Volterra argues the benefits of Build to Rent
Volterra recently completed a report for Grosvenor on the social and economic benefits of Build to Rent (B2R) in Edinburgh. Rising house prices has resulted in a growing number of households living in the private rented sector. B2R can provide a viable, affordable alternative to home ownership and can deliver amenities above and beyond traditional rental […]
Why cities need to invest in infrastructure
Paul Buchanan recently spoke at the UK Light Rail Conference in Nottingham on the importance of investing in infrastructure in city regions. Paul argued that transport enables economic growth, whilst a lack of transport constrains it and called for greater autonomy for cities in investing their own money in local infrastructure rather than depending on government […]
Night Tube route map released
Volterra’s work on the Night Tube has been in the news again this week with Transport for London’s release of the new tube map for the 24 hour service. As part of a project led by partner Ellie Evans, Volterra produced a report for TfL and London First in 2014 assessing the scheme’s impact on the […]
Supply side success is a cure for the drug of deficit finance
George Osborne’s plan to run financial surpluses and use them to pay off government debt has been met with the usual set of whinges and whines, mainly from academic economists funded by the taxpayer. Of course, their arguments are based purely on what they believe to be the intellectual merits of their case. One of […]
Why the financial system has the same qualities as cancer
Massive fines for banks, gross misbehaviour, huge bonuses for failure, bailouts at vast expense to the taxpayer: it’s little wonder that politicians and pundits can almost invariably win cheap applause by describing the financial system as being a cancer on society. But in a deep way, cancer and the financial system do have much in […]
FIFA, corruption and economic growth
The FIFA arrests have dominated both front and sports pages. We must await the outcomes of the trials before pronouncing on individuals. But amongst soccer fans, the organisation is a byword for sleaze and corruption. England spent £21 million on the campaign to secure the 2018 World Cup. The height of our attempts to influence […]
How should London tackle its housing shortage?
The unrelenting climb in property prices and lack of affordability in the market has led to consensus amongst the public and policy makers that the UK is in the midst of a housing crisis. Average house price to median income ratio is a common measure of affordability in the property market and shows that rises […]
Markets are good, but we need clear signals
Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the general election result is the abuse which is now being heaped on the metropolitan liberal elite from many quarters. Theirs is truly a difficult mind set to comprehend, based as it is on an unshakeable belief in their own omniscience. Yet this is confounded on an almost daily […]
Volterra Year Review 2014/15
We’ve had a busy and exciting year at Volterra, undertaking multiple projects for new and returning clients. The breadth of the work we do continues to expand and projects this year have ranged from planning inquiries and transport appraisals to an examination of the future of healthcare. We’re continuing to venture overseas with current projects […]
Opinion Polls, Financial Crashes and Groupthink
The election is done and dusted, but many interesting questions remain. Was there a swing to the Conservatives at the very last minute, or was it indeed possible to foresee the victory in advance? Snippets are emerging which suggest that the electorate had made up their minds well before polling day. Rod Liddle, the entertaining […]
