Olivier Sykes
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oliviersykes.bsky.social
Olivier Sykes
@oliviersykes.bsky.social
Discipline Lead for Planning & Senior Lecturer in European Spatial Planning at University of Liverpool
Happy Easter to all! 🐣
April 20, 2025 at 9:10 PM
At Llanfairfechan tonight for the final Calan concert in North Wales.
March 15, 2025 at 11:55 PM
The New Town skiffle group pictured in 1960!

Can we look forward to a wave of ‘New Tunes’ now that New Towns are on the agenda again in England?

We need something as we are past the usual ‘decade + 4’ rule when music usually begins to sort itself out in a decade! 😉🎶🎸
February 14, 2025 at 9:33 AM
So kind of colleagues and students to organise a surprise book cake for my 50th. Birthday today!

Thanks everyone!
January 21, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Olivier Sykes
Join us to hear the inspiring Professor Michael Dougan talking about all things European.
January 21, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Stunning winter sunset. Liverpool 15.01.25.
January 16, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Misty morning meadows Liverpool. 15.01.25
January 16, 2025 at 12:45 AM
North Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 jaunt to Eryri National Park for New Year 2025.
January 6, 2025 at 9:52 PM
A few views from the Saint John’s Beacon in Liverpool before it closes indefinitely to visitors on 31.12.2024.

Not the best weather but still worth it!
December 28, 2024 at 8:41 PM
Atmospheric Liverpool in the end of year fog.
December 28, 2024 at 8:46 AM
Did someone say something about supporting U.K. farmers?

We look forward to seeing Whitehall crammed with tractors sporting EU flags and rejoin banners in the New Year!

And wall-to-wall media coverage on the news channels and in the newspapers…

🚜🇪🇺
December 27, 2024 at 10:25 AM
December 22, 2024 at 10:06 AM
@livuniplanning.bsky.social Well done to all our Planning at the University of Liverpool graduates who graduated yesterday at the December University of Liverpool graduation ceremony! Students from all our programmes passed across the stage at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
December 11, 2024 at 8:36 AM
Reposted by Olivier Sykes
Seems that putting up trade barriers with our huge neighbouring trade bloc does not in fact make trade ‘free’, give us control or reduce red tape…
Seems it just means endless cost, hassle, form-filling, loss of competitiveness and ball-ache. For nothing.
liveapp.inews.co.uk/category/sma...
December 6, 2024 at 7:36 AM
Reposted by Olivier Sykes
Calling all Modernists, Brutalists and bus spotters! Our very own @christina-c20.bsky.social played a major part in saving design icon Preston Bus Station. Learn all about it here bit.ly/3VnZgHF #AcademicSky #Architecture
December 5, 2024 at 9:18 AM
Great, the far left working with the far right in France to sow chaos… And as history shows that always benefits progressive agendas right? 🤷‍♂️🤔🤦‍♂️🤡🥀
December 4, 2024 at 8:56 PM
At a time when local government funding and planning in England under a new government is in the news, this new chapter with @alexnurse.bsky.social, Sebastian Dembski, and Chris Couch takes a 'long view' on nearly half a century of regeneration policy in England.
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Talking about Regeneration – some reflections on 50 years of policy in England
This chapter reflects on nearly half a century of urban regeneration policy in England. It begins by discussing the genesis of regeneration policy in the ‘urban crisis’ of the 1970s and 19...
link.springer.com
December 4, 2024 at 12:31 AM
A complex and contested figure Mr. Churchill but the last line of this still resonates strongly today.
November 28, 2024 at 10:16 PM
This is getting there. At 100,000 signatures this will be considered for debate in Parliament.
Petition: Apply for the UK to join the European Union as a full member as soon as possible
I believe joining the EU would boost the economy, increase global influence, improve collaboration and provide stability & freedom. I believe that Brexit hasn't brought any tangible benefit and there ...
petition.parliament.uk
November 22, 2024 at 8:52 PM
Interesting contrast between the amount of coverage the news channels gave to the Inheritance Tax protests on Tuesday in the U.K. and that which was given to the repeated anti-‘Brexit’ protests - the largest of which had between 1.5 and 2 million marchers… If you want to talk about diddly squat…
November 21, 2024 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Olivier Sykes
New paper with @oliviersykes.bsky.social on what Labour's early actions on Levelling Up tell us about the direction of travel for English Governance and devo.

@livuniplanning.bsky.social

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
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journals.sagepub.com
November 18, 2024 at 8:24 AM
What a fail… How is the aspiration to be ‘Global Britain’ 😉 supposed to begin by cutting oneself off from the parts of the globe closest to Britain? 🤷‍♂️
November 19, 2024 at 8:03 AM
Reposted by Olivier Sykes
Planning sometimes needs to be in the national interest even if the significant effects are local. Democracy is not removed in these instances. The pendulum swings to central govt & parliament, not local govt. Citizens can still have a role, making the case for new local services & good design
November 19, 2024 at 6:53 AM