Karl Dickinson

Urban manufacturing needs a range of suitable spaces to thrive. Diversifying the uses within buildings, blocks, and neighbourhoods opens up considerable gains: we should consider co-location as a primary tool for making cities more resilient. Here we explore the advantages, review the challenges, and explain how to create a...

Cities of Making advocates for establishing the role of a city Curator to change perceptions, fight urban manufacturing’s corner, and facilitate its growth. But what exactly can this champion achieve, and how can you set one up in your city? What Is a Curator? Foundries of the Future defines the Curator...

Transport is integral to urban manufacturing. It is the gateway to resources and the marketplace. Businesses rely on the logistics that links them with staff, partners, and clients. Cities aiming to (re)build and develop a production base should be designing infrastructure with makers in mind. That includes private and...

A Curator has the power to unlock a city’s manufacturing potential, but how exactly can we go about getting one in place? We look at who best fits the role in your city, set out the steps you need to follow, and examine the options for the trickiest part...

Manufacturing in its many manifestations creates mountains of waste. This presents an opportunity. With the correct systems in place, waste becomes a resource and opens the door to innovative businesses, job creation, and economic growth, all while mitigating making’s impact on the environment. “Cities are accumulators of vast amounts of...

The 21st-century European city is an amalgamation of the old and new. Contemporary manufacturing is heavily influenced by what came before. This heritage is key to its identity, survival, and revival, but time has also shaped our cities physically and culturally. So, what can we learn from a city’s...

When drivers don’t observe – or know! – traffic laws, people can get hurt. A quirky idea expanding through Africa is making streets safer by educating motor users about courteous driving. It’s called the Kids’ Court, and as the name suggests, it’s putting the power into the hands of...

Urbanisation in the post-industrial age led to the burial of waterways to make way for buildings, roads, and public spaces. Water, though, cushions the blow of climate change, so many cities are raising channels from the deep. It’s expensive, but the benefits pay dividends many times over. In autumn 2024,...

Diversifying cultural representation in architecture extends a sense of belonging to communities that have long been hidden. Reanna McKay tells us how Indigenous urban design and place markers are rolling back centuries of exclusion in the Canadian city of Winnipeg and explains how traditional knowledge holds the secrets to...

Create a more equal world is a lot of work. We not only have to build inclusive cities, but first dismantle the long-established and accepted systems that stand in our way. It can be a lot to get to grips with, but as a starting point this easy-reference glossary...

Understanding children’s experiences of cities exposes new opportunities for inclusive design. The trick is knowing how to properly engage them. Gold Coast transport planner Luisina Perassi has made it easy – even collating a toolkit to prove it. She tells us that the intention was to get young voices...

Engaging children in urban design and planning activities can increase interest in these professions in later years. It also provides perspectives infrequently considered in architecture, which are fundamental to building inclusive, sustainable cities. The municipal library might not be where you’d expect to find a group of youngsters enthusiastically engrossed...

Inefficient building envelopes are huge carbon emitters. Retrofitting promises results but the time left to attain climate targets is narrowing. This calls for urgent, scaled-up action. With an abundance of social housing, city authorities can make significant inroads. Edinburgh is one such city that has given it a go....

How do we unlock urban agriculture’s potential? By improving policies, spreading knowledge, and implementing a supportive network. This is the work of European Forum on Urban Agriculture, an EU project determined to help urban agriculture reach its potential. So, what can cities take from the project and how can...

In ageing societies like Europe, young people have little of the political power needed to influence decisions that impact their lives. As a group for whom sustainability is a prominent concern, futureproofing cities relies on their involvement in the democratic process. That’s what motivated Hanah Lahe to make a...

Space in cities is limited. Urban farming signals better times for food security but if there’s a future in it, we need to find ways to make it fit around existing land uses. When room on rooftops runs out, then what? Rotterdam’s floating dairy farm is an example making...

In cities struck by economic downturn and decay, we might hear the term ‘urban regeneration’ bandied round as a catalyst for improvement. But it’s about more than just throwing money at a problem. Young Leader alumni Luis Obregon argues that, when done well, regeneration can confidently deal with the...

Meat may be one of the most controversial topics in sustainability discourse. It’s a major contributor to climate change emissions, for one, and vegan advocates have a hard time convincing diehard carnivores to change their ways. Frank Hollemen scales the in-between: he set up Fork Ranger to raise awareness...