Opening keynote
13:00–13:45 GMT 08:00–08:45 EST
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
Ghost town: what is the future of work in cities?
14:00 – 14:45 GMT 09:00–09:45 EST
Working from home during lockdown has already encouraged many firms to announce office closures or ‘hybrid’ schemes involving a mix of WFH and office work. The capacity for such change varies sharply - in the UK, more than four in ten workers in London, Reading and Edinburgh can work from home. In Barnsley, Burnley and Stoke only two in ten people have jobs that permit that flexibility, But new working models are clearly part of the urban future. What does that mean for the nature of work, for the office space of the future and how we build it, and for the economy of city centres? Who is likely to move -- will it be GenZ employees, or those with families looking for more space? How marked will this phenomenon actually be? What impact will this have on urban residential and commercial property markets? What effect will it have on commuter cities?
Just enough for the city: time to get real about inequality and terrible housing
15:00 – 15:45 GMT 10:00–10:45 EST
In many big cities, Covid has shone unforgiving light on the fact that housing is a public health issue, and laid bare the often deplorable effects of inequality. In low income neighbourhoods, people are crammed into housing that’s too small, in neighbourhoods with no green space -- people who need decent transit for work, who have lost jobs in the service sector, who can’t escape to the country. Many live in social, or subsidized housing. But there are solutions -- what distinguishes good social housing from bad? Where are the best ideas to be found?
The ‘15-minute city’: why shouldn’t all you need be near where you live?
16:00 – 16:45 GMT 11:00–11:45 EST
Sometimes referred to as “the city of neighbourhoods” - the concept championed by Jane Jacobs which means that everything a person needs should be located within a 15-minute walk – shopping, food, services, health care, recreation. In most cities, that’s not the case -- people need to drive, or take long transit rides, to shop and play and go to the hospital. With Covid making us rethink what a healthy city really is, could its moment be here?
Street life: how will city transport change?
17:00 – 17:45 GMT 12:00–12:45 EST
Abiding fear of public transport means more cars, more gridlock and more pollution. What can cities do to improve the safety of underground and overground travel, and - for those who continue to live in the city - encourage cycling with bicycle lanes and park-and-ride transit? Will other cities follow Copenhagen’s pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2025? If the very notion of a city depends upon moving large numbers of people around, where should we be looking for best practice?
City of dreams: what is the future of city culture and nightlife?
18:00 – 18:45 GMT 13:00–13:45 EST
Lockdown has been cruel to the vibrant nightlife, entertainment industry and artistic sector - all of them central to the gravitational pull of cities as places to live (as well as to work). How will city authorities help venues build the so-called ‘bridge’ from their present predicament to renewed viability? How will they select which venues to help?
