Are cities are emerging as a new kind of geopolitical actor?

Ben Rogers, Bloomberg Distinguished Fellow in Government Innovation and Director of the European Cities Programme at LSE Cities moderates a panel at the Munich Security Conference 2024 – City Catalysts: overcoming divides – Cities as strengtheners of democracy.

17 February 2024

Read more about the session
Learn more about the European Cities Programme

Leading Transport Transitions Executive Programme Kicks Off

At a time where urgent action for transformative sustainable mobility is needed, an innovative executive education programme Leading Transport Transitions (LTT) kicks off. This week 21 mayors and high-level transport leaders from emerging economies around the globe will start a transformative journey.

17 January 2024

Read more about the programme

New Research Partnership

The European Cities Programme and Eurocities are collaborating on a new joint research initiative that will explore how cities are tackling twenty first century challenges through government innovation. The research will build on data gathered in a new survey of innovation capacity in European city governments.

13 December 2023

Read more about the partnership and survey

Designing with Youth

Julia King speaks at COP28 with Claudia López as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Innovation Studio. 

02 December 2023

Read more and explore Julia's work

Hundreds more city leaders will benefit from LSE leadership programme

The Urban95 Academy a "benchmark for training programmes targeted at Municipalities" continues for a further three years. 

30 November 2023

Read more
Find out more about the Urban95 Academy

Reimagining Public Space in Kuwait

New article published about Kuwaitscapes, a card game to engage young people in conversations about public space provision in Kuwait. The game was created by LSE Cities research fellow Alexandra Gomes, with Sharifa Alshalfan, Asseel Al-Ragam, and Tanushree Agarwal as part of their reserach project supported by the Kuwait programme Academic Collaborations Grant funded by the LSE Middle East Centre Kuwait Programme and KFAS.

Read the article in English or Arabic
Explore the Project
Download, Print and play the game

Housing and the City: case studies of integrated urban design publication launch

On 16 and 17 October Ricky Burdett, Co-chair of the Council on Urban Initiatives, launched a new case study report – Housing and the City – at the Healthy City Design 2023 (HCD 2023) International Congress in Liverpool.

18 October 2023

Read more

New network of global research institutions to investigate urban spaces through linguistic dynamics

LSE Cities has joined a new network of global research institutions bringing together geospatial analysis and linguistics under the novel umbrella of Geolingual Studies.

26 September 2023

Read more about the network and its members

Governing, Designing and Educating Urban Futures symposium at the Venice Biennale

This public symposium brought together mayors, social scientists, designers and educators. The event recording is available to watch on YouTube and key discussion points have been summaried in a new blog. You can also read published interviews with some of the speakers.

31 August 2023

Learn more and find links to video, blog and articles

24 Hours in Brussels

New blog by two of the young people who joined the Seen and Heard project and the first LSE Cities Apprenticeship in City Design.

Keshav Harivardhan and Loshini Subendran tell us about their day in inthe Belgian capital when they collected a Eurocities award for ‘Young people co-creating public spaces’.

14 August 2023

Read the Blog
Explore the Seen and Heard Project
Learn more about the Apprenticeship in City Design and Samovar Space

Council on Urban Initiatives symposium at La Biennale di Venezia

The Council on Urban Initiatives  will be co-hosting a half-day symposium on 31 August 2023 at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Bringing together mayors, social scientists, designers, and educators, the session Governing, Designing and Educating Urban Futures will examine how innovations in urban governance, planning, and education can bring about transformative change, with a focus on new, inclusive, and socially progressive narratives.  

The symposium is free to attend and open to all 

10 July 2023

Learn more about the symposium in Venice
Learn more about the Council

Old Cities New Ambitions: the future of urban Europe

Our new publication captures our research, presenting new data and case-studies, and drawing together viewpoints from cities experts and urban leaders. It will discuss the needs, capacity challenges, and priorities faced by cities leaders; the development of post-growth agendas in many European cities and the challenges and opportunities these represent; developments in housing, transport, and climate policy; and the (slowly) changing demographic profile of European Mayors.

