Insights

For eighty years, Britain has been trying to live up to this promise: "Build the homes the nation needs." For those same eighty years, governments have fallen short. Britain became the nation that stopped building. The cost is paid not just in rent and mortgages, but in productivity, mobility and generational fairness. We used to understand homes were as vital to national wellbeing as hospitals, railways or energy grids, though. So, how did we end up setting smaller targets and still missing them?

As one region, Greater Manchester's rise has been stratospheric - but big things are happening within the 10 individual boroughs. Over two decades of investment, devolved power and connectivity have created a patchwork of growth in Greater Manchester, with different districts pulling their weight in different ways. The trick now? Knowing how they piece together...and how they stack up against London.

When it comes to regeneration, the UK loves to lead with PR. A nice slogan here, a fancy bit of CGI there and a soft-touch masterplan. But over in Europe, the most successful neighbourhoods grew from frameworks. Clear, civic enforceable frameworks backed by patient delivery and long-term political courage. What can we learn from them and how can we switch modes?

Wrocław is one of Europe's most quietly successful regeneration stories. Once heavily damaged during World War II, then constrained by decades of underinvestment under communism, the city entered the 1990s with aging housing stock, fragmented infrastructure and a shrinking sense of confidence. What followed was not a single flagship project, but a long-term, coordinated commitment to rebuilding the city as a place to live, not just a place to pass through.