GCHU Public Seminars

Creating Thriving Communities: How do we build socially productive places?

The social dimension in the triple bottom line of sustainability has often been overlooked, but increasingly we have seen a focus on assessing the social impact and social value of the built environment (for example through new housing and regeneration projects). Alongside this there has been debate as to how we can create thriving places, where new and existing communities interact to foster community wealth and wellbeing.

In this seminar we draw on expertise from academia, local government, and the NGO and built environment sectors to take a critical look at what social sustainability, social value and community wealth really means in practice, and how such concepts can be assessed and measured. We will also explore why this is important in creating socially productive places through a more 'considerate urbanism' by drawing on a range of real-world examples to create a forum for lively debate and discussion with our audience.

Dr Ani Raiden - Associate Professor, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University

Dr Liane Hartley - Director, Mend

Simon Grove-White - Principal Economic Development Officer, Oxford City Council

Nigel Carter - Enterprise Development, Oxford Community Action

The event will be chaired by Emeritus Professor Timothy J. Dixon, University of Reading and Research Associate at the GCHU

This event will take place at 5:30pm on Wed 24th April at Kellogg College.

Upcoming events

2023-24 Event dates:

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Past events

Our GCHU seminars are filmed and are available to download and watch. Below is an archive of links to the recordings of all events in the GCHU Public Seminar series.

Roads to ruin? Public transport, inequality and the way forward

In this seminar, we asked how can cars, public transport, and active transport work together? Do current transport policies reduce, or increase inequalities in cities? We held a lively debate from a range of perspectives about the options facing cities today, including transport poverty, healthy urbanism, and climate change.

Speakers

Sarah Leeming - South of England Regional Director, Sustrans

Luke Marion - Managing Director, Oxford Bus Company

Dr Anna Plyushteva - Departmental Research Lecturer, Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford

Pete Brunskill - Principal Rail Development Planner, Oxfordshire County Council

The event was chaired by Dr Juliet Carpenter, Director of Research at the GCHU

This event took place at 5:30pm on Wed 6th March at Kellogg College.

The recording of the event will be available to watch here shortly.

COP28: Over and Out?

17th January 2024
Chair: Dr David Howard
Speakers: Professor Isabel Oliver, Dr Rosie Rowe, Paul Skinner, Cassie Sutherland

How can community wellbeing be supported in the neighbourhood?

29th November 2023
Chair: Dr Astrid Krisch
Speakers: Professor Jane South, Ansaf Azhar, Joanne Smithson, Simon Sadinsky

15-minute cities: Can they work for everyone?

11th October 2023
Chair: Dr Juliet Carpenter
Speakers: Professor Tim Jones, Julia Thrift, Cllr Louise Upton, Professor Richard Dunning

Re-imagining our urban future: how can city visions help us shape healthy and sustainable places?

14th June 2023
Chair: Emeritus Professor Timothy Dixon.
Speakers: Professor Michael Keith, Cllr Anna Railton, Dr Tolullah Oni, Mike Hood.

Systems change: How can cities accelerate progress towards net zero?

26th April 2023
Chair: Dr Katherine Maxwell.
Speakers: Dr Andy Kerr, Caroline Green, Dr Gireesh Shrimali, Maia Kutner

Why Adapt our Homes to Rising Temperatures?

7th March 2023
Chair: Dr Jesus Lizana.
Speakers: Dr Radhika Khosla, Dr André Paul Neto-Bradley, Dr Patrick Fahr, Charlie Luxton

Can citizens' juries help to address urban challenges?

18th January 2023
Chair: Dr Alison Chisholm.
Speakers: Dr Juliet Carpenter, Sven Evans, Professor Alan Renwick, Claire Taylor.

What Creates Healthy Cities?

12th October 2022
Speakers: Lord Best, Julia Thrift, Dr Stephanie Tierney, Councillor Susan Brown

Retrofitting and designing healthy built environments: How can buildings help our health?

15th June 2022
Speakers: Professor Rajat Gupta, Dr Anna Ulrikke Andersen, Cllr Michael O'Connor, Dr Sydney Ayers Mercer

Healthy by design: What role for the built environment in creating healthy cities?

27th April 2022
Chair: Lord Best
Speakers: Dr Helen Pineo, Iona O'Carroll, Dr Rosie Rowe

Artificial Intelligence in Urban Health: Is AI a solution for healthy cities?

9th March 2022
Speakers: Prof Gina Neff, Dr Alison Powell, Dr Esra Suel

The cycling paradox - how can cycling be encouraged as a healthy, sustainable, and safe mode of transport?

1st December 2021
Speakers: Dr Tim Jones, Dr Alison Hill, Steve Unwin, Louis Odgers, Professor Carl Heneghan

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods: Can they work for everyone?

13th October 2021
Speakers: Dr Rachel Lee, Patrick Lingwood, Lucy Saunders, Dr Scott Urban

Delivering healthcare for rapid urbanisation

23rd January 2020
Speakers: Annette Pluddemann, Lucy Stevens, Hubert Lam, Mikaela Patrick, Carl Heneghan

Managing migration: cities, governance, integration.

20th January 2020
Speakers: Cecile Riallant, Colleen Thouez, David Howard, Thomas Lacroix

Next steps? Mixed use, walkable cities.

24th October 2019
Speakers: Karen Barrass, Daniel Elsea, Joanne Murraybrown, Ben Murphy, David Howard

Europe, Migration and Cities.

9th July 2019
Speakers: Sarah Spencer, Phoebe Clay, Michael Keith

Kellogg Urban Knowledge Exchange seminar: Healthy Cities

8th January 2019
Speakers: Carl Heneghan, Danny McDonnell, Sian Whyte, Chris Naylor

Kellogg Urban Knowledge Exchange: Rapid Urbanisation

27th June 2018
Speakers: Fiona Harvey, Peter Osborn, Ben Bolgar, Bob Allies, Victoria Hills

Kellogg Urban Knowledge Exchange: Urban Heritage

7th June 2018
Speakers: Geoffrey Tyack, Leidulf Mydland, Debbie Dance, Barbara Weiss, Oliver Cox

Kellogg Urban Knowledge Exchange seminar: Urban Public Art

24th April 2018
Speakers: Cathy Oakes, Leon Wainwright, Clare Melhuish, Sean Henry, Steven Parissien