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Artwork for Open City

Open City

Open City
London
Housing Crisis
Affordable Housing
Social Housing
Architecture
Grenfell Tower
Community Engagement
Finsbury Health Centre
Urban Planning
Labour
Housing Targets
Urban Design
Elizabeth Line
Climate Change
Sustainability
Rachel Reeves
Council Housing
Public Health
Labour Party
Brutalist Architecture

Open City is a charity dedicated to making architecture and built heritage more open, accessible and equitable.

Providing you with essential listening, inspiring voices and built environment insights – the Open City Podcast covers news and current events as well as in depth studies of landmark buildings, and cities around the UK and world.

At the centre of our line-up is our flagship show The Brie... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes282Founded6 years ago
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DesignSociety & CultureArts

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Artwork for Open City

Latest Episodes

In this episode, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Samira Ahmed, journalist, broadcaster, presenter and President of C20, to discuss the BBC Television Centre. Opened in 1960 in White City, the building became one of the most recognisable homes of B... more

In this episode Matthew Lloyd Roberts was joined by Hannah Lund, Curator of Exhibitions and Displays at Leighton House and Sambourne House. Leighton House was built in Kensington by the Frederic Leighton, a painter, sculptor and president of the Roya... more

In this episode Matthew Lloyd Roberts was joined by the historian Katrina Navickas to discuss the history of Grosvenor Square in Mayfair as a site of protest and policing. From the early twentieth century the square was home to the US Embassy, and it... more

In this episode Fiona Chilton is joined by Miriam, who lives in rural Devon in a home that she bought together with two other households so that they could raise their families side by side. But the dream was more challenging in reality as they tackl... more

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Recent Guests

Hannah Lund
Curator of exhibitions and displays at Leighton House and Sambourne House in Kensington
Leighton House
Episode: Deconstructed: Leighton House - Art and Orientalism
Katrina Navickas
Professor of History at the University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
Episode: Deconstructed: Grosvenor Square - Protest and the State
Miriam Turner
Participant in communal housing project with three other families
Independent resident/participant in a multi-family rural housing arrangement
Episode: The Home That Made Me: 1 Plot, 3 Families
Judy Ovens
Co-founded Our Hut; author of Adventurous Vents
Our Hut / Adventurous Vents
Episode: Deconstructed: Culling Road Ventilation Shaft - Adventurous Vents
Selasi Setufe
Principal Project Officer at the Greater London Authority; Co-Founder of Black Females in Architecture
Greater London Authority; Black Females in Architecture
Episode: In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Healthy Competition
Rosa Rogina
Associate Director of Place Partnerships at New London Architecture; Director of the London Festival of Architecture
New London Architecture; London Festival of Architecture
Episode: In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Healthy Competition
Jonathan Hagos
Architects and Director of Freehaus; Mayors Design Advocate; UCL External Examiner
Freehaus
Episode: In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Healthy Competition
Chloë Phelps
Architects and Director at Grounded & BPTW; Chair of Thanet's Design Review Panel; Co-Chair of Camden's Design Review Panels
Grounded; BPTW; Design Review Panels
Episode: In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Healthy Competition
Henrietta Billings
Director of SAVE Britain's Heritage
SAVE Britain's Heritage
Episode: Four more new towns announced and the future of the Museum of London

Host

Open City Hosts
Contributors primarily responsible for hosting and moderating discussions across Open City's outputs, including architecture, planning and heritage topics.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 116 ratings
  • Good in parts

    This podcast is sometimes good.

    However sometimes it is just like listening to some left wing drunk in a pub making weak and naive and oversimplified and one sided arguments about why the tories are bad. Yawn. Please edit the naive bits out or get some guests who are capable of presenting two sides of an argument

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    TP¥
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • Love the podcast. Fast consumer city the East end cafe was painful listening though, 2 people shouting over each other. Heart in the right place but production / execution bit ropy. Loved episode otherwise

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Liam Flow
    4 years ago
  • Mix of interesting architecture news and simplistic, naive opinions.

