Between new taxes, a smoking ban and the economic downturn, many towns and cities in the UK may soon lose their local pubs.
"The public house has always held a unique place at the heart of British life: It's where families would congregate for Christmas Day and Sunday roasts, and where co-workers still can be found many nights, ushered out the door at 11 p.m. with the publican's famous farewell ('time, gentlemen, please') sounding fuzzily in their ears. A thousand years ago, the Domesday Book listed a fine of four shillings for selling poor-quality beer.
It's estimated that 2,000 British pubs will close this year. The first nail in the public house's coffin was, ironically, a measure to prolong life, the 2007 smoking ban. Tenacious owners who survived were then hit with two more mallets. First, the government introduced the beer tax [and] most pub landlords, required to buy beer from the breweries that own them, were faced with a hike in prices, which they passed on to customers.
If the taverns of London and Liverpool and Glasgow are weathering a storm, the forecast is just as glum for their country cousins. A report this week from the Institute for Public Policy Research said the village pub is at risk unless the government offers some relief in the form of tax breaks to landlords or planning protection against redevelopment. The demise of the town watering hole, the report says, will have 'a serious impact on the quality of local community life.' Many English villages are losing not just pubs but essential services - shops, post offices, schools and churches."
FULL STORY: Is it closing time for the British pub tradition?
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Meet NYC’s New Office of Livable Streets
The NYC DOT program will build on pandemic-era initiatives to promote safe and comfortable streets that enhance community and expand uses beyond just moving cars.
Transit Riders Face the Highest Safety Risks in These 10 States
According to federal data, the average number of safety incidents on public transportation averaged 55.2 per 100,000 people across all states between 2010 and 2023. Which states came in well above the national average?
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.