Thursday, January 29, 2026

Why developers are snapping up empty airspace

Also today: Manchester shows what a UK economic revival can look like, and Waymo faces probe after robotaxi strikes kid.
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Bloomberg

Developers in London are eyeing the airspace atop existing structures to construct new residential units, including penthouses. Listings for the empty space above buildings have popped up in various neighborhoods for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and industry experts estimate that the untapped resource could accommodate as many as 180,000 new homes across the city. 

But even though developers say building up is cheaper than digging down into London's clay terrain, particularly amid loosened regulations, construction is tricky. Old buildings may not be able to bear the extra load, and projects often run into local opposition over their potential impact on the character of the neighborhood. Read more from Sarah Rappaport today on CityLab: London Developers Are Snapping Up Empty Air Above Rooftops

— Linda Poon

More on CityLab

Manchester Shows What UK Economic Revival Can Look Like
The city has drawn global companies and cultivated a cultural scene that encourages young people to move here — and stay.

From the Archive: The Psychology of Boston's Snow Parking Wars
In Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia, an informal code allows residents to claim a parking space after shoveling it out. But the practice is often at odds both with the law and with the mores of changing neighborhoods.

Waymo Probed After Robotaxi Struck Child Near California School
It's the second recent probe to examine the behavior of Alphabet's robotaxis near children.

What we're reading

  • FBI searches Georgia county election hub in connection with Trump's 2020 election loss (NBC News)

  • How a Cambridge developer's lawsuit could unravel an affordable housing policy (WBUR)

  • What tearing down housing projects did for kids (Atlantic)

  • "The new politics of electricity": Utilities seek $31 billion in hikes as voters revolt over soaring bills (Fortune)

  • Can department stores ever be fun again? (New York Times)


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