At the beginning of September, the UK- Ireland Planning Conference took place in Cardiff, Wales. It was a very interesting event where a lot of accent was laid on the current austerity regime, with massive local public cuts, which affect deeply the planning outcomes. We also reflected on issues such as Brexit and its influence on the Irish border, the relentless growth of London in the detriment of the rest of the country and the impact of neoliberalism on creating places for people, more equal and more liveable environments where humanity can flourish.
I presented the paper I am co-writing at the moment with Prof Panu Lehtovuori , which focuses on understanding key challenges that urban planning is facing today in Scotland, Finland and the Netherlands when trying to create more liveable, vibrant and successful places.