Population growth is concentrated in the inner and east of the capital, reflecting the priorities of the London Plan. Growth has also been strong in Milton Keynes, Brighton and Cambridge.

Britain has an incredible richness and diversity of cities, and since the turn of the century there has been significant urban revival and renewal. Yet there are also persistent urban problems in the UK that are proving very difficult to solve. Understanding and comparing social and economic trends can play an important role in identifying where cities are succeeding and failing, sharing best practice, and assessing where policy changes are needed.

This is the approach weve taken with LuminoCity3D, a new interactive city mapping platform which allows intuitive visual comparisons between cities across a wide range of indicators, providing insights into patterns and dynamics. These indicators are mapped using a new 3D grid-based approach which allows consistent comparisons between urban areas.

All the datasets have been transformed to a 1km2 hexagon grid, providing a standardised spatial framework for the whole of Britain. Each grid cell is also displayed as a 3D block with heights representing, say, population or employment density. The transformation produces errors where the original data is not evenly distributed spatially and these can be significant in rural areas where populations are sparser and census zones larger, so villages and rural areas are not included in the visualisation.

The main positive trend for British cities is one of significant growth. London gained one million residents between 2001 and 2011, and this growth has spilled across the south-east. The fastest growth in percentage terms has been in medium-sized settlements such as Milton Keynes (20%), Ipswich (15%), and Cambridge (16%) - see the image at the top of the article.

This growth is by no means confined to the south-east. Greater Manchester gained 200,000 residents, Birmingham and the West Midlands 160,000 and Leeds and West Yorkshire 120,000 between 2001 and 2011. Growth is primarily in densifying city centres, and is strongly connected to employment change, as the map above shows.

Growth industries, such as business services, ICT and creative industries are increasingly attracted to vibrant high-density centres. Northern cities are competing to attract these knowledge economy sectors and the hierarchy of urban business centres is evolving, with larger cities taking the lead.

The revival of city centres also has important travel sustainability consequences. Higher urban densities can support public transport systems, and encourage walking and cycling.

But public transport requires substantial planning and investment, and there are startling inequalities in infrastructure across the UK. London can boast nearly 50% commuting by public transport, compared to Greater Manchester and the West Midlands which barely manage 15%, and Merseyside and Tyne and Wear at 20%.

While building a London-style underground system in every city is clearly unrealistic, much can be achieved with more modest investment. Edinburgh for example has achieved 35% public transport commuting through a well-planned and publicly owned bus network.

Excerpt from:
LuminoCity: new interactive map tool sheds light on British cities

At the beginning of his latest film "The Judge," Robert Downey Jr. could be mistaken for playing the arrogant yet charming Tony Stark, the billionaire alter-ego of superhero Iron Man.

But soon the braggadocious armor sheds away and the film centers on a fractured relationship and generational disconnect between a father, played by veteran actor Robert Duvall, and his misunderstood son.

"The Judge," out in U.S. theaters on Friday and distributed by Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros., sees two Hollywood stalwarts face off in an intimate drama that takes place in and out of the courtroom.

Downey, 49, plays Hank Palmer, a charismatic lawyer who enjoys bending the rule book and earns big bucks in the city, while Duvall, 83, plays a town judge in rural Indiana who is revered for his honesty and integrity.

When the Palmer family matriarch dies, Hank grudgingly returns home and tries to reconnect with his stubborn father as they become entangled in a murder mystery.

"I just love the divide that's between Joe Palmer and Hank Palmer, that there's been 20 years of misunderstanding," Downey said. "Hank just wants to be understood, but he really has to come to understand this great man."

Downey channels the confident persona he inhabits in Marvel's "Iron Man" franchise and as the fictional British detective in the "Sherlock Holmes" films, but slowly strips away the arrogance to reveal Hank's vulnerability.

"They're these two men from different generations who have come to some sort of peace with each other," Downey said.

As Hank is pulled back to small town life, he evaluates his relationships with his older brother Glen (Vincent D'Onofrio), a former high school athlete, and his younger brother Dale (Jeremy Strong), who documents his family's journey with a Super 8 video camera.

Hank also finds himself facing two very different lawyers in the courtroom - the friendly C.P. Kennedy (Dax Shepard), who deals antiques on the side, and Dwight Dickham, the straight-talking prosecutor (Billy Bob Thornton).

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Robert Downey Jr. sheds superhero armor to face Duvall in 'The Judge'

From the Rabbitohs Sheds: Walker
Dylan Walker spoke to NRL.com after the Rabbitohs historic Grand Final win against the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs.

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From the Rabbitohs Sheds: Walker - Video

Shares of American Capital, Ltd. ( ACAS ) jumped 1.72% on Friday, following the divesture of its portfolio company Avalon Laboratories Holding Corp. to Nordson Corp. ( NDSN ). Notably, Nordson is a world-leading precision fluid dispensing systems manufacturer.

The company and its affiliated fund - American Capital Equity III, LP (ACE III) -- received $180 million for the deal. The company has earned 19% compounded annual rate of return over the life of its investment, including dividends and fees.

