Valuing our life support systems – Workshop 2:
The urban planning system
Ecosystems provide services that underpin human life. However, these basic services are threatened by population growth and the increasing need for housing and urban development. A proposal for new ‘eco-towns’ has been made, but has been heavily criticised and does not tackle the wider issue of mainstream sustainable urban development.
This workshop aims to examine how we can combine our understanding of the interactions between soils, water, biology and socio-economic factors to optimise the functioning of new and existing urban areas. One outcome could be producing master plans which attempt to reduce flood risk and increase carbon sequestration in soils while developing biodiversity. This would involve changing the way in which the current planning regime treats the environment at a landscape level.
Programme
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<img class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-5653″ src=”https://www.naturalcapitalinitiative.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/NCI-pptIcon.png” alt=”NCI-pptIcon” width=”31″ height=”31″> Click icon to see the slide presentation.
| 12.30pm | Registration and lunch | ||
| 13.30pm | Opening remarks | Workshop chair: Prof Tim O’Riordan, Council Member, Sustainable Development Commission | |
| 13.35pm | Eco towns | Pat Willoughby, Director, David Lock Associates, and Policy Council Member, Town and Country Planning Association |  |
| 13.55pm | Ecosystem services and urban areas | Prof Roy Haines-Young, Professor of Environmental Management, School of Geography, University of Nottingham | |
| 14.15pm | Implications for planning | Prof Mark Tewdwr-Jones, Professor of Spatial Planning and Governance & Director of Research, Bartlett School of Planning, University College London | |
| 14.35pm | Panel discussion and Q&A | ||
| 14.50pm | Coffee break | ||
| 15.10pm | Facilitated breakout groups to discuss issues and develop recommendations | ||
| 16.40pm | Report back from breakout groups | ||
| 17.10pm | Closing remarks | Prof Jim Harris, Committee Member, Natural Capital Initiative | |
| 17.15pm | Close | ||