Nicholas Boys Smith
FeaturesCome with me to Clamart: a postcard from a Parisian regenerative development that really works
British ‘regeneration schemes’ could learn a lot from the Clamart Panorama brownfield development near Paris, says Nicholas Boys Smith – above all the humility to ask people what they really like
OpinionNew towns. Old wisdom?
Nicholas Boys Smith celebrates the strengths and examines the flaws of the new towns task force’s recommendations and site list
OpinionThe search for somewhere: why traditional wisdom is increasingly shaping tomorrow’s places
Nicholas Boys Smith reflects on two days in Doha and a global conversation about traditional wisdom, local identity and the future of placemaking
OpinionPlanning more clearly is the way to delegate decision-making
Nicholas Boys Smith explores how collaboration, clarity, and existing legislation could help ensure the planning system works for all
ReviewWho was to blame for the unseaming of Britain’s cities?
Nicholas Boys Smith finds Simon Jenkins’ new book A Short History of British Architecture to be both a celebration and critique of British architecture, tracing two millennia of design while unflinchingly exposing the postwar attitudes that reshaped – and sometimes ruined – the nation’s cities
OpinionHow Coventry beat Paris and London on the road to the future
From the prioritisation of cars to residential zoning and a disinclination to rebuilding lost buildings, no British city tells the story of post-war planning better than Coventry, writes Nicholas Boys Smith
ReviewReview | Living Tradition: The Architecture and Urbanism of Hugh Petter
Hugh Petter’s work offers a much needed riposte to the orthodoxies of much architecture and urbanism over the last 60 years, writes Nicholas Boys Smith
OpinionWe now have the evidence that proves Jane Jacobs was right – it’s time we started acting on it
Many people are happy to name-drop Jane Jacobs, but fewer seem to have truly listened to and absorbed her message, writes Nicholas Boys Smith
OpinionPlanning reform is not just about money
There are other ways to ease the pressures on planning capacity, says Nicholas Boys Smith of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission
OpinionWhy we decided to write our own planning bill
Public consultation is widely treated with contempt. That is a costly mistake, argues Nicholas Boys Smith