Sign in

Vicky Payne

@vickypayne.bsky.social
4.3K followers 223 following 519 posts

Thinking about places, systems and how they function. Writing on Substack vickypaynewrites.substack.com Art on Instagram www.instagram.com/the_field_art?igs…

PostsRepliesMedia
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"Living here, it was like all my Christmases coming at once… it's a whole new world. I moved about a hundred yards, but I moved into a different world, and this one is absolutely fantastic. I've waited years to have a home like this one." lnkd.in/p/eqtqK6Wv
lnkd.in
The 2026 Housing Design Awards "winner of winners" is a herculean feat of good ordinary. It moved me deeply, and it's why design matters.   You might look at Union Village in Middlesbrou...
The 2026 Housing Design Awards "winner of winners" is a herculean feat of good ordinary. It moved me deeply, and it's why design matters.   You might look at Union Village in Middlesbrough and think "...
011
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Very good
100
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“Hello, Mr. Cruise, yes, I wondered if I could speak to you about the UK planning process?” www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
hollywoodreporter.com
Tom Cruise Reveals How He Cut ‘Digger’ Transformation Time From Six Hours to Under One
Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s dark comedy with an unrecognizable Cruise as the lead opens in theaters Oct. 2.
110
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Love the title
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Researching Evangeline Adams - an astrologer consulted by, among others, a former president of the New York Stock Exchange. "over a million people looked to her...to navigate the uncertainty of the rising change world...of American Capitalism" hshm.yale.edu/sites/defaul...
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This was already so good, and then he started talking about Ebenezer Howard - consider me HOOKED
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Effective place delivery for me is about innovative ways of looking at the system to find win-wins - improving standards, speeding up the process and delivering the homes we need to address the housing crisis. I look forward to leading this work with our members, national government and colleagues.
030
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The sector can treat these as separate - rightly, because they are complex. But they must all come together and be reconciled in one place: on site, within a red edge. In the context of challenging viability, stretched public services, politicised discourse, fragile ecosystems + a changing climate.
140
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
New role: Director of Place Delivery at the Future Homes Hub. Since starting with the Hub I've been keen to look at the bigger picture - joining the dots across planning, design, adoption, nature, water, sustainability.
181
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
It’s as if they’ve never watched an episode of Grand Designs
130
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Ah it’s fine it could do with a bit more chaos
111
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Ohhh I actually hadn’t really thought about it until you said it but there was something “wrong feeling” about it and I think that’s it! 😭
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Ha that’s exactly the kind of minutiae I was after 😂
120
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I know on LinkedIn we have to be professional,but does anyone have an unhinged (angrily taking against a whole section with no real basis), inconsequential (formatting, fonts etc) or highly specific (subsections, footnotes 🤓) take on the NPPF? unrelated to your area of planning expertise if you like
351
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This is very good so far- planning, tech, culture wars and sweet sweet irony podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
podcasts.apple.com
Our Town
Society & Culture Podcast · Weekly series · When new neighbors move into Gainesboro, Tennessee, a small town at the foothills of Appalachia, locals are confused. Who are these self-proclaimed pioneers...
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
New Substack -The Odyssey, the bricolage of postmodern politics, system complexity that resists unifying ideologies and civilisational tiredness: open.substack.com/pub/vickypay...
Our age of Bronze - Bricolage ideologies for civilisational tiredness
011
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
I find this so relatable, the too hot and too cold rooms, the beauty and the horror eyes needing to be open, the importance of community. I would love to find/create such a space in London
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Ha! evidently a woman of exquisite wit
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
This made me laugh some time ago Burial seems like a bit of an overreaction to the stated circumstances
110
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Grateful for the moments of random connection - going solo to a local pub and being welcomed by the regulars despite the fact I don’t drink, don’t have a local team, and as I explained to them am “not really a shouter” 😅
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Grateful for the already hot, quiet mornings where I woke up early and locked in. The meditative anxiety and suspension of external considerations strangely soothing.
100
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Will miss the sense of togetherness and trajectory, nerdy analysis, character development, amateur punditry, the feeling that there was some exciting, huge story arc running in the background of normal life.
100
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I imagine "hope in the heart" of every planner and urban designer following a place-focused speech from Burnham: lnkd.in/p/eU3f98wi
lnkd.in
"good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart" Andy Burnham's closing words on Monday. I can't speak to the wider population but I suspect that there is one contingent w...
"good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart" Andy Burnham's closing words on Monday. I can't speak to the wider population but I suspect that there is one contingent whose hearts are in...
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Worth a read
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
I’d say I agree with about 85% of this institute.global/insights/pol...
institute.global
The Labour Party Is Playing With Fire Over Its Future and the Future of the Country
In this essay, Tony Blair sets out the need for a new agenda for Britain.
001
