This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at how cities around the world operate their visitor levies and what England can learn from their experiences. Using examples drawn from a range of countries and cities from major visitor destinations such as Barcelona and Amsterdam to smaller places such as Essen, Germany and...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at the lessons learnt from rules-based planning conducted in Croydon. This briefing analyses data from when the ‘Suburban Design Guide’ (SDG), a successful ‘experiment’ in rules-based planning conducted in Croydon from 2019 to 2022, was in place. It explains the SDG's success in raising housebuilding...

This report from UK think tank Re:State explores rebooting London's governance for a new era. London’s governance settlement is now more than 25 years old, designed for the capital as it was a quarter-century ago. While devolution has accelerated across England, London's governance has fossilised. City Hall is underpowered compared to its international peers and...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how devolved powers and mayoral influence have been used to improve transport connectivity. Improving transport connectivity is one of the central policy objectives of mayors across England. Mayoral strategic authorities hold a range of responsibilities for transport including producing local transport plans, regulating...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for London states that London must commit to a consistent, city-wide effort to address the root causes of child poverty. On December 5th 2025, national government released its long-anticipated Child Poverty Strategy – Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty. This set a 10-year mission to reduce...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities focuses on the cities that offer lessons for a government looking to raise living standards everywhere. Cities Outlook, our annual health check of the economic performance of urban Britain, offers a deep dive into the latest economic data on how UK cities are performing against a range...

This report from UK think tank the Growth and Reform Network looks at connecting disadvantaged neighbourhoods to new economic opportunities. Achieving higher levels of economic growth is one of the main objectives of the current government. However, for many neighbourhoods in England, high growth is a distant memory. The areas that most need economic growth...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities shows that London's suburban high streets are performing better than the rest of the country. Most of London’s suburbs outperform Brighton, Oxford and York city centres – three of the UK’s top five cities and towns for high street occupancy. High average incomes are the main...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities addresses exactly where British cities should increase density and how they can do it. Britain needs more homes – and it needs them in its cities. The housing crisis, inefficient urban transport, and the underperformance of major urban economies all point in the same direction: higher-density urban...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for London looks at capitalising on the strengths of Local London so all residents can live well, succeed and thrive. Local London is the capital’s largest and fastest-growing sub-region. It is home to 2.7 million people. It boasts 40% of London’s land and significant reserves of developable...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities explores how transport integration could improve public transport and support economic growth.   Transport is the wiring that allows urban economies to function. But this wiring is faulty in big UK cities outside of London. This presents a problem for a national government wanting to deliver...

This report from UK think tank City-REDI outlines ways for supporting social value by building two-way relationships between universities and VCSEs. Universities can play a vital role in enhancing social value for the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. This report outlines four main ways for supporting social value by building two-way relationships between...

This report from UK think tank Onward proposes the creation of a new sui generis (use of its own kind) residential building type for young professionals. This paper proposes the creation of a new sui generis (use of its own kind) residential building type for young professionals: Purpose Built Young Professional Accommodation (PBYPA). PBYPA will...

This report from UK think tank Localis centres on how local authorities can navigate investment risks and opportunities within a changing policy landscape. In her 29 January speech outlining the Government’s ‘Plan for Growth’, chancellor Rachel Reeves argued our cities will require focus on the two key areas of infrastructure and investment if they are...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities discusses how the UK's large cities have performed over the last 20 years. This briefing dives into the latest subregional productivity data to understand the trends over the past 20 years and what it can tell us about local and national economic performance. It shows that...