Tom Forth
@tomforth.co.uk
Same as @thomasforth on X. Gone back to Twitter for now. Quality filter, locations in bios, and polls pls. Leeds, Yorkshire, UK.
Reposted by Tom Forth
One of my favourite podcast chats to date so far, with @tomforth.co.uk on the north-south divide.
Turns out reason for the North’s poor productivity isn’t a centralised political culture causing low transport, investment, it’s because they’re drunks...
www.freewheeling.info/the-freewhee...
Turns out reason for the North’s poor productivity isn’t a centralised political culture causing low transport, investment, it’s because they’re drunks...
www.freewheeling.info/the-freewhee...
www.freewheeling.info
November 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM
One of my favourite podcast chats to date so far, with @tomforth.co.uk on the north-south divide.
Turns out reason for the North’s poor productivity isn’t a centralised political culture causing low transport, investment, it’s because they’re drunks...
www.freewheeling.info/the-freewhee...
Turns out reason for the North’s poor productivity isn’t a centralised political culture causing low transport, investment, it’s because they’re drunks...
www.freewheeling.info/the-freewhee...
I did a podcast episode seemingly. About the North South divide and its interaction with transport. With @freewheeling.info. So what better way for me to listen to it for the first time than on a slow train back to Leeds from Rotherham. Which is what I'll do right now.
November 13, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I did a podcast episode seemingly. About the North South divide and its interaction with transport. With @freewheeling.info. So what better way for me to listen to it for the first time than on a slow train back to Leeds from Rotherham. Which is what I'll do right now.
London is a great city. It didn't invent the steam locomotive or start the industrial revolution. That's fine. Its fans shouldn't claim it did. I wrote about that. tomforth.co.uk/greatestcity...
The Greatest City on Earth.
London is a great city, it doesn't need to claim it invented the steam locomotive or started the industrial revolution.
tomforth.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 3:31 AM
London is a great city. It didn't invent the steam locomotive or start the industrial revolution. That's fine. Its fans shouldn't claim it did. I wrote about that. tomforth.co.uk/greatestcity...
Reposted by Tom Forth
What to see how I turned thousands of live buses into charts like this? And what it all means for mayors wanting to integrate their public transport systems?
Come to see me talk about all this and more to our event at 1pm: www.centreforcities.org/event/report...
Come to see me talk about all this and more to our event at 1pm: www.centreforcities.org/event/report...
November 4, 2025 at 11:42 AM
What to see how I turned thousands of live buses into charts like this? And what it all means for mayors wanting to integrate their public transport systems?
Come to see me talk about all this and more to our event at 1pm: www.centreforcities.org/event/report...
Come to see me talk about all this and more to our event at 1pm: www.centreforcities.org/event/report...
"Evil or Irrelevant: pick one." > I wrote up why I'd usually prefer to have an 'evil' company succeeding in Leeds than a good one succeeding in London. (But really it's about Stoke-on-Trent). tomforth.co.uk/evilorirrele...
Evil or irrelevant: pick one.
Why I’d probably rather have an evil tech company in Leeds than a good one in London.
tomforth.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 8:18 PM
"Evil or Irrelevant: pick one." > I wrote up why I'd usually prefer to have an 'evil' company succeeding in Leeds than a good one succeeding in London. (But really it's about Stoke-on-Trent). tomforth.co.uk/evilorirrele...
Reposted by Tom Forth
Also includes a graph, for I am known for such things, on how Almere, the Netherlands' most successful new city has overtaken Lelystad, the Netherlands' most mocked new city in population since they were built on land reclaimed from the sea.
October 24, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Also includes a graph, for I am known for such things, on how Almere, the Netherlands' most successful new city has overtaken Lelystad, the Netherlands' most mocked new city in population since they were built on land reclaimed from the sea.
Reposted by Tom Forth
Includes a map I drew (actually traced) by hand (well in Inkscape) and styled myself (actually got Luke to help me). But it's a good map. I tried to get ChatGPT to draw it for me, but it was rubbish. So I did it with humans.
October 24, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Includes a map I drew (actually traced) by hand (well in Inkscape) and styled myself (actually got Luke to help me). But it's a good map. I tried to get ChatGPT to draw it for me, but it was rubbish. So I did it with humans.
Reposted by Tom Forth
I've written about the worst city in the Netherlands. It's just 3000 words. A quick read. What Lelystad teaches us about new cities, why you probably shouldn't build them, what to do if you must,... and why you might need to. ps. Lelystad is actually good. tomforth.co.uk/newcities/
The worst city in the Netherlands.