05 July 2023

Read the publication
Watch the event
Listen to the podcast 

What keeps us driving? Exploring sociodemographic patterns and underlying motives of mode choice in cities 

Despite existing policy interventions increasing the cost of car ownership and the attractiveness of alternative modes of transport, car use remains high in many cities. This new working paper research explores the application of methodologies traditionally used in consumer research to assess underlying factors influencing transport decisions, and perceptions of transport modes.

20 June 2023

Read the paper
Learn more about the research project 

Seen and Heard research and engagement project wins at Eurocities Awards 2023

LSE Cities' Seen and Heard research and engagement project has been adjudged the 2023 winner in the 'Young people co-creating public spaces' category at the 2023 Eurocities Awards. Led by LSE Cities' Policy Fellow, Julia King, Seen and Heard is a research and engagement project with Brent Youth Parliament and the Blueprint Collective commissioned by Brent London Borough of Culture. The annual Eurocities Awards recognise cities’ outstanding achievements in improving quality of life for local people, addressing Europe’s challenges at every level.

08 June 2023 

Watch the Seen and Heard short film
Learn more about Seen and Heard

Research cited in Homes England Local Government Capacity Centre Learning Programme session on Inclusive Spaces for Girls and Young People

Research from LSE Cities' Making Space for Girls project was cited in a Homes England publication designed to help local authorities understand the key elements of considering teenage girls in planning and where to access further information and support. 

06 June 2023

Read the publication
Learn more about Making Space for Girls

Ricky Burdett delivers keynote for High level session on Housing at United Nations Habitat Assembly in Nairobi

LSE Cities' Director and co-chair of Council on Urban  Initiatives keynote titled 'Inclusive and Integrated Housing: the building blocks of cities' at the second session of the UNHABITAT Assembly. 

06 June 2023

Watch the keynote

The Right to Housing: A Mission-Oriented and Human Rights Based Approach

This new Council on Urban Initiatives (CUI) working paper, authored by Co-Chair Mariana Mazzucato and Council Member Leilani Farha, brings together human rights and missions to equip all levels of governments to deliver secure, affordable, dignified and sustainable housing for all. The CUI is a collaboration between UN Habitat, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose and LSE Cities positioning urban issues at the heart of global debates.

01 June 2023

Read the paper
Learn more about the Council on Urban Initiatives

Seen and Heard project nominated for Eurocities Awards 2023

The annual Eurocities Awards recognise cities’ outstanding achievements in improving quality of life for local people, addressing Europe’s challenges at every level. LSE Cities' Seen and Heard research project has been nominated in the Young people co-creating public spaces category. Led by LSE Cities' Policy Fellow, Julia King, Seen and Heard is a research and engagement project with Brent Youth Parliament and the Blueprint Collective commissioned by Brent London Borough of Culture.

01 June 2023 

Explore the Seen and Heard nomination page
Learn more about Seen and Heard

Calling all Mayors and transport leaders from emerging economies eager to transform urban mobility

Leading Transport Transitions, an executive education programme for city leaders transforming urban mobility launched on today at the ITF 2023 Summit. This new tailored leadership programme will support city leaders to transform urban mobility. The programme is organised and delivered by a strategic partnership between the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI), the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and LSE Cities at the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

25 May 2023

Find out more and nominate (yourself or others) to take part

New paper on post-growth published in Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy

LSE Cities’ Ben Rogers, Nuno F. da Cruz, Francesco Ripa and Imogen Hamilton-Jones publish a paper that investigates the dissemination of post-growth ideas and policies across European cities. The article shows that, while these concepts and approaches have only recently begun to be linked to cities, interest in urban post-growth is rising steeply. It concludes with a discussion on what an urban post-growth agenda might look like.

