Paul Swinney
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paulswinney.bsky.social
Paul Swinney
@paulswinney.bsky.social
Chief Economist at The Data City. Formerly of Centre for Cities. Posting mainly about economics.
Lots of discussion recently on US ownership of UK AI activities. But what does the data say?

🔵US ownership is higher in AI than other 'frontier' sectors - 7% Al v 2% overall. So larger, but still small.

🔵But for large AI firms, US ownership rises to 30%...
October 8, 2025 at 11:23 AM
This is bad for the government's housebuilding targets, right?

Not necessarily...
September 26, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
First up...

The UK’s Industrial Strategy is back. But ambition needs evidence.

Our new report, Open Sourcing the Industrial Strategy, delivers the clearest IS-8 mapping yet - real-time data, frontier sectors, future-ready.

👉 thedatacity.com/reports/open...
Open Sourcing the Industrial Strategy - Reports - The Data City
thedatacity.com
September 23, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
After 16 years @paulswinney.bsky.social reflects on his career at Centre for Cities including some of his favourite research, cities and lessons learnt along the way 🎙️

Listen now 🎧 👇
buff.ly/PZMXf1B
August 27, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
If you haven't already, check out our latest #LEDConfidential episode with @paulswinney.bsky.social from @centreforcities.bsky.social on the UK's industrial strategy and what it means for local economic development in the country open.spotify.com/episode/0w9K...
Place before sectors? Rethinking UK industrial strategy with Paul Swinney
LED Confidential · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 30, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
NEW @centreforcities.bsky.social REPORT OUT TODAY!

In Planorama, Luka and I argue that if we want English planning to perform more like its international peers – Germany, France and Japan - it needs to BE more like them.

🧵 on what that means...
REPORT | Planorama: How the English planning system can learn from abroad 🌍

This report looks at the commonalities between France, Germany and Japan's planning systems, and how the English system differs.  

🧵👇
buff.ly/aiJzIL9
July 31, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
BLOG | Leaky buckets: how much spending do places lose to their neighbours? 🛍️

Big city centres pick the pockets of smaller neighbours for high street spend, while not doing enough to boost incomes in these neighbours.

Read the blog from @paulswinney.bsky.social👇
Leaky buckets: how much spending do places lose to their neighbours? - Centre for Cities
Big city centres pick the pockets of their smaller city neighbours for high street spend, while not doing enough to boost incomes in these neighbours.
buff.ly
July 17, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
Most discussion on 'how to save the high street' doesn't take a serious approach to what actually determines its performance in city centres.

Our new report (I think) provides the most comprehensive account yet. And it starts with the fact that: the high street is not in decline everywhere.

🧵👇
July 14, 2025 at 9:27 AM
I'm sure you've been told many times over that business rates are the cause of the woes of struggling high streets.

Here's why reforming them won't solve these woes.
No, business rates aren’t’ killing struggling high streets 🛍️

Business rates are frequently blamed for the woes of high streets, but much needed reform shouldn’t be done to ‘save’ them.

Read our latest blog from @paulswinney.bsky.social👇
No, business rates aren’t’ killing struggling high street - Centre for Cities
Business rates are frequently blamed for the woes of high streets, but much needed reform shouldn’t be done to ‘save’ them.
buff.ly
July 15, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Yesterday we launched the most comprehensive data analysis on the performance of the Great British high street I've ever seen.

Read the headlines here:
✍️ Too much shop, not enough chop: Why high streets are struggling — and what policy can do about it 🛍️

"Not all high streets are struggling, but it is the economy that is the root cause for those that are."

Read the blog from @paulswinney.bsky.social 👇
Too much shop, not enough chop: Why high streets are struggling — and what policy can do about it - Centre for Cities
Not all high streets are struggling, but it is the economy that is the root cause for those that are.
buff.ly
July 11, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
PODCAST | The varying performance of high streets 🛍️

@andrewcities.bsky.social and @paulswinney.bsky.social dive into why high streets perform differently from city to city and what can be done to turn around the centres most struggling.

