Reimagining South London’s High Streets & Townscapes Conference

South London businesses, creatives, policy makers, organisations, universities, colleges, and community innovators – we want to hear your views.

Come along to this conference and be part of re-shaping the future of our South London High Streets and Townscapes. If you feel passionately about the local area that you live and work in; come and help us reimagine a new future.

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#ReimagineSouthLondon

The disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown many businesses into survival mode, particularly those on the high street; however, some of the upheavals and fundamental structural shifts we are now witnessing have been in play long before the pandemic.

The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated several trends that were already under way, such as remote working replacing commuting, ever-increasing localisation in purchasing, and shifting spending habits.

The growing consumer demand for authenticity and sustainability will result in ever-growing demands for locally sourced products, services and – perhaps most critically – experiences.

The BIG question: How can we create quality places in South London that we want to live, work, play, and learn in?

This conference will new explore new thinking, existing best practice and examine how South London partners can collaborate on the common challenges facing our high streets and town centres. The aim is to support change and evolution to ensure future vitality and resilience in the local community.

Who should attend?

Anyone interested in creating meaningful change in the community is welcome to attend to be part of the conversation – from policy makers and Business Improvement Districts to high street retailers, hospitality businesses, creative & cultural organisations, and Independent Traders.

We also welcome environmental organisations, property developers and businesses in the construction sector alongside University and College Students and representatives.

Agenda

12:30 – 1:00 Conference opening
1:00 – 1:10 Welcome from Matthew Sims, CEO, Croydon BID
1:10 – 1:30 Introduction from Alex Elkins, Director, South Bank Innovation & LSBU Croydon Director
1:35 – 2:15 Breakout workshops – session 1
2:15 – 2:30 Networking
2:30 – 3:10 Breakout workshops – session 2
3:15 – 3:45 Keynote from Tina Jadav, Interim Area Manager – Regeneration, Greater London Authority
3:50 – 4:00 Networking & refreshments
4:00 – 4:40 Breakout workshops – session 3
4:40 – 5:00 Closing remarks from Clare O’Connor, Director, South London Partnership
5:00 – 6:30 Conference networking reception

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Breakout Workshops 

1:35 – 2:15 – session 1

• Building resilience for a creative future – Professor Alison Baverstock, Professor of Publishing and Director of Research, Business, and Innovation at Kington School of Art
• Connecting people: High Street leisure, consumption & community – Dr Katherine Appleford, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Kingston University
• Future of South London’s High Streets: community town centres – Nico Bosetti, Head of Data and Insight at Centre for London
• Sustainability, health and human experience and how your university can support your journey – Ankita Dwivedi, Director at Scala Colab and Founder of Firstplanit & Dr. Yuliana Topazly, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Kingston University
• Placemaking is a marketing issue. But that doesn’t make it easier – Dr Charles Graham, LSBU & Kamran Khan, LSBU
• Toddler engagement with the built environment – Dr Penny Lawrence, Senior Lecturer, University of Roehampton
• The precarious ecosystem of a London High Street – Aoife Donnelly, Senior Lecturer and Architect, School of Art Department of Architecture and Landscape, Kingston University

Read more detail about the workshops in session 1

2:30 – 3:10 – session 2

• Activating the High Street through event experiences – Joanna Goodey, Senior Lecturer and Course Director, Events and Entertainment Management, LSBU
• Reappraising the suburbs – Robin Hutchinson, The Community Brain
• Urban Re-leaf Project – Merton Climate Action Group & Kristof Fatsar, Kingston University, Senior Lecturer, Landscape Architecture
• Not My Beautiful House, balancing community-building and profit – Claire Selby, Enterprise Projects Lead at Kingston University and Grace Richards, Business Development Manager, Union of Kingston Students
• Living Locally – a greener, healthier future – Marcus Chidgey, CEO, Loqiva
• How can we achieve Net Zero Carbon Communities? – Dr Heba Elsharkawy, Associate Professor and Head of Department of Architecture and Landscape, Kingston University

Read more detail about the workshops in session 2

4:00 – 4:40 – session 3

• WeAreWaterloo’s Placemaking Strategy with Allies and Morrison – Dr. Charles Graham, LSBU & Natalie Raben, Chief Executive, WeAreWaterloo
• Care and repair on Rye Lane Peckham – Cathy Hawley and Tom Coward, Architects – MArch Unit 1, Kingston University
• Helping cities better understand their citizens – Francesca Esses, Hello Lamp Post
• Building the case for people-focussed high streets – Sandra Perez, Managing Consultant, Inner Circle Consulting
• ‘Work near home’ New Department Store of Activity – Freddie Fforde, Patch Work & Paloma Strelitz, Patch Work
• Young Agency and the City: After Colin Ward – Aoife Donnelly, Senior Lecturer and Architect, School of Art Department of Architecture and Landscape, Kingston University

Read more detail about the workshops in session 3

View Delegate Pack here as pdf or as webpages here

Register your place