Nick Simpson
@iamnicksimpson.bsky.social
Architecture | Sustainability | Politics | Passivhaus | Cycling | Cities | EU
Pinned
Nick Simpson
@iamnicksimpson.bsky.social
· Nov 27
Going to give this Passivhaus starter pack a bump, with so many people having joined recently.
If you know of someone who should be added, please let me know.
go.bsky.app/K4gWTBi
If you know of someone who should be added, please let me know.
go.bsky.app/K4gWTBi
Reposted by Nick Simpson
How ambitious ‘forest city’ plan for England could become a reality
How ambitious ‘forest city’ plan for England could become a reality
Cross-party coalition behind proposals hope eco-friendly scheme for million people could begin before end of decade
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:06 AM
How ambitious ‘forest city’ plan for England could become a reality
Reposted by Nick Simpson
What if I told you that the entire point of the COPs is, at root, to single out their key export
November 22, 2025 at 10:19 PM
What if I told you that the entire point of the COPs is, at root, to single out their key export
Reposted by Nick Simpson
"Our research at Newcastle University was the first to show a direct link between street lighting and local insect declines"
A new European research initiative, SAFELUX – The Light We Need, is to transform how we light our roads at night. ⬇
https://bit.ly/49TlB7N
#WeAreNCL
A new European research initiative, SAFELUX – The Light We Need, is to transform how we light our roads at night. ⬇
https://bit.ly/49TlB7N
#WeAreNCL
November 22, 2025 at 11:52 AM
"Our research at Newcastle University was the first to show a direct link between street lighting and local insect declines"
A new European research initiative, SAFELUX – The Light We Need, is to transform how we light our roads at night. ⬇
https://bit.ly/49TlB7N
#WeAreNCL
A new European research initiative, SAFELUX – The Light We Need, is to transform how we light our roads at night. ⬇
https://bit.ly/49TlB7N
#WeAreNCL
More of this please: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
M6 Tebay tree growing project 'changed my life' - BBC News
A Cumbrian charity is helping people improve their mental health through a new project outdoors.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 12:10 PM
More of this please: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Nick Simpson
Welcoming Ouseburn Councillor Alistair Chisholm to Newcastle Green Party! 💚
“Residents tell me they feel let down by Labour — and I can’t tell them they’re wrong.
(1/4)
“Residents tell me they feel let down by Labour — and I can’t tell them they’re wrong.
(1/4)
November 20, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Welcoming Ouseburn Councillor Alistair Chisholm to Newcastle Green Party! 💚
“Residents tell me they feel let down by Labour — and I can’t tell them they’re wrong.
(1/4)
“Residents tell me they feel let down by Labour — and I can’t tell them they’re wrong.
(1/4)
Reposted by Nick Simpson
At least the 2008 crash was about a bet that housing would never decline. The next one will be about betting that six companies who sell each other magic beans would never decline
November 17, 2025 at 8:08 PM
At least the 2008 crash was about a bet that housing would never decline. The next one will be about betting that six companies who sell each other magic beans would never decline
Reposted by Nick Simpson
This is what many of us have been saying. Part 3 of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill is based on a myth: that we don't have enough homes because wildlife and green spaces are protected. It will solve nothing, and inflict terrible harm on our remaining ecosystems
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Nature not a blocker to housing growth, inquiry finds
Commons committee report challenges ‘lazy narrative’ used by ministers that scapegoats wildlife and the environment
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:12 PM
This is what many of us have been saying. Part 3 of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill is based on a myth: that we don't have enough homes because wildlife and green spaces are protected. It will solve nothing, and inflict terrible harm on our remaining ecosystems
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
This is all happening against a backdrop of a crippling housing shortage. The system is utterly broken.
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/12/c...
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/12/c...
Construction employment sinks to 24-year low
Direct employees now falling faster than self-employed as costs bite
www.constructionenquirer.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:12 PM
This is all happening against a backdrop of a crippling housing shortage. The system is utterly broken.
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/12/c...
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/12/c...
Reposted by Nick Simpson
Time to face up to this.
"Research released this month by economists at the Bank of England, the Bundesbank, King’s College London and the universities of Stanford and Nottingham underscored the economic hit from leaving the EU. Brexit had reduced UK GDP by 6-8%"
on.ft.com/4p1NoHv
on.ft.com/4p1NoHv
Rachel Reeves signals she will break manifesto pledge with Budget tax rises
Chancellor hopes to win support from Labour MPs by lifting two-child benefit cap
on.ft.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Time to face up to this.
