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Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad.

Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad, presented by distinguished writers, journalists and academics.

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Analysis: The Zoomshock Metropolis

The Zoomshock Metropolis

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, The Zoomshock Metropolis

How remote working and online shopping could reshape our towns and cities.

Remote working and online shopping have left towns and cities facing an existential crisis. But can we seize this moment as an opportunity to reinvent them?

Our towns and cities are facing an existential crisis. The rise of online shopping has left gaping holes in high streets. And if hybrid working takes off, some economists predict a dramatic 'zoom shock' as workers spend less time and money in city centres. What seems like a crisis could be an opportunity to reinvent our cities and 'Level Up' struggling towns. But are we ready to seize this moment? 

Helen Grady meets local leaders embracing this moment of change - from the Teesside town bulldozing a shopping centre to create a park to the US community paying remote tech workers to relocate. She hears how big cities like Manchester are enticing people back to the office. And she asks if we're about to see a move away from city-led growth to a model where jobs and prosperity are more evenly spread between towns and cities.

Producer and presenter Helen Grady
Editor Jasper Corbett

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