Based in Los Angeles, Avalon designs and manufactures highly-specialized, single-use catheters and specialty medical tubing products for cardiology, pulmonology and related applications. Primary customers for the company include OEM customers in the cardiology, pulmonology, endovascular, bariatrics, tracheostomy, endoscopy, non-vascular stent and ophthalmic market segments.

Avalon was the first exit for ACE III. In spite of the global recession, the company recorded a solid financial performance, generating double-digit annual revenue and EBITDA growth.

American Capital directly and through its asset management business initiates, underwrites and manages investments in middle-market private equity, leveraged finance, real estate and structured products. Since its IPO in 1997 through the second quarter of 2014, the company has earned a 23% compounded annual return on the exit of its equity investments, including dividends, fees and net gains.

American Capital carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry include Medallion Financial Corp. ( TAXI ) and Apollo Investment Corp. ( AINV ). Both companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

AMER CAP LTD (ACAS): Free Stock Analysis Report

NORDSON CORP (NDSN): Free Stock Analysis Report

APOLLO INV CP (AINV): Free Stock Analysis Report

MEDALLION FINL (TAXI): Get Free Report

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American Capital Sheds Avalon Laboratories - Analyst Blog

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From the Rabbitohs Sheds: Tuqiri
Lote Tuqiri spoke to NRL.com after the Rabbitohs historic Grand Final win against the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs.

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From the Rabbitohs Sheds: Tuqiri - Video

The player: Glen Davis

The scoop: Davis is a power forward who has been in the NBA for seven season, playing for Boston, Orlando and the Clippers. He won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008. He has a career-average of 8.7 points a game, 4.7 rebounds and one assist. In 23 games with the Clippers last season, he averaged a career-low in points (4.2), tied his career-low in rebounds (three) and had a career-low in minutes (13.4).

The recent happenings: Davis says he lost more than 20 pounds over the summer, but at the Clippers' training camp in Las Vegas, Coach Doc Rivers joked that it was an insignificant amount.

"It's like throwing a deck chair off the Queen Mary," Rivers said.

The funny:Davis' nickname is "Big Baby." He was dubbed that when he was a kid, because he was big and would often cry. During his NBA career he has continued to prove his moniker accurate. During a game in 2008, he very publicly cried on the bench after Kevin Garnett gave him some tough love. In 2010, he drooled while celebrating a basket against the Lakers.

The not-so-pretty: Davis' maturity has been questioned throughout his career, and in March of last season, he got into a spat with Rivers during a game against Houston. Rivers sent Davis to the locker room in the second quarter.

"I thought Baby was just too emotional," Rivers told reporters after the game.

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Glen Davis sheds pounds over summer, but Doc Rivers isn't impressed

DoE sheds light on agreement with Rosatom
Creamer Media #39;s Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News editor Terence Creamer about the DoE #39;s assurances around the nuclear cooperation agreement between...

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DoE sheds light on agreement with Rosatom - Video

From the Rabbitohs Sheds: McQueen
Chris McQueen spoke to NRL.com after the Rabbitohs historic Grand Final win against the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs.

By: NRL

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From the Rabbitohs Sheds: McQueen - Video

For many here in New Zealand, the inaugural Soulfest will be a highlight of 2014's live schedule.

It brings together Maxwell, Common, Mos Def, Anthony Hamilton and Musiq Soulchild to Western Springs Stadium on Sunday, October 26. Though the bill is absolute quality, there's only one man that matters.

D'Angelo, the reclusive soul giant with only two LPs to his name, is the big draw card.

The man is a legend, not only to the fans, but to his fellow acts on the Soulfest bill. He was the pioneer of a unique brand of soul - some called it 'neo-soul', others said it was simply good music.

People say he's not relevant, but comb through the prominent artists of today, ranging from Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, James Blake, Frank Ocean and Pharrell to Panic! At the Disco (meh) and Chris Brown (ugh) and they'll tell you different.

He's made an impact on Aotearoa too: Six60, Fat Freddys Drop, Sola Rosa and basically any reggae or soul band consider D'Angelo a god. He's even been referenced him on American Dad and Perez Hilton, and butchered him on the The Voice.

Looking at various promos for Soulfest, there are blatant snapshots of D in the raunchy, seductive 'Untitled (How Does It Feel) video, a 25 year old with abs, white teeth and corn rows.

It's obviously tacked on to sell tickets and I don't blame the promoters, but that's not him anymore. He was, for a time, the archetypal, cliched sexy R&B guy. As far as today's general music consumers are concerned, D hasn't done anything noteworthy since the video, which is true.

Instead, he's become notorious for motivation issues, arrests, delays and no shows.

Besides Common, the Soulfest line-up seems based on nostalgia, a golden Mai FM era, afternoons spent watching Juice TV at the start of the millennium. When was the last time you heard a D'Angelo song on the radio outside of the occasional George/bfm weekend mix?

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D'Angelo sheds his 'naked guy' skin