Planning for Future Generations

The School of Geography and Planning recently hosted the annual UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference 2016.

The School welcomed over 100 delegates to the conference which included over 70 academic papers over two days. The conference theme of ‘Planning for Future Generations’ enabled speakers to relate their ideas to the Welsh Government’s ambitious Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and its important themes, many of which relate closely to planning.

Speaking about the conference one of the conference organisers, Dr Neil Harris said: “We were extremely grateful to Matthew Quinn Director, Environment and Sustainable Development in the Welsh Government who helped to open the Conference by introducing the themes of the Welsh Government’s innovative Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015. The Act reinforces many of the central principles of planning including collaborative working, engaging communities and considering the longer-term in public life.”

Other Highlights of the conference included plenary sessions from Patsy Healey, professor emeritus in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University; Mark Tewdwr-Jones Mark, Newcastle University's Chair of Town Planning and a member of the Global Urban Research Unit at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape; and Professor Kevin Morgan, Cardiff University.  The Conference also included a Town Planning Review sponsored round table session on the planning implications of Brexit, and a debate on the challenges for future generations of planning researchers.

International Planning Studies and Taylor and Francis sponsored a breakfast session for doctoral and early career researchers on the how, where and why of ‘Starting to Publish’.

The Conference closed by partnering with the Royal Town Planning Institute in hosting the Institute’s Awards for Research Excellence.  A full list of award winners can be found on the Institute’s website here.