All articles by jonn elledge
jonn elledge
The forgotten city: Why do we ignore Birmingham and the West Midlands?
There are over a million people in Birmingham. In the wider West Midlands metropolitan area, of which it’s the heart,…
Department of Transport boss warned ministers about risk Garden Bridge posed to taxpayer five months ago
Since April 2012, Philip Rutnam has been the permanent secretary – that is, the head – of the UK Department…
Sorry, minister, but grandparents aren't going to solve the housing crisis for you
It’s a rare thing for me to find myself any form of a trendsetter, but on one measure, it seems, I…
Random metro map of the week: Variable life expectancy in Greater Manchester
Oh, hey, this is cool. Researchers at the University of Manchester have made their own map of the city’s tram…
Which European cities have seen the worst unemployment?
The latest instalment of our weekly series, in which we use the Centre for Cities’ data tools to crunch some of…
Podcast: North and south
You know there are people – bad, mean people – who’ve been known to accuse CityMetric of being a bit London-centric. As the world’s…
Four thoughts inspired by three days in Birmingham
Last week, after returning from Labour conference in Liverpool, I wrote an article about both the city’s history and how…
Sadiq speaks: Is London really getting five new river crossings?
God. East London river crossings. You wait decades for one, and then five come along at once. They’re like buses,…
Chancellor Philip Hammond might have just taken the first steps to tackle the housing crisis
Okay, so this is weird. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is making an announcement about housing, and I think it…
This chart shows how badly Britain’s major cities are underperforming economically
The latest instalment of our weekly series, in which we use the Centre for Cities’ data tools to crunch some of…