Belfast.Thrives

05/08/2021

Belfast residents, workers, and visitors: Give us your insights via our anonynmous survey, which is open until 20th August!

Online survey BOS

11/06/2021

Check out our keynotes & panels for free on Thursday 17th June!
AM Session 9am-12.30pm GMT+1
Keynotes
Cathy Reynolds, BCC on the Future City Centre and Liz Loughran, DfI, Active Travel Partnerships

Panels
‘Liveable’ cities: Where is the evidence & how should we use it?
Administrative Data Research Centre-NI; Belfast Healthy Cities; Mental Health Foundation; BCCM; Ulster University,

Public voices & places: Vibrancy, equality, & sustainability for all
Belfast Charitable Society; AGENI; IMTAC; Bryson CARE & Migrant Help; NI Women’s European Platform

Balancing private investment & public interest in healthy places
Belfast Chamber of Commerce; UU-Youth Forum Rep; Urban Scale Interventions; Linen Quarter BID; DfI Senior Planning Representative

Direct link to our Zoom-host registration page for 16-17th June webinar and symposium on urban health & public placemaking:

Transformative Health & Regeneration Initiatives (for Vibrancy, Equality, and Sustainability) Dates: Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th June 2021

05/06/2021

Direct link to our Zoom-host registration page for 16-17th June webinar and symposium on urban health & public placemaking:
https://ndevents.co.uk/belfast-thrives2021/

Thrilled to have our Wednesday 16th June seminar hosted by Dr Wendy Austin Hewitt, MBE when we'll here from architect and urbanist Rick Mohler FAIA of University of Washington, epidemiologist Dr Gina Lovasi of the Drexel Urban Health Collaborative, Panuku Development Auckland's Head of Placemaking Frith Walker, and access and inclusion advocate Pagan Lilley Philips of London-based Public Practice!

17th June is equally exciting with keynote speakers from Belfast City Council, and the Department for Infrastructure along with three panels featuring representatives from across Belfast & Northern Ireland public, private, and voluntary sectors (Age NI, Belfast Charitable Society, Bryson Charitable Group, Migrant Help, IMTAC, Northern Ireland Women's European Platform, Belfast Chamber, Linen Quarter, Urban Scale Interventions); and finishing the day with a Next Generation session where final year students from Planning, Regeneration & Development at Ulster University will present their dissertation research on public space, engagement, blue infrastructure, smart cities, and liveability with Royal Town Planning Institute keynote Erin Donaldson and Respondent Professor Janet Askew, Past-RTPI President 2015.

Transformative Health & Regeneration Initiatives (for Vibrancy, Equality, and Sustainability) Dates: Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th June 2021

12/05/2021

Belfast.THRI(VES) is a research partnership between Ulster University [Urban Research Lab] and Belfast City Council, to inform how changes and aspirations for City Centre public spaces can more effectively contribute to the liveability of the city and the wellbeing of its inhabitants.

Join us for a free online Webinar and Symposium on the evening of 16th June and during the day on 17th June, funded through via the Department for Communities Covid-19 Recovery Revitalisation Programme, and the Department for Infrastructure.

The events will bring together international and local speakers with panel discussions to share insights into inclusive public realm policy, planning, design, and management. Topics explored will place changes in Belfast within a wider regional and global context of cities and communities working toward more inclusive, liveable, and sustainable urban centres – connected neighbourhoods and networks of public places with wellbeing at their heart.

Please join and help us collectively learn from others as part of balancing the needs of people, business, and public services: to connect data across the public, private, and voluntary sectors more effectively; to evaluate projects for health and wellbeing in addition to economic and carbon-based tools; and for collaborative practices and wider lessons that might help Belfast meet Bolder Vision goals to benefit all who live, work, and visit here.

16th June 2021, 6.00pm – 8.00pm: International Lessons on Urban Health and Wellbeing

THRIVES researchers and International speakers will share how different cities have addressed common social, economic, and public health challenges to reshape and reopen buildings and spaces in transformative ways with short and long-term vision and lessons.

Contributing Speakers to date (additional information on Speakers and Facilitators to follow):

Dr Gina Lovasi, Co-Director, Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife Associate Professor of Urban Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA:

Leveraging data, research, education, and partnerships to improve health in cities.
Professor Rick Mohler FAIA, University of Washington, Seattle, USA:

Lessons from The Seattle Street Sink and Stay Healthy Streets Initiative.
Frith Walker, Head of Placemaking, Panuku Development Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), NZ:

Why public space matters: Auckland’s Public-Private Partnerships and Place-led Approach to Urban Development.
17th June 2021, 9.00am – 12.30pm and 1.00pm – 3.00pm: A Belfast View to Healthy Futures

Keynote Speakers and themed Panel Sessions will bring together local experts, policy makers, community voices, and future professionals from Ulster University’s UPLAN Society. We will focus on the changing city centre of Belfast as part of wider regional and internationally connected research and collaborative working proposals.

Panel and Facilitator details to follow.

01/05/2021

New public page for research on urban health and wellbeing in Belfast: Transformative Health Regeneration Initiatives for Vibrancy, Equality, and Sustainability. Getting things up and running to share information, links, and to ask for help in building up a pictures of how to inform future consultation, planning, design, delivery and management of our public spaces to support the widest and most effective range of uses, services for better long-term health and wellbeing of all who use them.