Holly Lang

We regenerate our cities, and then they regenerate us.

The Emperor’s New Towns proposes a radical shifting of parliament when, during renovations to the Palace of Westminster, an accidental turn of events prompts a last minute cross-party launch of the UK City of Politics. Under new legislation Parliament becomes a property-investing travelling circus, moving to a different city every parliamentary term, destination determined by public vote. In return for the small price of civilising a consortium of political gargoyles, Parliament’s arrival provides the impetus for urban regeneration and its departure devolves a Ministerial Department in its wake.

In 2025, Stoke-on-Trent became the first UK City of Politics, and this project charts the story of the consequences. Can the chaos, conflict and contradiction that ensue be captured as a positive force to create a landscape which accommodates ‘them’ and ‘us’ in equal measure?