Concrete Theory

Featuring Rob Cowan, urbanist, author of The Dictionary of Urbanism, and director at Urban Design Skills. Topics covered The Dictionary of Urbanism Anti-urbanism and alternative visions of the city The difficulty of creating streets Biased terminology in transport Cowan's Law - the coming and going of fashionable words Massive Small and criticisms of contemporary planning Architecture and the 'wow factor'

Featuring John Collins, a senior transport consultant specialising in rail franchising and rail markets for Steer Davies Gleave. Topics covered Big Data democratised How to use this info to make money The Meridian Divide and the cheap east coast Areas of Expensive Natural Beauty Airport damage and Crossrail potential Missed out on Stratford? Catch HS1 to Ebbsfleet and Ashford! The continuing demand for rail as people move further afield Oxbridge employment hubs and the geographical spread of employment

Featuring Paul Cheshire, professor of economic geography at the London School of Economics, and specialist in the economic effects of the planning system. Topics covered Inelasticity of housing supply The green belt and sprawl Congestion charging and transit-oriented development Intergenerational economic warfare (owners vs. renters) NIMBY: Generalised benefits to development, local costs Government loans to homebuilders Help to buy: economic absurdity and political opportunism Infrastructure spending in Cambridge Garden cities

Featuring Scott Clyne, a consultant specialising in transport infrastructure finance, and a committee member of the Transport Economists' Group. Topics covered The role of politicians in rail Quantifying rail subsidies Road user charging Media and public perceptions vs. economic arguments Increasing capacity with more revenue The painful privatisation process Halfway measures: a grotesque monster? Dancing to the state's tune?