Reposted by Nick Simpson
This is not good
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/04/b...
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/04/b...
Building control giant Assent ceases trading
Shockwaves to hit Building Safety Regulator approval process
www.constructionenquirer.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:26 PM
This is not good
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/04/b...
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/04/b...
All while the country is in the midst of a crippling housing shortage.
The architecture industry should be drowning in profitable work.
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/number-...
The architecture industry should be drowning in profitable work.
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/number-...
Number of architectural businesses in distress up by almost 20%
There has been a significant rise in the number of architectural firms in danger of insolvency, new data shows
www.architectsjournal.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 6:09 PM
All while the country is in the midst of a crippling housing shortage.
The architecture industry should be drowning in profitable work.
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/number-...
The architecture industry should be drowning in profitable work.
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/number-...
Reposted by Nick Simpson
#sundaypixbooks my free little library which brings me SO MUCH JOY!
A wonderful neighbour made it for me after me trying and failing via ‘men’s sheds’ for about 5 years. Sometimes I hear the lovely conversations of people perusing the library. It’s wholesome. It’s joyful. Create or visit one! 📚
A wonderful neighbour made it for me after me trying and failing via ‘men’s sheds’ for about 5 years. Sometimes I hear the lovely conversations of people perusing the library. It’s wholesome. It’s joyful. Create or visit one! 📚
November 2, 2025 at 4:41 PM
#sundaypixbooks my free little library which brings me SO MUCH JOY!
A wonderful neighbour made it for me after me trying and failing via ‘men’s sheds’ for about 5 years. Sometimes I hear the lovely conversations of people perusing the library. It’s wholesome. It’s joyful. Create or visit one! 📚
A wonderful neighbour made it for me after me trying and failing via ‘men’s sheds’ for about 5 years. Sometimes I hear the lovely conversations of people perusing the library. It’s wholesome. It’s joyful. Create or visit one! 📚
Reposted by Nick Simpson
“Since [Paris Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social took] office, Paris has planted over 200K trees with a pledge to add 170K more by 2026. Urban forests are being created near landmarks like the Hôtel de Ville, Gare de Lyon, & Opéra Garnier, with plans to cover 50% of the city with planted areas by 2030.“
Anne Hidalgo: Transforming Paris into a Green Metropolis for a Sustainable Future
Pic: Ms Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris (Source: ChatGPT)
medium.com
November 1, 2025 at 11:30 PM
“Since [Paris Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social took] office, Paris has planted over 200K trees with a pledge to add 170K more by 2026. Urban forests are being created near landmarks like the Hôtel de Ville, Gare de Lyon, & Opéra Garnier, with plans to cover 50% of the city with planted areas by 2030.“
Reposted by Nick Simpson
When we look at this massacre and many more perpetrated by the RSF, let's be clear who funds, equips & sustains them. It's the UAE. Yes, the same UAE that might own your football club, fly you on your holidays, invests in our national infrastructure. If boycotts work, we should be boycotting now.
“Individuals on the ground sent a message that reached us Monday morning that 1,200 were dead,” Nathaniel Raymond, the lab’s executive director, said. “By that evening, they said 10,000. By Tuesday, we couldn’t reach them anymore. We assume our ground contacts are dead.”
Yale lab reports mass killings in Sudan, calls for student activism
The Humanitarian Research Lab was told this week that over 10,000 people in Sudan were killed within three days.
yaledailynews.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:59 PM
When we look at this massacre and many more perpetrated by the RSF, let's be clear who funds, equips & sustains them. It's the UAE. Yes, the same UAE that might own your football club, fly you on your holidays, invests in our national infrastructure. If boycotts work, we should be boycotting now.
Reposted by Nick Simpson
It is not true “England cannot effectively subsidise travel costs”. Retired people get free travel. By freezing the fuel duty escalator we are subsidising car drivers, which compounds inequality. See more here: bettertransport.org.uk/media/groups...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
No free bus passes for under 22s, says goverment
The Commons Transport Committee recommended scrapping bus fares for young people in August.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 2, 2025 at 7:48 AM
It is not true “England cannot effectively subsidise travel costs”. Retired people get free travel. By freezing the fuel duty escalator we are subsidising car drivers, which compounds inequality. See more here: bettertransport.org.uk/media/groups...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Nick Simpson
Jesus Christ. We go mad about one bloke we wrongly released, yet hear next to nothing about this horror? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
More than 50 child asylum seekers still missing after disappearing from Kent care
Council data obtained by the Guardian shows 345 children have gone missing in recent years, many probably taken by traffickers
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Jesus Christ. We go mad about one bloke we wrongly released, yet hear next to nothing about this horror? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
A switch to a Proportional Representation system of voting is long overdue.
