A whisper is more seductive than a shout

In a quietish corner of Southern Leeds is a place that would give Simon Jenkins hope and show that some planners and architects in England actively share his view. He might not have heard much about it because, unfortunately, it's not the tallest or the most costly and it doesn't have a starchitect's signature. It's a thoughtful, integrated piece of design that will make ordinary people's day a bit better.
In spring 2009, a dark, noisy, unpleasant and very busy tunnel - an important gateway that connects Leeds city centre to the southern Holbeck and Beeston areas - will be transformed into ‘Light’ Neville Street. This artist's impression is by Iain Denby. The ambitious, £4.6million improvement combines the talents of Bauman Lyons Architects, engineers and acoustic experts Arup, Berlin-based sound and light artist Hans Peter Kuhn and local graphic designer Andy Edwards. Hans Peter Kuhn's work around the world, beautifully photographed by Gerhard Kassner, is currently on display at PSL [Project Space Leeds].

The tunnel will improve the link between the city centre and the communities of Holbeck and Beeston, via Holbeck's 'urban village'. Holbeck's star rose in the 18th century when pioneering industrialists, merchants and traders benefited from the area’s proximity to the commercial centre and the natural trade route along the River Aire. The cradle of Leeds’ former industrial might contains a wealth of industrial premises, some of which emulate the Egyptian Temple of Horus (image below) or a series of Italianate Towers in style.

The sympathetically developing Holbeck Urban Village respects its industrial heritage and the stunning architectural legacy that includes 33 listed buildings, with the standard for design set five years ago by phase one of multi-award winning development, The Round Foundry.

The intention for this southern bit of Leeds is to improve to the highest design standards, the roads, tunnels, pavements, cycle paths, lighting, green spaces and everyday places that most of us take for granted.

It's what Wayne Hemingway, who has made a plea for 'iconic pavements' instead of 'iconic' skyscrapers, has been championing for ages.

Beauty surrounds, health abounds

I love Morecambe. For years the butt of everyone's jokes (such as: Morecambe props its dead people up in bus shelters to make the place look busy - hilarious), this summer the reopening of the blingtastic Midland Hotel has shunted Morecambe into the broadsheets and glossy magazines, in a good way, as never before.

What I admire about Morecambe is the way that it treasures its natural assets, understanding their value for everyone, resident or visitor. Since the arrival in 2001 of the statue by Graham Ibbeson of Eric Morecambe, the beautiful and thoughtful tern project has developed the promenade with the aim of encouraging people just to enjoy Morecambe's stunning seafront. Inspiration and life-affirming wellbeing for free.

Skirting over the teething problems of running The Midland (as I said, I love Morecambe), I hope the momentum for change that the revived hotel has brought to the town, won't turn the heads of those behind its regeneration and that they continue to cherish its unique, natural landscape above all.

Plans to build on the sea-side of the promenade are being hotly debated in The Visitor and the second English pier to be destroyed this year by fire highlights the problems of maintaining those coastal assets that no longer draw the crowds. Morecambe used to have two piers and a stunning lido, all of which provided great ways to take in the sea air. Instead of building a block of flats next to the Midland, where the relatively few people who live in them can grab some of the best views, can Morecambe find a way to make the views pay and benefit everyone?

What Southwold Pier has created is great but Morecambe doesn't yet attract the numbers of well-heeled visitors (or down-at-heel Prime Ministers) that would make a pier a good bet. But I for one would love to sit in an office on a pier - could Morecambe create a new workplace pier with public areas for everyone to enjoy too?

Or a marina that would attract sea-faring visitors to the town, revenue for local business owners and more reasons for Sandgrownuns to promenade along the promenade.

A lesson in creative persuasion

The national and international reputations of many UK cities so often seem to rest on the fortunes of their football teams which, in the case of Leeds at least, is a risk that has rarely paid off. In Liverpool last weekend, even the triumphs of Benitez and the the tribulations of Moyes were eclipsed by a giant girl of a spider.

La Princesse invaded the streets and charmed the thousands of people who lined them to greet her arrival in relentless rain. And boy did she give journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, friends and families something to talk about. The regional and national media and the world wide web are full of stories of how the spider won over the city.

The spectacle alone will stay for a long time with everyone who came close to la Princesse. But the truly jaw-dropping aspect was to witness the results of the immense powers of persuasion of the people behind the machine. Although Liverpool had invited Artichoke to create something special for its Capital of Culture year, following the Sultan's Elephant that had stunned London 18 months before, it's impossible to underestimate just how persuasive and tenacious these visionary and capable souls must have been.

This was public relations at its best, winning over the police (whose headquarters were festooned with colourful banners), highways agencies, health and safety officials and others who rarely are praised for their flexibility and 'can do' attitude.

A brilliant lesson for cities of what can be achieved with a combination of vision and passion.