Urban Retrofit
@urbanretrofit.bsky.social
Scaling up place-based adaptations to the built environment through planning and development systems.
urbanretrofit.ac.uk
urbanretrofit.ac.uk
📍 We are pleased to share that our work on converting commercial buildings into residential properties in Canadian cities was recently written up in one of Canada’s main daily newspapers, @theglobeandmail.com
📖 Read here: www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/...
📖 Read here: www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/...
The big payoff in converting old office buildings to residential use
Done right, it’s a win-win for housing and the environment
www.theglobeandmail.com
August 26, 2026 at 10:36 AM
📍 We are pleased to share that our work on converting commercial buildings into residential properties in Canadian cities was recently written up in one of Canada’s main daily newspapers, @theglobeandmail.com
📖 Read here: www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/...
📖 Read here: www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/...
🏢Pall Mall is a deep retrofit of a Grade II listed office building located in Manchester, UK.
💡It has been transformed from a 1960s office building into a modern, sustainable hub for innovation, technology and science sectors.
💡It has been transformed from a 1960s office building into a modern, sustainable hub for innovation, technology and science sectors.
June 17, 2026 at 2:12 PM
🏢Pall Mall is a deep retrofit of a Grade II listed office building located in Manchester, UK.
💡It has been transformed from a 1960s office building into a modern, sustainable hub for innovation, technology and science sectors.
💡It has been transformed from a 1960s office building into a modern, sustainable hub for innovation, technology and science sectors.
💡 Efficiency-led retrofit projects have enormous potential to transform urban decarbonisation, provided policy, finance, and delivery mechanisms work together effectively.
June 3, 2026 at 2:25 PM
💡 Efficiency-led retrofit projects have enormous potential to transform urban decarbonisation, provided policy, finance, and delivery mechanisms work together effectively.
🏠 The delivery of genuinely affordable, secure and socially supportive housing has emerged as a defining challenge across the urban retrofit landscape. These two recent additions to our case study library demonstrate different ways cities across Canada are exploring affordable housing delivery.
June 2, 2026 at 3:56 PM
🏠 The delivery of genuinely affordable, secure and socially supportive housing has emerged as a defining challenge across the urban retrofit landscape. These two recent additions to our case study library demonstrate different ways cities across Canada are exploring affordable housing delivery.
📢Urban Retrofit Co-Investigator and Planning Authorities Co-Lead Hannah Hickman (Assoc. Prof of Planning Practice at the @uwebristolofficial.bsky.social) is speaking at the @rtpiplanners.bsky.social 'Academia into planning practice' seminar on 11 June 2026.
May 14, 2026 at 10:42 AM
📢Urban Retrofit Co-Investigator and Planning Authorities Co-Lead Hannah Hickman (Assoc. Prof of Planning Practice at the @uwebristolofficial.bsky.social) is speaking at the @rtpiplanners.bsky.social 'Academia into planning practice' seminar on 11 June 2026.
💡 District-scale retrofits engage many more actors, more complex administrative structures and much larger budgets than building retrofits.
May 12, 2026 at 1:31 PM
💡 District-scale retrofits engage many more actors, more complex administrative structures and much larger budgets than building retrofits.
💡 'Bristol City Leap' is a world-first approach to decarbonisation at city scale. Delivering modernised and reliable heating, and creating social value in local communities, learn more about this Energy & Efficiency case study shared by the team at Vattenfall Heat UK for our case study bank.
Read👇
Read👇
Vattenfall and Bristol City Leap - Urban Retrofit
urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk
May 8, 2026 at 1:21 PM
💡 'Bristol City Leap' is a world-first approach to decarbonisation at city scale. Delivering modernised and reliable heating, and creating social value in local communities, learn more about this Energy & Efficiency case study shared by the team at Vattenfall Heat UK for our case study bank.
Read👇
Read👇
💡This new paper from Urban Retrofit project team Prof James White and Dr Jeff Biggar in Planning Practice & Research Journal explores how the adaptive reuse of commercial offices is gaining traction as a means of addressing housing affordability in Canada.
May 6, 2026 at 8:58 AM
💡This new paper from Urban Retrofit project team Prof James White and Dr Jeff Biggar in Planning Practice & Research Journal explores how the adaptive reuse of commercial offices is gaining traction as a means of addressing housing affordability in Canada.
❗ Interested in the future of planning education? If you're in Glasgow tomorrow tomorrow afternoon, please do come along to our in-person seminar with Hannah Hickman (University of the West of England).
Details and sign up in the thread below 👇
Details and sign up in the thread below 👇
🚨Still time to register for our in-person seminar next Thursday (23 April) at the @glasgow.ac.uk!