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Great first day at UKREiiF - enjoyed speaking with London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing, Tom Copley, and COO of Berkeley Group, Piers Clanford, about the challenges and opportunities of regeneration in London, and joining The Land Trust’s discussion on how to make New Towns feel like home.
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
The dual ambition to increase delivery and improve quality sits at the heart of most conversations I'm having across policy right now, so I'm pleased to have put together this panel next week. I'm very grateful to Joanna, Andrew and Michelle for being involved.
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Nihilism is a very pervasive world view amongst snowmen
020
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
“key decisions, which may seem sound in isolation, are rarely joined up in the way that we really need” is a sentence that applies across all sorts of contexts and sectors. I’m just completing a project on stewardship that deals with this, and about to embark on another with a broader remit
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
This was excellent www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted?
New interviews and closely guarded documents shed light on the persistent doubts about the head of OpenAI.
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
"Sludge in the system" captures housing delivery challenges - but sludge is not evenly distributed. Short article on where issues cluster, prioritisation and reform without destabilisation. open.substack.com/pub/vickypay...
Off white text on dark blue background - "Sludge in the System - a sensible path to real reform"
021
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/u...
podcasts.apple.com
Kara Swisher Is Trying To Live Forever
Podcast Episode · Uncanny Valley | WIRED · 16 April · 32min
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
On BNG announcements, clarity, and sector as ecosystem www.linkedin.com/posts/vicky-...
linkedin.com
On BNG announcements, clarity, and sector as ecosystem The government published a package of BNG announcements yesterday: Consultation outcome - minor, medium and brownfield:… | Vicky Payne
On BNG announcements, clarity, and sector as ecosystem The government published a package of BNG announcements yesterday: Consultation outcome - minor, medium and brownfield: https://lnkd.in/eAAeZkf...
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Day? 2026?! Come on man isn't this all just a series of continuously evolving states? Don't box me in like that share.google/DbXbZ5ph5ccH...
share.google
World Quantum Day 2026 Doodle - Google Doodles
Learn more about the creation of World Quantum Day 2026 Doodle and discover the story behind the unique artwork.
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
New piece: neighbourhoods and policy systems degrade in the same way - what might it look like to design for entropy? open.substack.com/pub/vickypay...
White serif text on blue background. Design for Entropy. Neighbourhoods, systems and the art of simplicity
020
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Turns out Queen Victoria and I don’t just share a name but an affliction (seasickness) and a resultant interest in tunnelling under rather floating across stretches of water.
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Wonderful when a line of curiosity springs up and there is a podcast already in the ether on that very topic. Do you too want to know the conceptual, political, cultural and financial history of the channel tunnel?! Well- here you go: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...
podcasts.apple.com
Channel Tunnel
Podcast Episode · More Jam Tomorrow · 24 April 2025 · 39min
100
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
My audio companions on the train to Wales:
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
5. Beginning the judging process for this year’s Housing Design Awards, with site visits to follow in April
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
3. Leading work on adoption processes + design outcomes as part of the MHCLG consultation on private estate management (reporting to government in early April) 4. Shaping the Hub’s evolving role in nature policy, from BNG and Homes for Nature through to wider strategic policies (EDPs/NRF + more)
101
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
1. Working with MHCLG to convene developers and LPAs to explore how design quality and process efficiency can be strengthened at outline stage 2. Bringing together industry perspectives on the draft Design and Placemaking PPG, and supporting the next phase of model site code testing
100
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Brief reflections on Q1 A lot of this quarter has been about joining the dots between different policy areas (water, nature, design, planning, stewardship) and engaging with the interplay of quality and delivery. Some highlights:
100
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
www.mckinsey.com/solutions/or... Interested in the concept of an “Organisational Health Index”
mckinsey.com
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Emerging into a perfect early spring evening after shortlisting for the Housing Design Awards. Design = more essential than ever as a route to the best possible outcomes in a constrained delivery context. Excited to see some great northern schemes giving hope for addressing UK design inequality.
040
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Isaac Julien at Victoria Miro Beauty, complexity, layered imagery all held in the darkness and enclosure of the room and soundscape. Tone of hopeful wisdom, like receiving a prophecy. Enough narrative to give form, enough ambiguity to feel potent www.victoria-miro.com/exhibitions/...
victoria-miro.com
Isaac Julien: All That Changes You. Metamorphosis
Victoria Miro is delighted to present the world premiere of the five-screen installation of Isaac Julien’s acclaimed film installation All That Changes You. Metamorphosis , accompanied by new photogra...
010
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
First substack on Citrini, unstable systems and a return to superstition vickypaynewrites.substack.com/p/the-age-of...
000
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
I keep thinking about the body in all this too. About our physicality, about nature, about the inherent balance of natural systems and how few steps there used to be in the feedback loops between our selves and those systems.
200
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
It doesn’t feel like input into a system, output out of the system. It feels like say these words, do this thing and hopefully the sun will come up again tomorrow, the crops won’t fail
100
Vicky Payne @vickypayne.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
and in this world we don’t understand and can’t control, policy actions, think pieces, business decisions start to feel more like bargaining chips with the gods- prophecies, doom-saying, spell casting, manifestations.
100