Lessons on New Cities from Almere and Lelystad.
tomforth.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 12:30 AM
I've written about the worst city in the Netherlands. It's just 3000 words. A quick read. What Lelystad teaches us about new cities, why you probably shouldn't build them, what to do if you must,... and why you might need to. ps. Lelystad is actually good. tomforth.co.uk/newcities/
I've written about the worst city in the Netherlands. It's just 3000 words. A quick read. What Lelystad teaches us about new cities, why you probably shouldn't build them, what to do if you must,... and why you might need to. ps. Lelystad is actually good. tomforth.co.uk/newcities/
The worst city in the Netherlands.
Lessons on New Cities from Almere and Lelystad.
tomforth.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 12:30 AM
I've written about the worst city in the Netherlands. It's just 3000 words. A quick read. What Lelystad teaches us about new cities, why you probably shouldn't build them, what to do if you must,... and why you might need to. ps. Lelystad is actually good. tomforth.co.uk/newcities/
Reposted by Tom Forth
You will learn more about the ongoing furore over asylum seekers in hotels from this incredible piece by @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social than from a hundred front page headlines.
The crumbling seaside palaces at the centre of Britain’s asylum crisis
How one hotelier built an empire from beloved community assets — and a government struggling to cope with a surge in migration
www.ft.com
September 13, 2025 at 11:44 AM
You will learn more about the ongoing furore over asylum seekers in hotels from this incredible piece by @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social than from a hundred front page headlines.
Reposted by Tom Forth
Continuing to have fun with this. This time it is Vietnam's proposed North–South Express Railway or Đường sắt cao tốc Bắc-Nam. Estimated to have 175-225 trains per day. Assumed 8 car CR400 trains running up to 350kph and Chinese fare rates.
September 2, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Tom Forth
I put together an Egypt HSR system and I got 1.75 billion riders
(obviously the Egyptian public cannot afford first world HSR fares but hot damn)
(obviously the Egyptian public cannot afford first world HSR fares but hot damn)
September 2, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Tom Forth
By default, the tool includes a dozen example networks to give an idea of how it works.
Take a look at for example:
France railmapper.net/project/fran...
US northeast railmapper.net/project/nort...
Indonesia railmapper.net/project/indo...
India railmapper.net/project/indi...
Take a look at for example:
France railmapper.net/project/fran...
US northeast railmapper.net/project/nort...
Indonesia railmapper.net/project/indo...
India railmapper.net/project/indi...
September 2, 2025 at 8:05 PM
By default, the tool includes a dozen example networks to give an idea of how it works.
Take a look at for example:
France railmapper.net/project/fran...
US northeast railmapper.net/project/nort...
Indonesia railmapper.net/project/indo...
India railmapper.net/project/indi...
Take a look at for example:
France railmapper.net/project/fran...
US northeast railmapper.net/project/nort...
Indonesia railmapper.net/project/indo...
India railmapper.net/project/indi...
Reposted by Tom Forth
I built a web tool so anyone can design and evaluate ridership and costs of high speed rail networks anywhere in the world:
railmapper.net
railmapper.net
Rail Mapper
Design and analyze high speed rail networks
railmapper.net
September 2, 2025 at 7:57 PM
I built a web tool so anyone can design and evaluate ridership and costs of high speed rail networks anywhere in the world:
railmapper.net
railmapper.net
One of the reasons I'm cautiously positive about Reform's rise is that messages like this will reach different people and be believed by more people when Reform say it. And they have been saying it a lot, all over the UK, on many issues, since they gained power. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Kent County Council warns of deepening social care crisis
Kent County Council says it is being forced to scale back preventative services due to lacking funding.
www.bbc.com
September 2, 2025 at 4:54 PM
One of the reasons I'm cautiously positive about Reform's rise is that messages like this will reach different people and be believed by more people when Reform say it. And they have been saying it a lot, all over the UK, on many issues, since they gained power. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Tom Forth
So THIS is what central government was using all these years whenever Leeds called asking for a metro system
August 20, 2025 at 8:20 PM
So THIS is what central government was using all these years whenever Leeds called asking for a metro system
Milwaukee & Chicago are a similar sized pair of cities a similar distance apart to Leeds & Manchester. The trains are half as frequent, but frequency doesn't seem to matter nearly as much as the trains being bigger, nicer, and cheaper. So US ridership is over twice as high. tomforth.co.uk/traindata/
August 18, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Milwaukee & Chicago are a similar sized pair of cities a similar distance apart to Leeds & Manchester. The trains are half as frequent, but frequency doesn't seem to matter nearly as much as the trains being bigger, nicer, and cheaper. So US ridership is over twice as high. tomforth.co.uk/traindata/
Reposted by Tom Forth
In most of the world, bigger cities have stronger economies. It happens in France, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, and on, and on. But not in Britain. In Britain, the bigger a city gets the weaker its economy is, except for London. This costs us dearly.
