The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
Where the 15-Minute City model falls short
Moving to Spain has convinced Kunle Barker that walkable access to nearby infrastructure isn’t enough. To foster community, he argues, we need social encounters, too
Opinion
Comment from leading voices in British architecture on news, practice and discourse
A century on from his birth, Colin Ward’s ideas are more relevant than ever
Cristina Monteiro hopes radical writer Colin Ward’s values of social justice, ethics, and empowerment can still guide us towards creating places where people can connect, feel authorship and be creative
The Coach: I’m 35, getting nowhere and I feel a failure
Most of your life won’t be newsworthy, being content with what we have can be the best way to feel fulfilled, writes Matthew Turner
Whipped up by election slogans, the housing debate is turning toxic
A recent community consultation about new homes was punctuated by the phrase ‘send them back’ – echoing the hostile and dangerous anti-immigration rhetoric of the Conservative Party’s election campaign, argues Jas Bhalla
Why Profitable Neighbourhoods could be the key to successful house-building
As the Labour government sets out plans for 1.5 million new homes, the term ‘profitable’ needs to be reclaimed to signify sustainable neighbourhoods that work for existing communities, argues Cany Ash
‘Edinburgh Council’s retrofit strategy is an Orwellian nightmare’
No-one is a winner under Edinburgh Council’s retrofit scheme, argues Mel Esquerre, retrofit campaigner with Living Rent, who says the programme is a classic example of retrofit being ‘done to’ residents, rather than led by them
Stirling Prize: ‘More forgettable and uninspiring than ever’
AJ deputy architecture editor Fran Williams takes a look at this year’s Stirling Prize contenders – and doesn’t find much to get excited about
Want your practice to be greener? Our group can help
The Heads of Sustainability group (HoS), established in the same year that Architects Declare launched, now numbers over 100 participants and is promoting a culture of real collaboration, says Diana Dina
The Coach: ‘I just drift from job to job. How can I make more of my career?’
The Coach advises an architect looking for a more focused career path
Could a solution to the housing crisis also save our high streets?
Thousands of new homes could be created from empty shops but we need to convince the public and planners about the benefits, says Lee Mainwaring