Future of London

Would you like to improve your public speaking skills with a supportive group of built environment professionals? If so, register for our next Speaker Showcase. Future of London’s Speaker Showcase is a dynamic workshop to help you improve your presentation and public speaking skills in a welcoming environment. After some top tips from experienced mentors in the sector, each participant gives a short presentation on a topic of their choice and receives tailored feedback. By fostering inclusivity and offering constructive feedback, the Speaker Showcase aims to build confidence in public speaking. We want to amplify diverse voices and create a space where everyone can thrive as speakers. At our next event, we are giving priority to disabled people, neurodivergent individuals, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, though everyone is welcome to register. Register via the link in the comments below. After participants complete the workshop, they are eligible to join our Speaker Bank, which enables people from under-represented or historically marginalised backgrounds to increase visibility and opportunities in the sector. Thanks to John Lumley and all at L&Q and Angela Wood and all at Peabody for supporting the Speaker Diversity Network programme, which includes the showcase events and speaker bank. Image: Elio Fang at our last Speaker Showcase. #FutureOfLondon #SpeakerDiversityNetwork

As an exhibition about swimming in style opens at the Design Musuem, we revisit our story about London's lido revival led by Redbridge. A century after the Valentines Park Lido opened in Ilford, London Borough of Redbridge approved plans to build a new lido near the original site. One major difference is the new lido will be heated! According to regeneration and culture director, Mark Baigent, the outdoor pool and fitness centre, with a cafe, gym and yoga studio, supports the borough’s ambition to support healthier living for its communities. The decision to build a new lido was taken in the context of the growing popularity of outdoor swimming. “People have re-evaluated what a family day out is about,” says Mark. “Those who may be struggling financially can’t afford to go abroad but instead can have a great day out in the centre of Ilford.” The early 20th century witnessed a boom across the UK in building open-air public swimming pools, which is highlighted in the Design Museum exhibition called Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style. Lidos were often part of major public works programmes after World War I and were built in the latest modern styles, reflecting an optimistic view of a healthier, cleaner world. In recent years we’ve seen a revival of interest in the value of ‘blue spaces’ – natural or artificial external bodies of water. They are not only integral parts of green infrastructure supporting climate resilience. Images: design for the new lido courtesy of Wake Morley Architects; Valentines Park lido photo courtesy of Redbridge Library & Heritage Centre. #FutureOfLondon

Great advice from Caroline Harper, interim MD at Be First Regeneration Limited and chair of our board. She recommends focusing on continuous professional development and taking every opportunity to learn. Caroline is interviewed by Toby Fox as part of the 1.5M New Homes campaign, which is looking at the role of councils in achieving the government's housing target.

Community involvement is crucial to improving the "trust crisis" between the built environment sector and people directly impacted by development. In this post, Anna Odedun explains why before she speaks at HACT's social value conference. #FutureOfLondon #SocialValue #CommunityEngagement

The built environment sector gets a strategic advantage by involving people affected most by urban development. Our community engagement playbook will show how. We are launching the ‘Engaging London’ project in 2025 to explore how successful practitioners have transformed engagement from a mandatory process into a strategic advantage. Through case studies, workshops and roundtable discussions, we'll examine: ▶️ How champions gained internal support ▶️ Approaches that convinced key stakeholders ▶️ Practical strategies that created tangible value. The outcome? A practical playbook with actionable strategies to demonstrate the strategic advantage of meaningful consultation. We are delivering this project in conjunction with Azul Castaneda Prado and the Open-Oxford-Cambridge doctoral training partnership, with Arup and Pollard Thomas Edwards. Thanks to Patrick Devlin of PTE and Bettisabel Lamelo Viña of Arup for supporting the project. 💡 To shape the project as a funding partner or by sharing insights and expertise, please contact Anna Odedun, Head of Knowledge at Future of London. #CommunityEngagement #UrbanDevelopment #FutureOfLondon