August 13, 2025 at 11:25 PM
In most of the world, bigger cities have stronger economies. It happens in France, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, and on, and on. But not in Britain. In Britain, the bigger a city gets the weaker its economy is, except for London. This costs us dearly.
In most of the world, bigger cities have stronger economies. It happens in France, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, and on, and on. But not in Britain. In Britain, the bigger a city gets the weaker its economy is, except for London. This costs us dearly.
August 13, 2025 at 11:25 PM
In most of the world, bigger cities have stronger economies. It happens in France, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, and on, and on. But not in Britain. In Britain, the bigger a city gets the weaker its economy is, except for London. This costs us dearly.
Really pleased to see JP go for this. Behind the scenes he's got so much done to increase growth and accelerate devolution for North England. Consistently more right and more polite than me. A bit less gobby, but we can work on that.
🚀 Introducing Future North - a Substack exploring the people, projects and ideas shaping the future of the North of England.
First post below - please subscribe to get new posts directly to your inbox!
futurenorth.substack.com/p/why-future...
First post below - please subscribe to get new posts directly to your inbox!
futurenorth.substack.com/p/why-future...
Why Future North
Now 80%, soon 100%!
futurenorth.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Really pleased to see JP go for this. Behind the scenes he's got so much done to increase growth and accelerate devolution for North England. Consistently more right and more polite than me. A bit less gobby, but we can work on that.
Reposted by Tom Forth
I think it's more useful to think about productivity than wealth. And yes, very much a UK second city problem, as this plot I've pinched from @tomforth.co.uk makes clear
July 23, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I think it's more useful to think about productivity than wealth. And yes, very much a UK second city problem, as this plot I've pinched from @tomforth.co.uk makes clear
Reposted by Tom Forth
Is Manchester really turning into London?
No. London is a very unequal city, but Manchester is both more equal than London, & significantly poorer.
A plot comparing spatial inequalities in household incomes (after housing costs) in GM and London
(inspired by an earlier version by @tomforth.co.uk)
No. London is a very unequal city, but Manchester is both more equal than London, & significantly poorer.
A plot comparing spatial inequalities in household incomes (after housing costs) in GM and London
(inspired by an earlier version by @tomforth.co.uk)
July 23, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Is Manchester really turning into London?
No. London is a very unequal city, but Manchester is both more equal than London, & significantly poorer.
A plot comparing spatial inequalities in household incomes (after housing costs) in GM and London
(inspired by an earlier version by @tomforth.co.uk)
No. London is a very unequal city, but Manchester is both more equal than London, & significantly poorer.
A plot comparing spatial inequalities in household incomes (after housing costs) in GM and London
(inspired by an earlier version by @tomforth.co.uk)
Wrote a paper. Read the paper. Seems okay. You can read it too. The pub is now much fuller than my reading on X. niesr.ac.uk/publications...
July 9, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Wrote a paper. Read the paper. Seems okay. You can read it too. The pub is now much fuller than my reading on X. niesr.ac.uk/publications...
How do we get great graduates into great jobs more quickly? We're trying a new thing at The Data City to make that happen. It might work, it might not. I guess we'll find out in 8 weeks when our first ever data science fellowship completes. Let's see. github.com/TheDataCity/...
github.com
July 2, 2025 at 10:00 AM
How do we get great graduates into great jobs more quickly? We're trying a new thing at The Data City to make that happen. It might work, it might not. I guess we'll find out in 8 weeks when our first ever data science fellowship completes. Let's see. github.com/TheDataCity/...
Unsurprisingly the panel will not feature me, because I will not be there. Which probably means it will be even better and you should go!
🚨 How can the UK embed pro-productivity policy across govt? 🔗 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/joining-up...
Join TPI & @niesrorg.bsky.social on 9 July in London for a new publication launch & panel feat. @tomforth.co.uk, @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social, @bartvanark.bsky.social, @annavignoles.bsky.social & more.
Join TPI & @niesrorg.bsky.social on 9 July in London for a new publication launch & panel feat. @tomforth.co.uk, @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social, @bartvanark.bsky.social, @annavignoles.bsky.social & more.
June 29, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Unsurprisingly the panel will not feature me, because I will not be there. Which probably means it will be even better and you should go!