Developing healthy homes and communities does not have to cost extra

There is a common view amongst developers that designing and building for health and wellbeing objectives is more expensive than standard projects and that it doesn’t offer return on investment. I have recently written an article which summarises evidence from a range of organisations, including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Urban Land … Continue reading “Developing healthy homes and communities does not have to cost extra”

BRE Response to the National Planning Policy Framework Consultation

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the government’s policy for local planning practitioners and stakeholders.  This includes the way in which local (and neighborhood) plans are developed and applications assessed, and also direction in respect to local policy ambition and requirements for issues such as health, security, climate change, housing etc. Like many … Continue reading “BRE Response to the National Planning Policy Framework Consultation”

Re-engineering the city 2020-2050 | urban foresight and transition management

The Retrofit 2050 project aims to deliver a step change in current knowledge and capacity for urban sustainability by illuminating challenging but realistic social and technical pathways for the systemic retrofitting of UK city-regions. 80% of the UK population lives in urban areas1 , making cities a hub for energy and resource consumption, and potential … Continue reading “Re-engineering the city 2020-2050 | urban foresight and transition management”

Inspiring places: The Crystal – a Sustainable Cities Initiative by Siemens

Cities account for the biggest share of energy consumption, CO2 emissions and environmental impact, half the world’s population already lives in cities, and the number of city dwellers is rapidly growing. Extensive research has been carried out by Siemens in order to help cities identify and understand new urban challenges and highlight workable solutions. The … Continue reading “Inspiring places: The Crystal – a Sustainable Cities Initiative by Siemens”

Future Cities mission highlights common themes in US success stories

Find out about the key learning points from the Future Cities Mission to three US cities The key learning points from the recent Future Cities Mission to the United States features on the Innovate UK website. The report by Richard Miller and myself looks at the key learning points from the mission to Chicago, San … Continue reading “Future Cities mission highlights common themes in US success stories”