As local authorities deliver new housing at pace to meet government targets, public health leaders are worried that joined-up health and housing priorities will suffer. We're keeping the focus on healthy homes. Building healthy homes will be particularly challenging in London, where rapid housing growth relies on intensification by developing small sites, tall buildings and residential conversions under permitted development rights. These types of development can be less suited to promoting positive health factors, such as green spaces and accessible local infrastructure. “Building poor-quality homes to quickly address supply issues may harm health in the short term and create long-term problems,” warns the UCL Institute of Health Equity. Our new Health and Housing Impact Network project looks at ways to deliver healthy homes while meeting the government’s ambitious housing targets. We will run a series of masterclasses on key aspects of building healthy homes: 💻 Setting and measuring health outcomes, including using data and improving outcomes for marginalised groups 📋 Post-occupancy evaluation, including engagement to increase resident trust 🏠 Health impacts of intensification such as tall buildings, small sites and permitted development schemes. By the end of the masterclass series, network members will be able to seize the opportunity to support building healthy homes through increased skills, confidence and understanding of housing and health equity. Find out more about the Building Homes project in a blog post by Hannah Gibbs and Catherine Max via the link in the comments below. Thanks to Impact on Urban Health, which works to reduce health inequalities in urban areas, for supporting the network. Thanks also to the Health & Housing Impact Network sounding board for providing ideas and insights. Clare Wildfire | Emma De Zoete | Jeremy Porteus | Jill Stewart | Maria Morgan | Sripriya Sudhakar MRTPI | Tracey Downie | Polly Turton | Theo Harrison Image: Child-friendly public realm created in Lewis Cubitt Park as part of the regeneration of King's Cross at Coal Drops Yard #FutureOfLondon #HealthAndHousingImpactNetwork #PublicHealth #HousingCrisis

The future of housing isn’t just about building more homes - it’s about knowing the type of homes that are needed. We intend to find out. As the built environment sector responds to the government's 1.5 million new homes target, our Homes for the Future research project will explore the solutions that will allow London to thrive. Key questions include: 🔍 How do we design homes that match real demographic needs? 🌍 How can sustainability be at the heart of new developments? 🏘️ How do we ensure housing is safe, equitable, and fosters social connections? We’re bringing together local authorities, developers, architects, investors and communities to tackle these critical questions. 💡 Get involved! We’re seeking bold thinkers and innovative partners to shape and fund the project, and contribute their expertise. Contact Anna Odedun, Head of Knowledge. Thanks to our project partners: ▶️ Laura Murray - Countryside Partnerships ▶️ Oliver Maury and Jon Neale - Montagu Evans ▶️ Patrick Devlin - Pollard Thomas Edwards ▶️ Sara Bailey - Trowers & Hamlins Image: Tree House at Elephant and Castle /iStock #HousingCrisis #UrbanFuture #SustainableLiving #FutureOfLondon

In a competitive global market, London boroughs must put their place on the map to succeed in attracting investment for sustainable growth. This new toolkit shows how. We were delighted to collaborate recently with Futurecity and Opportunity London to help launch Futurecity’s new Place Vision Toolkit. The toolkit offers a clear and structured process to help London boroughs: ✅ Identify and articulate a site’s cultural DNA ✅ Strengthen its investment appeal ✅ Align development with community, economic and cultural priorities ✅ Support compelling narratives for funding and investment bids Futurecity’s Mark Davy introduced the guide at a special preview event, with experts from Quintain Limited, Yoo Capital and Wembley Park. They shared key lessons: 🔹 Integrated approach – Culture must be embedded in economic and community strategies. 🔹 Flexibility – Places must adapt to evolving market and social needs. 🔹 Community engagement – Local voices are critical in shaping authentic narratives. 🔹 Long-term partnerships – Collaboration between local authorities, developers and cultural organisations is essential. Their key message is that culture isn’t an add-on — it’s a powerful driver of economic resilience and community wellbeing. 💡 If you’re a local authority and want to access the Place Vision Toolkit, contact info@futurecity.co.uk. Thanks to Futurecity and Opportunity London for the opportunity to partner on this project, and to Yoo Capital for hosting the preview event at Olympia. Thanks to the event speakers: Mark Davy of Futurecity; Isabel Alonzo and Yasmin Malik of Opportunity London; James Saunders, Julian Tollast and Claudio Giambrone of Quintain; Lloyd Lee and Louise Page-Jennings of Yoo Capital; and Future of London CEO Nicola Mathers. Images courtesy of Futurecity. #CulturalPlacemaking #UrbanDevelopment #FutureOfLondon #Regeneration #Investment

We're delighted to support the launch of the new Digital Planning Directory with presentations showcasing real AI applications. The directory has invaluable information with case studies on digitising the planning process. Naturally, there's a big focus on AI so if you need to catch up, here's how! Thanks to the Digital Task Force for Planning and Mayor of London for hosting this event, which is on 9 April. Registration details below.

Anyone in the built environment sector should be heartened by this post from a candidate on our Emerging Talent Programme, who shows where the next generation of leaders is coming from. Well done to Daniel F. P. for embracing the opportunity of ETP, which creates work placements for people from ethnic minority backgrounds who want to launch their careers in the sector. We think Daniel has launched! If you could host a work placement for the next round of ETP, expect this kind of energy from the candidates. Contact Karen Jefford CMgr FCMI to find out more. Thanks to Avison Young │ UK for putting on this training day and all our current host employers: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | London Borough of Lambeth | BOUYGUES UK | L&Q | London Borough of Camden | Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) | Greater London Authority