UNIFORM NOVEMBER

#298 Scotland’s Housing Crisis is a Crisis of Complacency : Scotland’s housing emergency is usually framed as a failure of funding, planning or political will. But the deeper crisis is cultural. In my new article for The Scotland on Sunday, I argue that we have drifted into a passive relationship with our built environment. We complain about rents and planning decisions, but rarely engage with the processes shaping them. Even strong frameworks like NPF4 can’t succeed without a public able, and willing, to participate. The solution? A civic awakening that makes “place” part of everyday conversation. Housing isn’t just a policy issue; it’s a democratic one.......

#297 A Fait Accompli: Architecture, Memory, and the Norwegian Way: In the wake of the 2011 attacks, Norway set out to rebuild Oslo’s Government Quarter as both a symbol of resilience and a statement of democratic values. More than a decade later, that reconstruction tells a different story. Despite years of consultation and political rhetoric about openness, the project has hardened into a vast, expensive, and increasingly centralised redevelopment, hailed by some as a triumph of renewal, dismissed by others as a fait accompli.

#296 The Theatre of Silence: Rebuilding Mariupol’s Drama Theatre as an Act of Erasure. Across Mariupol, this rewriting of place continues. City signs have been repainted red, white, and blue (the colours of the Russian flag). Streets and squares are being renamed, often reverting to Soviet-era titles. The Avenue of Peace has become Lenin Avenue once again. In 2024, the Russian-appointed city administrator, Oleg Morgun, declared it essential to “bring back historical names” and honour “heroes who gave their lives for the right to be Russian.”

#295 Lumbini: Where Peace Begins with Place: I was deeply grateful to the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) and ICOMOS for the opportunity to contribute to the ICOMOS Annual General Assembly and Scientific Symposium 2025 in Lumbini, Nepal, a place whose serenity conceals a profound lesson about the relationship between peace, place, and humanity.
 

#294 Revolution Is Contagious: The Cautionary Tale of Nepal’s Gen Z Uprising: When young Nepalis poured into the streets of Kathmandu in September 2025, they were angry, but they were also hopeful. The government’s abrupt ban on social media had sparked outrage, yet beneath that decision lay years of frustration: corruption, inequality, and the spectacle of political elites living in abundance while most of the population slid deeper into disillusionment. What began as a silent movement and coordinated through TikTok, Discord, and Reddit quickly grew into a national roar. By the time the smoke cleared, at least seventy-two people were dead, hundreds were injured, government buildings were in ashes, and Nepal’s Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, had fled his residence under army protection.
 

#293 The Scottish Peace Platform: Building Momentum for Peace: I am honoured to sit on the Advisory Board of the Scottish Peace Platform (SPP), an inspiring initiative that aims to connect and coordinate Scotland’s peacebuilding community, amplifying evidence-based practice and inclusive voices at home and abroad.
 

#292 Beneath Kyiv: The Everyday Weight of War: Written following fieldwork in Ukraine in August 2025, Beneath Kyiv: The Everyday Weight of War traces a journey across borders and into the heart of a city living under pressure. Through encounters with peacebuilders, educators, and ordinary citizens, the piece explores the subterranean layers of Kyiv (both physical and emotional ) where markets, metro tunnels, and makeshift shelters hold the pulse of everyday resilience. It reflects on how humour, culture, and human connection persist beneath the weight of war.
 

#291 To Meddle or to Mend Sudan’s war shows why home must be protected, not just borders / Heritage, Memory, and the Right to Stay: Too often, the global debate on migration begins at the edge of someone else’s land, with fences, checkpoints, and quarrels over who should be let in or kept out. But displacement does not begin at the border; it begins when home itself is shattered. The people of Sudan are not leaving because they want to. They are leaving because belonging has become dangerous, identity has been weaponised, and the simple act of staying has turned into a fight for survival.

#290 Between Chaos and Care (IV): Igor Korzhov & the Frontline Code of Speed, Survival, and Solidarity: I met with Igor Korzhov, an impressive man whose bravery and skill have been recognised at the highest level of the Ukrainian government. Yet what struck me most was his humility and candour. Lieutenant Colonel of the Civil Defense Service and Chief of the 22nd State Fire and Rescue Detachment of the Main Directorate (Toretsk) could have allowed his decorations to hang heavy on his chest, but he carries them lightly. He is a calm and collected man, with a hint of shyness. I got the impression he was ‘unflappable’ under pressure and that his men were his priority.

#289 Between Chaos and Care (III): Ruslan Bilenko and the Unseen Frontline: Another Day of Devastation: On the 28th of September, Ukraine endured yet another wave of destruction. Nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles rained down across seven regions, killing civilians and tearing apart homes, schools, and hospitals. Among the victims was a 12-year-old girl in Kyiv. When we read such news, we picture fire services, ambulances, and soldiers at the front. We see the blue lights and hear the sirens in the background of news footage. But pause for a moment, and think about that threshold of time before and after the emergency services arrive, if they can arrive at all. Who is there first? Who crosses that fragile boundary between chaos and care?

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