Creating healthy places to live and work

I recently attended the Houses of Parliament at the invitation of the Design Council, for the Homes and Healthy Places Parliamentary reception.

The event, hosted by Mr Kevin Brennan MP in conjunction with the Design Council and Social Change UK, was the launch of the Creating Healthy Places report -a call-to-arms to deliver places that make lives healthier.  This included the launch of a short film: Living outside the box, exploring some of housing challenges that young people currently face. In their words:

The film demonstrates the importance of creating places that can be beneficial to people’s health and wealth. To make this happen we need to connect homes, jobs, transport, public services and green spaces. Design is vital to achieving this. Design creates sustainable and creative housing solutions that bring together communities and promote wellbeing.

A key note was given by Heather Wheeler MP, Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government.  It was an inspiring lunch meeting and a fantastic opportunity to look around the Houses of Parliament.

My invite came through my work with the Design Council as a contributor to Design Review Panels since 2005, most recently for Oxford City Council, where I provide independent advice on the design quality of new developments and their urban realm.

The Design Council are delighted that Oxford City Council chose to renew their contract for Design Review in 2018, saying:

Can I take this opportunity to thank all those that have served on the Oxford Design Review Panel, for your contributions to the panels work and to pass on the client’s gratitude for your work over the last couple of years.
Clare Devine, Executive Director, Design Council