16 May 2023

Access the article

Mapping Urban Sustainability Initiatives

A team of LSE Cities staff working with two undergraduate student researchers is developing a set of three complementary maps to help LSE students and staff exploit all of the urban sustainability initiatives on campus and with a 15-minute walk. The maps aim to raise awareness of all the local initiatives related to waste, food, green spaces and active travel and are being put together as part of the LSE's Green Impact Project 2023. 

04 May 2023

Explore the first map

Is Paris Shrinking?

Paris lost 75,000 inhabitants between 2014 and 2020. How can we interpret this decline in the population of Paris? Should we be worried? No, argues Jean-Louis Missika, Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE Cities and deputy mayor of Paris in charge of urban planning and Greater Paris from 2014 to 2020 in a new article for La Grande Conversation online journal.

28 April 2023

Read the article (available in English and French)

Analytics Note #06 | Local Democracy During Complex Emergencies

The Analytics Note #06 released as part of LSE Cities' Emergency Governance Initiative focuses on how responses to complex emergencies by cities and regions are rooted in democratic practices. It presents insights on the democracy pillars of participation, deliberation and good governance and the degree to which these are underpinned by digital era governance. 

27 April 2023

Read Analytics Note #06
Learn more about the Emergency Governance Initiative Research

Opinion Piece | Partnerships as an Urban Response to the Global Polycrisis

"Governance renewal for the coming decades will require adjusting our institutional structures to emergency mode, activating strategic partnership across and within territories, while dealing with live crises."

In an opinion piece for the April issue of Urban Solutions published by the Centre for Livable Cities Singapore, Philipp Rode, Executive Director of LSE Cities argues that domestic and international partnerships operating on multiple levels are what is needed for solving today’s complex crises.  

12 April 2023

Read the article
Learn more about the Emergency Governance Initiative Research

Research Roundtable: Creating a Sense of Place: How Inclusive and Green Design Can Build Stronger Communities

Part of LSE's series of levelling up events, this roundtable focused on how policymakers can create a ‘Sense of Place’. Hosted at the Brent Civic Centre, LSE Cities' Policy Fellow Dr Julia King shared research, ideas and best practice with councillors, planning officers, think tankers and community charities in a discussion led by LSE Cities' Ben Rogers, founder of Centre for London.

April 30 2023

Hear from the researchers and attendees in this video
Learn more about the roundtable and its conclusions

Young Researchers-in-Residence project shortlisted for Community-led Placemaking Award

The YRIR project, led by LSE Cities in collaboration with advocacy group Make Space for Girls and Countryside Partnerships, explores public realm experiences and spatial peer-research methodologies in sites across London. Working with young people, in particular young women, it is a new model for participation engaging a constituency normally excluded from planning and development processes.

The winner will be announced at the Planning Awards 2023 award ceremony on 8 June.

05 April 2023

Learn more about the Young Researchers-in-Residence Project
Explore the Planning Awards 2023 Shortlist

Public spaced designed by young people in Brent nomintated for an award

Samovar Space, the first of the four spaces to receive input from the young people involved in the LSE Cities Apprenticeship Programme, has been nominated for a Brent Design Award.

Led by Julia King, the programme is a new model for citzen participation where young adults are hired as researchers and learn through practice at the LSE.

14 March 2023

Vote for Samovar Square
Find out more about the Apprenticeship Programme

Young people investigate and design urban spaces across London

The Young Researchers-in-Residence (YRIR) is a multi-series peer-research project run by LSE Cities in collaboration with advocacy group Make Space for Girls and Countryside. It aims to further develop an inclusive peer-research methodology for young people across higher education and the built environment; to foster and teach skills in the social sciences and architectural fields to youths; and to collaboratively compile an evidence base on young people and young women’s experiences of and desires for the public realm.

08 March 2023

Learn more about Young Researchers-in-Residence 

Abu Dhabi (Dis)connected Exhibition

The visual output of a two-year research project investigating how road infrastructure affects urban life in Abu Dhabi. The photographs, all taken by the research team including Alexandra Gomes (LSE Cities), Apostolos Kyriazis (Abu Dhabi University), Clémence Montagne (consultant) and Peter Schwinger (consultant), show the fragmentation of the landscape and reveal the impact that roads have on local communities and neighbourhoods.

