In this series, we present the write-up of the Charrettes series, bringing together our Experts Panels and Committees to discuss barriers and levers related to the 6 Pillars of Placemaking in the New London Agenda.

In our collective role to drive sustainable development forward for future generations, Expert Panellists at this Planning for Future Generations Charette aimed to identify the challenges that posterity may face in our collective disciplines and sectors, followed by a brainstorm of the range of multifaceted solutions that could be brought forward to overcome the complex interplay of cultural, financial, and policy barriers.

The first half of the session centred on identifying the barriers, with cultural, financial, and policy challenges faced in turn, and the second half considered the solutions.

As a group, we initially recognised that knowledge silos are a significant obstacle for our youth and that fostering cooperative environments in the property sector where we can learn from each other will strengthen collaboration and allow knowledge to be shared and partnerships to grow. 

Transparency in the industry and identifying case studies where unfamiliar sustainable approaches have been successful will provide valuable frameworks for people to learn from one another. This could be achieved by creating open-source platforms for sharing best practices, making sustainable concepts more accessible to the public. 

This goes hand in hand with taking a more bottom-up approach and involving younger professionals in decision-making to ensure a resilient future. In turn, education systems need to be more accessible to everyone and focus more on long-term skills and continuous learning. 

Comprehensive educational programmes on regenerative practices, coupled with more apprenticeship and work experience offerings, can build a knowledgeable and resilient workforce.

Learning from other cultures and taking notes from their sustainable experimentation can shift the focus from sustaining to actively regenerative ecosystems, and integrating and consulting citizens in decision-making processes will ensure long-lasting engagement.

It was identified that one of the biggest barriers to sustainability being at the forefront of new building design is the short-term financial goals overshadowing long-term sustainability. We must encourage developers and housebuilders to construct sustainable places rather than focusing on their finance driven short sighted vision. It was acknowledged that short political cycles do hinder developer’s level of investment in sustainable infrastructure and that stability through a planning framework that sits above electoral cycles will help drive greater sustainability.

Further to this, incentivizing sustainable design through government support in creating innovation-friendly testing environments will help mitigate these issues and foster progress through experimentation. Green financing models and community infrastructure levy payments focusing more on sustainability can drive longevity thinking, creating award focused systems that incentivize long-term planning and penalise short-term approaches.

The Panel Members noted that greater flexibility needs to be built into policies to allow spaces to adapt to changing needs, possibly through enhanced planning and change of use processes. Outdated policies hinder innovation, and therefore it was suggested that creating sandbox environments for testing new policy approaches would help facilitate sustainable modernisation. 

It was also recognised that long-term infrastructure projects require cross-region partnerships to adopt a cohesive and unified approach to allow large-scale sustainable development projects. Finally, a more joined-up thinking approach would help overcome impediments to progress holistically. By addressing these barriers and implementing best practices, we can create a sustainable future that benefits generations to come.