People shape places and places shape people. How can we create cities that better contribute to flourishing?
What is a flourishing city – what would this look like? How can we create new routes to get there and lay the ground for change, particularly at a time when the questions of people’s wellbeing and climate change are absolutely pivotal ones?
Natasha co-chaired and co-curated the Conscious London 2020 conference, as a fellow of the Centre for Conscious Design, exploring how to make healthier, happier, more sustainable and equitable cities.
The 3 day event, brought together leading voices from the sciences, architecture, planning and creative communities to reimagine how urban environments can put people and planet first.
The first session, Intersections, explored how we can bring together research in neuro, cognitive and social sciences, with everyday design practice to create more positive experiences for people.
The second, Connectedness, explored how the built environment can facilitate quality of life, community, sense of belonging and improve mental health.
The third and final session, Ecosystems, explored how we can create human-centric places that also support environmental priorities like decarbonisation, increasing biodiversity and promote circular economies.
Speakers included: Itai Palti - Founder of the Centre for Conscious Design; Prof. Nick Tyler - UCL; Prof. Kate Jeffrey - UCL, Prof. Joshua Miller - Smith College; Dr Helen Pineo - UCL; Prof. Flora Samuel; Christine Murray – Festival of Place, Bethan Harris – Loneliness Lab; Dr Nigel Oseland – UCL; Jamie Anderson – Buro Happold
The London event was part of the global Conscious Cities Festival held in 18 cities across the world. It was co-chaired and curated by Natasha Reid, Jenny Jones and Mark Bessoudo.
The Centre for Conscious Design (CCD) is an international grassroots think tank focused on using conscious design to alleviate complex social and urban issues. The CCD emerged out of the Conscious Cities Movement, started by architect Itai Palti and neuroscientist Prof. Moshe Bar in 2015. Its mission is to reconceptualize design and push towards a ‘conscious’ model which responds to the needs of the people and communities.
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