27 February–24 March 2023

Read about the exhibition

Council on Urban Initiatives (CUI) celebrates first anniversary

The CUI was set up by UN-Habitat, UCL IIPP, and LSE Cities to advocate for the power of cities to promote systemic change and progressive policymaking in order to achieve the goal of green, just, and healthy cities.

Read about its work and a new knowledge partnership with Impact on Urban Health.

03 November 2022

Read the news update

LSE Apprentices in City Design create a new public space in Brent

Five young adults from the LSE Apprenticeship in City Design programme have designed a new purpose-built public space situated on the iconic Olympic Way in Wembley Park.

Samovar Space, launched as part of a community event on Saturday 22 October, was delivered in partnership with and funded by Quintain, the developer behind Wembley Park. The space is expressly designed by and for young people in recognition of the value of their role in inclusive urban design.

28 October 2022

Read the news update
Learn more about the LSE Apprenticeship Programme
Explore Samovar Space

Reimagining Public Space Through Cards in Kuwait

New blog by Alexandra Gomes, Sharifa Alshalfan, Asseel Al-Ragam & Tanushree Agarwal about the ‘Kuwaitscapes’ card game developed from the LSE Kuwait Programme research project ‘Public Space in Kuwait: From user behaviour to policy-making‘ that aims at promoting a fun and engaged reflection and conversation about public space in Kuwait and those using it. 

19 October 2022

Read the blog

The importance of Metropolitan Indicators 

Today Nuno F. da Cruz speaks at MetroSolutions International Congress in Barcelona about LSE Cities research carried out in collaboration with Metropolis to develop a system of comparative indicators and collect the corresponding data for a range of major cities and metropolitan areas.

17 October 2022

Learn more about the congress
Read about the research

How to build sustainable knowledge legacies

This new blog reflects on the knowledge legacy potential of major infrastructure reconstruction programmes. It reviews the experience of the Executive Programme on Sustainable Urban & Regional Infrastructure Planning (LSE-PS) designed and delivered by LSE Cities. The programme trained 350 Peruvian public officials involved in Peru’s national reconstruction programme, which was initiated after the El Niño floods of 2017.

11 October 2022

Read the blog

Governance Renewal for Emergency Mode

As local and regional leaders from around the world convene at the UCLG 7^th World Congress in Daejeon, the strong, collective sense of global crisis will be impossible to ignore. A new blog by Philipp Rode discusses the vital role of city and regional governments in governing complex emergencies.

10 October 2022

Read the blog
Learn more about the Emergency Governance Initiative Research

LSE Cities research presented at Bloomberg CityLab 2022

Ricky Burdett and Ben Rogers attended the Mayors Innovation Studio at Bloomberg CityLab 2022 in Amsterdam with 40 Mayors from cities around the world. Research from our European Cities Programme on the effects of digital economy on city centres was presented and discussed with city leaders.

09 October 2022

Learn more about the European Cities Programme

The street as a barrier to better health in Middle Eastern Cities

Alexandra Gomes speaks at the 58th Isocarp World Planning Congress on her research with the LSE Middle East Centre investigating the impact of road infrastructure on urban life in Abu Dhabi.

05 October 2022

Explore the research

Kids teach city leaders a lesson at the London School of Economics 

This month 44 cities complete the third cohort of the Urban95 Academy to analyse how their cities measure up when it comes to support for their youngest and sometime most vulnerable citizens.

04 October 2022

Read the news update

Ricky Burdett Speaks at Singapore University of Technology and Design

Ricky Burdett, Director of LSE Cities is appointed Distinguished Fellow and Visiting Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC) in Singapore and gives two public lectures.

21 September 2022

Read the news update
Watch the Inaugral Lecture