The current system can’t withstand the fluidity and choice within our politics anymore. This problem isn’t going to go away.
The current system can’t withstand the fluidity and choice within our politics anymore. This problem isn’t going to go away.
So either Labour need to ask candidates to step aside for the Greens to take on Reform....
Or actually bring in a fair democratic process where everyone's votes count equally.
It's time for Proportional Representation.
www.thenational.scot/news/2558507...
Or actually bring in a fair democratic process where everyone's votes count equally.
It's time for Proportional Representation.
www.thenational.scot/news/2558507...
'Just getting started': Zack Polanski reacts as Greens SECOND in new poll
ZACK Polanski has welcomed a new poll putting his party in second place at Westminster.
www.thenational.scot
November 1, 2025 at 1:48 PM
A switch to a Proportional Representation system of voting is long overdue.
The current system can’t withstand the fluidity and choice within our politics anymore. This problem isn’t going to go away.
The current system can’t withstand the fluidity and choice within our politics anymore. This problem isn’t going to go away.
Reposted by Nick Simpson
After a week of faffing around the @dailymail.co.uk have agreed to apologise. Here it is. Fingers crossed for fewer lies/smears dressed up as news in future
November 1, 2025 at 12:31 PM
After a week of faffing around the @dailymail.co.uk have agreed to apologise. Here it is. Fingers crossed for fewer lies/smears dressed up as news in future
A 10% increase in the cost of staying an architect.
Worth every penny, right..?
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/arb-inc...
Worth every penny, right..?
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/arb-inc...
ARB increases annual fee by 10% as architect numbers shrink
The Architects Registration Board (ARB) has increased its annual fee by 10 per cent to £225, blaming the rise, in part, on a drop in the number of registered architects
www.architectsjournal.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
A 10% increase in the cost of staying an architect.
Worth every penny, right..?
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/arb-inc...
Worth every penny, right..?
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/arb-inc...
Reposted by Nick Simpson
At some point it has to become clear that this tech exists is to create a more toxic society and enrich its owners. These uses are not aberrations but rather the entire purpose.
OpenAI's Sora 2 Can Generate Videos of Celebrities Appearing to Shout Racial Slurs
OpenAI's Sora 2 video generation model can be exploited to push misinformation and depict public figures behaving badly despite promised guardrails.
www.rollingstone.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:07 PM
At some point it has to become clear that this tech exists is to create a more toxic society and enrich its owners. These uses are not aberrations but rather the entire purpose.
Reposted by Nick Simpson
‘Streets and other “grey” spaces, such as car parks, pavements and back alleys, have historically been the places where children predominantly played… These are also the spaces in which children choose to play, when the conditions are right.’ Brilliant article by @alisonstenning.bsky.social
October 23, 2025 at 5:08 PM
‘Streets and other “grey” spaces, such as car parks, pavements and back alleys, have historically been the places where children predominantly played… These are also the spaces in which children choose to play, when the conditions are right.’ Brilliant article by @alisonstenning.bsky.social
Reposted by Nick Simpson
Hadn’t, in truth, really absorbed the scale of what the Conservatives are proposing on ILR and immigration more broadly until this week’s Sunday Times interviews. Some thoughts on that in today’s note:
Tory deportation plan would upend Britain
Proposing such a radical bill with little public support is a gift to Nigel Farage
www.ft.com
October 23, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Hadn’t, in truth, really absorbed the scale of what the Conservatives are proposing on ILR and immigration more broadly until this week’s Sunday Times interviews. Some thoughts on that in today’s note:
Reposted by Nick Simpson
Reposted by Nick Simpson
BREAKING: “There is no doubting that the impact of Brexit is severe and long lasting” says Chancellor Rachel Reeves
It’s about time!
It’s about time!
October 15, 2025 at 6:16 AM
BREAKING: “There is no doubting that the impact of Brexit is severe and long lasting” says Chancellor Rachel Reeves
It’s about time!
It’s about time!