👉 Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
👉 Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
USSP and Urban Retrofit seminar: “Planners are society’s humanisers”
This seminar will discuss the first large-scale survey of planning students in RTPI‑accredited schools in the UK and Ireland.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
April 22, 2026 at 9:19 AM
❗ Interested in the future of planning education? If you're in Glasgow tomorrow tomorrow afternoon, please do come along to our in-person seminar with Hannah Hickman (University of the West of England).
Details and sign up in the thread below 👇
Details and sign up in the thread below 👇
🚨Still time to register for our in-person seminar next Thursday (23 April) at the @glasgow.ac.uk!
👉 Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
👉 Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
USSP and Urban Retrofit seminar: “Planners are society’s humanisers”
This seminar will discuss the first large-scale survey of planning students in RTPI‑accredited schools in the UK and Ireland.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
April 15, 2026 at 2:13 PM
🚨Still time to register for our in-person seminar next Thursday (23 April) at the @glasgow.ac.uk!
👉 Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
👉 Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
🧱 🏘️ Can retrofitting industrial parks help address the housing crisis?
✍ In this blog, Kathryn Firth explains an ongoing Arup study exploring how industrial parks could help solve the housing crisis by evolving into dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods that combine homes, jobs, and sustainability.
✍ In this blog, Kathryn Firth explains an ongoing Arup study exploring how industrial parks could help solve the housing crisis by evolving into dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods that combine homes, jobs, and sustainability.
April 14, 2026 at 3:08 PM
🧱 🏘️ Can retrofitting industrial parks help address the housing crisis?
✍ In this blog, Kathryn Firth explains an ongoing Arup study exploring how industrial parks could help solve the housing crisis by evolving into dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods that combine homes, jobs, and sustainability.
✍ In this blog, Kathryn Firth explains an ongoing Arup study exploring how industrial parks could help solve the housing crisis by evolving into dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods that combine homes, jobs, and sustainability.
📍Sign up now for our free upcoming seminar with Hannah Hickman "Planners are society's humanisers": The expectations and motivations of 21st century planning students, taking place in-person 23 Apr 26 3:30-5pm at @glasgow.ac.uk
👉More info and tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
👉More info and tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
USSP and Urban Retrofit seminar: “Planners are society’s humanisers”
This seminar will discuss the first large-scale survey of planning students in RTPI‑accredited schools in the UK and Ireland.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
April 1, 2026 at 10:44 AM
📍Sign up now for our free upcoming seminar with Hannah Hickman "Planners are society's humanisers": The expectations and motivations of 21st century planning students, taking place in-person 23 Apr 26 3:30-5pm at @glasgow.ac.uk
👉More info and tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
👉More info and tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ussp-and-u...
📍Join Dr Philip O'Brien and Prof James White on a tour of urban retrofitting sights in the biggest city in the American South, Atlanta in this most recent blog on our website: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/suburban-ret...
March 19, 2026 at 3:58 PM
📍Join Dr Philip O'Brien and Prof James White on a tour of urban retrofitting sights in the biggest city in the American South, Atlanta in this most recent blog on our website: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/suburban-ret...
💡NEW BLOG: Celia Davis highlights that despite the crucial role of planning in addressing the climate crisis, in practice climate considerations are seldom practiced. Unless change occurs, the English planning system will be poorly equipped to respond to climate emergency.
March 3, 2026 at 9:21 AM
💡NEW BLOG: Celia Davis highlights that despite the crucial role of planning in addressing the climate crisis, in practice climate considerations are seldom practiced. Unless change occurs, the English planning system will be poorly equipped to respond to climate emergency.
Thanks @housingevidence.bsky.social for sharing the latest case study from our human-centred retrofit theme! All Urban Retrofit case studies can be found on our website: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/case-studies/
💡 In this third case study focusing on examples of human-centred retrofit, the Urban Retrofit team look at the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia (AHANS). Read here: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/case-studies...
February 20, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Thanks @housingevidence.bsky.social for sharing the latest case study from our human-centred retrofit theme! All Urban Retrofit case studies can be found on our website: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/case-studies/
💡 In this third case study focusing on examples of human-centred retrofit, the Urban Retrofit team look at the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia (AHANS). Read in full here: lnkd.in/e4CWdA_D
📍 To see all live case studies so far, see here: lnkd.in/eS8mxpvg
📍 To see all live case studies so far, see here: lnkd.in/eS8mxpvg
February 20, 2026 at 2:32 PM
💡 In this third case study focusing on examples of human-centred retrofit, the Urban Retrofit team look at the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia (AHANS). Read in full here: lnkd.in/e4CWdA_D
📍 To see all live case studies so far, see here: lnkd.in/eS8mxpvg
📍 To see all live case studies so far, see here: lnkd.in/eS8mxpvg
🌍 Retrofit is not new in Latin America's self-built neighbourhoods with people repairing, restoring, adapting and improving their environments for decades.
