Healthy places: Shaping healthy environments, behaviour change and urban planning
On 10 June, Wongani chaired a panel discussion at the Festival of Place exploring a timely question: Is our planning system still fit to deliver the social purpose of planning? Bringing together Dr Saira Ali FLI FRSA, Michael Chang, and James Green, the discussion examined how planning can move beyond housing delivery to become a tool
for improving public health and creating thriving communities for the future.It was a fantastic experience to engage in these discussions, rethinking the role of planning in shaping public health. A key takeaway is the importance of cross-professional collaboration and the need to place people, health, and wellbeing at the heart of all decision-making.
🎧10 Revolutions: Communities designed by those who live in them
Wongani recently joined The Next Revolution‘s 10 Revolutions podcast for a conversation on what it means to design with local communities. Speaking with their co-founder Mark A King, he shared his thoughts on community-led housing, sustainable design, and the importance of creating places that put people first.
The episode also explores Wongani’s experiences beyond architecture, from Interrail travel and parkrun to the collaborative work we’re doing at Transition by Design and alongside our friends at Makespace Oxfordshire. It’s an inspiring conversation about how small shifts in the way we live, design and work together can contribute to a more sustainable future.
Have a listen to the podcast episode here and check out the Next Revolutions website here for further episodes.
Digital Commons Coop: Help Fund LandExplorer
Our friends at Digital Commons Co-operative are in the final week of their crowdfunding campaign for LandExplorer. It is an open digital tool that helps communities better understand land ownership and unlock opportunities for community-led change. Every donation will help fund the next phase of development, with supporters having a direct say in which features are built first.
If you’d like to support a project that’s making land information more accessible and empowering communities to shape the places they live, please consider making a contribution. Every donation, big or small, helps bring the project one step closer to its goal. 💚
👉 Donate here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/land-explorer
Are You Ready for the Next Heatwave? 🫠
As UK summers become hotter, keeping our homes cool is becoming more important than ever. While air conditioning may seem like an easy solution, it can be expensive to run and is far less effective if a home isn’t well insulated or protected from the sun.
At Transition by Design, we take a fabric-first approach to retrofit, using Passivhaus principles to reduce overheating before it starts. By improving insulation, adding external shading, and incorporating thoughtful natural ventilation, we design homes that remain comfortable year-round, significantly reducing the need for air conditioning.
Whether you’re planning to renovate your home, reduce your energy bills, or prepare for a changing climate, we’d love to help.
Get in touch to find out how a whole-house retrofit could make your home cooler, greener, and more comfortable (admin@transitionbydesign.org).
Got a community project that you’d like to work together with us on, or a retrofit to your home, or any other design needs?
Find out more about our services and arrange a design consultation.