Listen to the pod 🎧👇
City Minutes: The varying perfomance of high streets - Centre for Cities
Chief Executive Andrew Carter is joined by Paul Swinney, Director of Policy and Research, to discuss the findings of our latest report 'Checking out: The varying performance of high streets across…
buff.ly
July 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
✍️ Too much shop, not enough chop: Why high streets are struggling — and what policy can do about it 🛍️

"Not all high streets are struggling, but it is the economy that is the root cause for those that are."

Read the blog from @paulswinney.bsky.social 👇
Too much shop, not enough chop: Why high streets are struggling — and what policy can do about it - Centre for Cities
Not all high streets are struggling, but it is the economy that is the root cause for those that are.
buff.ly
July 10, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
🗣️ We asked Paul Swinney, @paulswinney.bsky.social, @centreforcities.bsky.social on 8 May about the impact of home working on 🏙️ towns and cities. Watch the clip below 👇
July 9, 2025 at 11:00 AM
What's the geography of the Government's chosen 8 sectors in the Industrial Strategy?

Here they are mapped using @thedatacity.bsky.social data.

They're currently very Greater South East focussed...
June 25, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
PODCAST | Reflections on the Industrial Strategy 🎙️

@andrewcities.bsky.social‬ is joined by @paulswinney.bsky.social‬ to discuss what the strategy means for the big city regions that sit at the heart of the plan and the elected mayors that represent them.

Listen now 🎧👇
City Minutes: Reflections on the Industrial Strategy - Centre for Cities
Chief Executive Andrew Carter is joined by Paul Swinney, Director of Policy and Research, for the Centre for Cities’ first reflections on today’s Industrial Strategy.
buff.ly
June 24, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
Big 'winners' are the 8 sectors and the big city regions and their MSAs.

More thoughts from @centreforcities.bsky.social to follow

4/ends
June 23, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
Sensible @paulswinney.bsky.social on the lack of devolution within devolution. Its actually interesting how Ireland, Scotland, and Wales all replicate English problems. And saying Scotland is "moved from one ill-fitting geography to another" is 😬.

www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
The missing piece in the big cities’ jigsaw: Why Glasgow needs a devolution deal - Centre for Cities
Why the UK and Scottish Governments should care about Glasgow and what could change with a devolution deal
www.centreforcities.org
June 17, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
🎙️ NEW PODCAST | Reflections on the Spending Review

@andrewcities.bsky.social and @paulswinney.bsky.social run through the key announcements on economic growth and what they mean for cities.

Listen now 🎧
www.centreforcities.org/podcast/city...
June 12, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Tell me you've been reading @centreforcities.bsky.social's work without telling me you've been reading @centreforcities.bsky.social's work (from today's spending review)
June 11, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Thumbs up to the chancellor's recommitment to city regions in today's speech & the confirmed investment in transport within them.

She will need to complement this with housing investment around new transport stops for it to have the largest possible impact:

www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
Measuring up: Comparing public transport in the UK and Europe's biggest cities - Centre for Cities
This report examined whether intra-urban public transport played a role in the underperformance of big British cities and set out the implications that transport had for the previous Government's leve...
www.centreforcities.org
June 4, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
Centre for Cities Chief Executive @andrewcities.bsky.social responds to Rachel Reeves plans to announce £15bn funding for tram, train and bus projects in mayoral authorities 👇
June 4, 2025 at 8:52 AM
I was in Wells in the South West yesterday, when I came across these two banners side by side.

I assume there was no irony in their placement. But it shows in a microcosm one of the challenges of building in this country.
June 2, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Reposted by Paul Swinney
Today @paulswinney.bsky.social‬ is at UKREiiF to launch our latest briefing on Build to Rent 🏗️🏘️

Read the briefing here👇
buff.ly/xYnZtwx
May 21, 2025 at 2:30 PM