Reflecting on Policy Exchange's webinar on 7 May with Mark Carney

I spent time this weekend reflecting on Policy Exchange's webinar on 7 May with Mark Carney and Hon Malcolm Turnbull, chaired by Juliet Samuel. 'The other global crisis: what next for climate change and environment policy' explored in some depth what coronavirus can teach us about dealing with climate change, given the radical disruption this pandemic has caused.

Sue Morgan, Design Council's Director of Architecture and the Built Environment, asked about how we can lever in significant investment to the public sector (noting that incentives already exist for the private sector) so that urban design can do more to promote sustainable communities, improve health and wellbeing and - crucially - mitigate climate change. (You can listen to her question at 56m15s). 

Mark Carney's response to this particularly struck me. His points were on the extent of overall changes that would be needed in urban design in the medium term, taking into account factors such as more working from home and travelling to work. These were big issues, he felt, for the next 12 to 18 months. He highlighted the important role of organisations such as Design Council in leading conversations around these issues.

I certainly appreciate Mark Carney's endorsement. And I am proud that the Design Council team is working tirelessly throughout the pandemic, bringing people together (virtually) to discuss how we can enable sustainable living, improve health and wellbeing, and increase design skills across the UK so we can best respond to present and future challenges. 

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