Salus journal

Healthy Planet. Healthy People.

Public health / Healthy Cities

Healthy City Design 2020

Healthy City Design 2020 – why attend?

By Andrew Sansom 02 Nov 2020 0

Watch our short video on what delegates at last year's Healthy City Design International Congress thought of the conference and why you should attend in 2020.



Abstract

Concessions are available if you are a member of any of our partner organisations – click here for more.
 
Why attend?
  • To hear, learn and draw inspiration from more than 200 of the world’s leading exponents as they share their work, knowledge, expertise and latest research findings;
  • To enhance and accelerate your personal development and understanding in the fields of population and planetary health, infrastructure design and community design;
  • To enjoy 4 days packed with live talks, presentations and panel discussions across public health, urban planning, housing, transport, healthcare and workplace design, sustainable development and much more besides;
  • To gain access to on-demand recordings of more than 100 talks, presentations and panel discussions for 30 days after the congress has passed;
  • To network digitally with like-minded people in a truly international setting using live messaging and chat to make new contacts and develop relations;
  • To understand what opportunities exist with campaigners, membership bodies, think tanks and companies at HCD 2020’s live expo; and
  • To receive a free copy of Health is Made at Home, the new book by keynote speaker Lord Nigel Crisp.
Resilience is not simply a big topic for the healthy city – the impact of COVID-19 means it is now the burning question of the day. At HCD 2020, we’ll look at the resilient city from many angles – from creating more resilient homes, neighbourhoods, transport systems and workplaces, to the design decisions that underscore more resilient placemaking and urban renewal.
 
In a rapidly urbanised world struggling to adapt to a climate crisis and the public health emergency of a global health pandemic, the ability of our cities and governments to keep all citizens safe and well has never been under greater scrutiny. Public health professionals, scientists, urban planners, architects and policymakers must now speak with one voice on the need to make our cities more resilient in the face of far-reaching, life-changing threats.
 
However, the whole concept of resilience is multi-dimensional. In its narrowest sense, resilience means snapping back into shape after some adverse incident or effect. It implies the buoyancy, strength and ability to recover an original position or form – but resilient cities are required to do more than that in the context of becoming healthier places to live and work. They must anticipate the future and have the capacity to adapt their disease-resistant and health-creating systems and designs accordingly.
 
Resilience takes on many different aspects when applied to the healthy city. There is the challenge of environmental resilience that will protect city dwellers from floods and fires, and other adverse climate conditions becoming increasingly common amid a growing sense of climate catastrophe. There is also the conventional healthcare resilience planning we see around international medical emergencies, such as the COVID-19 outbreak. As new hospitals are constructed in China in a matter of weeks as part of a rapid response to infectious disease control, we’re already witnessing the next chapter in healthcare resilience.
 
But what about operational and technological resilience to keep cities running efficiently, with transport systems moving, workplaces connected to the global digital grid, workforces able to access work, and goods and services flowing around the urban realm unencumbered? In other words, what are the steps to keep the economic pulse of the city beating?
 
Then there is social and community resilience. How can design strategies in the built environment create more social connection among people of all ages and abilities, improving air quality, decreasing isolation, reducing inequalities, delivering green spaces, and providing safe, affordable housing to boost community wellbeing? Connected to this, we also find the issue of food resilience: as life expectancy stalls among the poorest, how can our cities maintain supplies of fresh, locally produced food that will fuel citizens, avoid panic-buying in times of distress, and prevent ill health?
 
Resilience is not simply a big topic for the healthy city – the impact of COVID-19 means it is now the burning question of the day. In this, the 4th Healthy City Design International Congress, we’ll look at the resilient city from many angles – from creating more resilient homes, neighbourhoods, transport systems and workplaces, to the design decisions that underscore more resilient placemaking, and urban renewal. We’ll look at how smart technologies support the resilient city – and at how low-tech social innovations also have a big impact. We’ll share best practice through case studies and encourage new practice through toolkits and frameworks. Scales of resilience will be examined from recovery to complete renewal, and the kind of transformative effect on city living implied by the term ‘renaissance’.
 
In this, our 4th Healthy City Design International Congress, we’ll ask how do we adapt and change to prevent, avoid and mitigate disaster, whether natural or man-made?
 
Bridging the gap between research, policy and practice
The Healthy City Design 2020 (HCD 2020) International Congress & Exhibition will take place virtually on 30 November – 3 December 2020. A global forum for the exchange of knowledge on the research, policy and practice of designing healthy and sustainable cities and communities, the congress is organised by SALUS Global Knowledge Exchange in partnership with the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art.
 
The first two days will open with keynote plenary sessions before splitting up into three parallel streams. The fourth day will feature a special conference around the health and wellness of people at work, curated jointly with the People Energy Partnership (see p4 of the Preliminary Programme). Delegates will be able to purchase tickets for the full four-day event or individual days at extremely attractive prices, with sessions available to watch on demand for 30 days after the event.