    The principal presenters Merlin and Phin generally present interesting London based architecture news stories but co-presenters and guests increasingly are clearly reading from scripts which hugely detracts from their credibility. Also there is a consistent undercurrent of simplistic and naive opinions and critique given without suggesting any viable alternatives. Oh and seemingly there has to be at least one naive anti-police ‘story’ per episode.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    KCruns
    United Kingdom4 years ago
  • Great podcast

    Great podcast but it’s starting to sound obvious that guests are reading from a script in their responses sometimes. The podcast works best when it’s a dialogue.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Tomj_1979
    United Kingdom4 years ago
  • One of the best London podcasts

    I love how it is talking about the history of different places across London, how the politics tie into what’s going on and covering recent news. But what I appreciate the most is that it’s covering all Boroughs of London but just ‘oh here’s what’s happening in London Bridge’

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Daria00007
    United Kingdom5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Accessible yet rigorous, blending policy with design critiques.
Insightful coverage of London's built environment with strong historical context.
Guests are well-informed and the discussions feel grounded in real-world impact.
Consistent depth with a friendly, approachable host dynamic.
Audience appreciates practical implications for planning and heritage campaigns.

Top Society & Culture Podcasts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Deconstructed: Leighton House - Art and Orientalism
Q: What is unique about the Arab Hall, and how is its meaning discussed today?
The Arab Hall blends authentic tiles collected from Syria, Iran, and Turkey with a gold dome and a Quranic inscription that has been rearranged for visual effect; contemporary discussions question whether it should be read as exoticizing decoration or as a vehicle for renewed artistic resonance, prompting conversations about appropriation and representation.
Deconstructed: Leighton House - Art and Orientalism
Q: Who was Frederic Leighton and why did he choose to live in Holland Park?
Leighton was a leading Victorian painter and Royal Academy president who spent 30 years turning a house on Holland Park Road into a multifunctional artist's home—part studio, part gallery, and part social stage—to display his collection and project his public identity.
The Home That Made Me: 1 Plot, 3 Families
Q: To begin, can you take us back to London and the very first place you called home?
Miriam describes her early sense of home as focused on safety, love, and family support, and explains how her living situation shifted after her mother's death, leading to a nearby alternative home with a close-knit community that kept routine and schooling intact.
Deconstructed: Culling Road Ventilation Shaft - Adventurous Vents
Q: So, as an obvious question to start, what is a Ventilation Shaft? How do you define it?
Judy explains that a ventilation shaft is a means of bringing cool air into underground spaces while releasing heated or contaminated air, and emphasizes that shafts span from mines to modern urban infrastructure, often becoming architectural statements in the process.
Four more new towns announced and the future of the Museum of London
Q: OK, so what could campaigners or people listening to this podcast, who'd like to replicate this sort of success in Oldham, in their own communities, learn from this campaign?
She highlights dogged determination, building a passionate community group, early planning and securing backed governance, including a new trustees board, as key elements to making campaigns resilient and capable of delivering lasting outcomes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Open City

What is Open City about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show covers architecture, planning, urbanism, housing and heritage with a practical, policy-minded bent. Episodes frequently blend historical context with contemporary debates—from protest in public space and surveillance to housing models, heritage campaigns, and inclusive design in procurement and competitions. Listeners get thoughtful, expert perspectives from historians, practitioners, and community voices, often pairing design critique with real-world implications for cities and residents. A standout thread is the emphasis on accessibility and equity in the built environment, shaping conversations around public space, regeneration, and democratic participation. The format tends to mix deep dives, live debates, and campaign-backed ... more

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How many listeners does Open City get?

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What are the audience demographics for Open City?

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How many subscribers and views does Open City have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Open City has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Open City?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Open City:

1. THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST
2. The News Agents
3. The Louis Theroux Podcast
4. The Rest Is Politics
5. Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

How many episodes of Open City are there?

Open City launched 6 years ago and published 282 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Open City?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Open City?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Open City from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Open City?

Recent guests on Open City include:

1. Hannah Lund
2. Katrina Navickas
3. Miriam Turner
4. Judy Ovens
5. Selasi Setufe
6. Rosa Rogina
7. Jonathan Hagos
8. Chloë Phelps

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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