Ecobuild - Thursday 04 March

Urban planning & the public realm

As a concise update and programme for planners, designers, managers and developers, this series of seminars explored the principles, policies, new research and practical ways of making more sustainable places. This ranges from visions of tomorrow’s cities, green infrastructure, transition towns, making space for food, better streets for people, designing for health and liveable microclimates, through to retrofitting green roofs, effective environmental design measures and the continued importance of trees.

All sessions were held in the Marlborough Room, sponsored by SarnaVert

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10.30 – 12.00

Liveable urban microclimates

Examining how to understanding and overcome urban microclimate issues, this seminar looks at winds, tall buildings, urban heat islands, shadowing and heat gain, passive buildings, noise, air quality, and what future climatic changes may mean for today’s design principles.

chair: Gavin Davies, Director, Arup

10.30 – 11.00	Beating the heat – keeping cool in a warmer climate
	Ruth Shilston, Engineer, Arup

11.00 – 11.20	Towards tranquil cities – predicting and enhancing tranquility
	Greg Watts, Professor of Transportation Noise, University of Bradford

11.20 – 11.40	After White City – fifteen years of EIA of urban developments
	John Towner, Director, Environmental Planning & Assessment Ltd

11.40 – 12.00	Strategic planning and masterplanning for adaptation
	Robert Shaw, Associate Director of Sustainability, AECOM

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12.30 – 14.00

Small is green and good

Constrained by major site characteristics and development cost limits, what are the most effective environmental design strategies to deploy? This seminar examines smaller interventions that can make a different to a scheme’s green performance, and what works best at what scale.

chair: Miranda Pennington, Sustainability Consultant, Metropolis Green

12.30 – 13.00	Integrating environmental design strategies
	Miranda Pennington, Sustainability Consultant, Metropolis Green

13.00 – 13.20	Scale is everything
	Jane Manning, Associate, Urban Practitioners

13.20 – 13.40	RETREAD: practical ways to deliver sustainable development
	Duncan Baker-Brown, Architect and Director, BBM Sustainable Design

13.40 – 14.00	How not to retrofit for the future
	Stephen Choi, Associate, Broadway Malyan

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14.15 – 15.45

Eco-towns: work in progress

With Eco-Town developments underway across England, this seminar compares the vision and founding principles, with work in progress, and the differences between the UK and French initiatives and delivery processes.

chair: Wendy Shillam, Project Manager of Whitehill Bordon Eco-town, Partner of Shillam + Smith

14.15 – 14.45	Public land for public benefit or the oven ready approach to development
	Wendy Shillam, Project Manager of Whitehill Bordon Eco-town, Partner of Shillam + Smith

14.45 – 15.05	St Austell Clay Country – from Cornish Alps to Eco-town
	Tim Hancock, Managing Director, Terence O'Rourke Ltd John Hodkin, Eco-town Project Director, Imerys