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Expert practitioners discuss the future of UK cities at LSBU planning conference

Leading academics and policymakers gather at LSBU for a three-day conference exploring the future of Planning and Urban Regeneration in the UK
10 September 2015

London South Bank University (LSBU) is hosting the 2015 UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference, ‘Future Planning, Future Cities’. The three-day conference brings together academics and experts in the field of Planning and Urban Regeneration for an exchange of knowledge and best practices drawn from their respective disciplines and research.

The conference, organised by Dr Manuela Madeddu, Course Director of Urban Regeneration at LSBU, includes a round table discussion between academics and policymakers on the Neighbourhood Planning activity in the UK since 2010. The panellists will have the chance to discuss new proposals for Neighbourhood Planning and what this will mean for the future of planning.

Practitioners from a range of disciplines are leading parallel sessions sharing their particular area of expertise and/or research.  Neil Adams, Course Director of Urban & Environmental Planning at LSBU, will speak about how territorial governance and strategic planning has evolved in the UK. Dr Michael Leary-Owhin, Course Director of Planning Policy and Practice at LSBU, will discuss how urban regeneration has shifted from being a predominantly a concern of cities in western nations to becoming a global phenomenon. 

Other topics being discussed at the parallel sessions include; infrastructure and transport planning, the future of rural areas, urban design and the planning for health and wellbeing.

Professor Craig Barker, Dean of the School of Law and Social Sciences at LSBU said; “Communities, academics and practitioners have expressed both concerns and enthusiasm about the form and process of Neighbourhood Planning under the Localism Act. This has called for many to ask who benefits from Neighbourhood Planning and what value it has added. These questions will form the core of the discussions at this year’s UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference.

“LSBU is proud to welcome a community of academics across a variety of disciplines to share their ideas and views on the future of Planning. It is very exciting to have some of the most respected practitioners and policymakers in the field addressing key issues and we hope that the programme will shed light on what the future holds for planning in the UK and beyond.”