[1/3]
[1/3]
February 2, 2026 at 4:14 PM
🌍 Retrofit is not new in Latin America's self-built neighbourhoods with people repairing, restoring, adapting and improving their environments for decades.
[1/3]
[1/3]
📖 In our second case study focusing on examples of human-centred retrofit, we explore the Milton Parc Citizens' Committee in Montréal, Canada. Read here: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/case-studies...
[1/5]
[1/5]
January 29, 2026 at 12:06 PM
📖 In our second case study focusing on examples of human-centred retrofit, we explore the Milton Parc Citizens' Committee in Montréal, Canada. Read here: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/case-studies...
[1/5]
[1/5]
Human-centred retrofits are those which emphasise the social processes. Read more about Jane and Finch Centre Corner Commons project including challenges, results and lessons learned: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/case-studies...
January 27, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Human-centred retrofits are those which emphasise the social processes. Read more about Jane and Finch Centre Corner Commons project including challenges, results and lessons learned: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/case-studies...
In our first blog published in 2026, Dr Neale Blair reflects on the evolving iterations of regional development strategies in Northern Ireland with retrofit in focus. Read more: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/urban-retrof...
Urban Retrofit - Back to the Future? - Urban Retrofit
January is often a time of reflection, considering the year that is past whilst looking ahead to the next twelve months (and beyond). Perhaps it is the quinquennium nature of […]
urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk
January 8, 2026 at 9:44 AM
In our first blog published in 2026, Dr Neale Blair reflects on the evolving iterations of regional development strategies in Northern Ireland with retrofit in focus. Read more: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/urban-retrof...
It has been a busy first year for the Urban Retrofit project, with much more to come in 2026. Principal investigator @profjtwhite.bsky.social reflects on the milestones of this year. Read: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/urban-retrof...
Urban Retrofit - reflections on a busy first year - Urban Retrofit
November 2025 marked the end of the first year of Urban Retrofit and, with the Festive Period quickly approaching, I wanted to share some reflections on the activities we have been engaged in over the...
urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk
December 15, 2025 at 9:59 AM
It has been a busy first year for the Urban Retrofit project, with much more to come in 2026. Principal investigator @profjtwhite.bsky.social reflects on the milestones of this year. Read: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/urban-retrof...
Reflections from @profjtwhite.bsky.social and Assoc. Prof Hannah Hickman who recently attended #SBE25 in Trondheim, Norway. Read more: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/counting-car...
Counting carbon, crossing boundaries, navigating ice - Urban Retrofit
In this blog, Associate Prof Hannah Hickman and Prof James White reflect on their recent trip to Trondheim, Norway for the Sustainable Built Environment conference
urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk
December 4, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Reflections from @profjtwhite.bsky.social and Assoc. Prof Hannah Hickman who recently attended #SBE25 in Trondheim, Norway. Read more: urbanretrofit.housingevidence.ac.uk/counting-car...
The URBAN RETROFIT International Symposium concluded with some excellent discussions on retrofitting the historic environment; growth, risk, and the development industry; and governance and regulation.
Look out for outputs on our website in due course.
Look out for outputs on our website in due course.
September 9, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The URBAN RETROFIT International Symposium concluded with some excellent discussions on retrofitting the historic environment; growth, risk, and the development industry; and governance and regulation.
Look out for outputs on our website in due course.
Look out for outputs on our website in due course.
After getting out and about the city, participants at the URBAN RETROFIT International Symposium got straight back into detailed discussions about design-aware retrofit, the density question, and scaling up retrofit initiatives.
September 9, 2025 at 4:47 PM
After getting out and about the city, participants at the URBAN RETROFIT International Symposium got straight back into detailed discussions about design-aware retrofit, the density question, and scaling up retrofit initiatives.
It was an early start this morning for participants at the URBAN RETROFIT International Symposium, with four parallel walking tours around different areas of Glasgow - Govan, Laurieston, Dundashill, and the Avenues. Thanks to everyone who helped to organise the tours!
September 9, 2025 at 4:40 PM
It was an early start this morning for participants at the URBAN RETROFIT International Symposium, with four parallel walking tours around different areas of Glasgow - Govan, Laurieston, Dundashill, and the Avenues. Thanks to everyone who helped to organise the tours!