UK–Ireland Planning Research Conference 2016

Abstract

IntroductionThe UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference is an annual event that showcases cutting-edge planning research and provides an opportunity for academics and practitioners to explore current and future issues faced by the field. The 2016 conference was hosted by Cardiff University on 6 and 7 September to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the university's School of Geography and Planning. The theme of the conference was Planning for Future Generations - a theme chosen to reflect the key priorities of the pioneering Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The Act seeks to improve the social, cultural and economic well-being of Welsh citizens, and in doing so reinforces many of the principles upheld by the planning profession, including collaborative working, sustainability and community engagement.On the first day of the conference over 100 delegates from 40 institutions and organisations were welcomed to the historic Glamorgan Building for the opening reception. This was followed by the first plenary session held in the adjacent Bute Building. The delegates then chose to attend a series of parallel sessions, followed by a drinks reception and conference dinner at Principality Stadium. The second day followed a similar format to the first but commenced with a breakfast briefing session for PhD students and early-career researchers, sponsored by Taylor & Francis, which provided practical advice and guidance on how to get published in academic journals. The conference closed with a round table discussion and RTPI awards ceremony.Plenary sessionsThe conference was opened by Professor Paul Milbourne, head of the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University, who introduced the conference theme and drew upon the criticality of current planning research for both academy and practice. Referencing Baroness Andrews's (2016) Foreword to English Planning in Crisis: 10 Steps to a Sustainable Future, Prof. Milbourne recognised the concern of planning 'not just for this generation, but for the long-term welfare of future generations'.Following this brief introduction, the first plenary session was presented by Matthew Quinn, director of environment and sustainable development in the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs of the Welsh Government. His presentation focused on the aims, objectives and challenges of the Well-Being of Future Generations Act. In particular he emphasised the difficulty of moving away from a 'single-issue' approach towards one that applies the principles of sustainable development across all areas and therefore encourages greater cross-sectoral collaboration. The Act seeks to deliver a more spatially oriented, holistic approach to dealing with issues related to the environment, society, culture and the economy, and in doing so seeks to change ways of working and thinking with respect to governance and stakeholder engagement. It is being implemented through a series of programmes and strategies, examples of which include a coastal flood-risk management scheme implemented in Colwyn Bay that also succeeded in bringing wider improvements to the public realm and tourism, and the Cynefin Programme, which explored new approaches to improving the well-being of deprived areas in Wales through the employment of 'place coordinators' to empower local people to improve their own quality of life.The second plenary presentation was delivered by Patsy Healey, Emeritus Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University. One of the key messages of this presentation was the need to have an evaluative focus on 'well-being', or, as she referred to it, 'human flourishing'. Focusing on the role of planning in 'place governance', she discussed the potential of adopting a relational approach to place, which considers the connections between time and space, and conceptualises change within these 'webs' or 'assemblages' of relations. …