Sustainability : Designing more sustainable high streets

We invite you to join our event in collaboration with the University of Sheffield's School of Architecture and Live Works to explore the challenge of making our high streets more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

The role of the high street has never been more questioned. The socio-economic challenges posed by the global pandemic and continued rise of online cultures, (including shopping) are forcing us to rethink what and who the high street is for, whilst the climate and ecological crisis, coupled with equality and safety fears, demand a fundamental reinvention and reframing of the high street.

Government funding is being put into high streets around the country, amidst concerns that our high streets are failing. Whilst this money seems primarily focused on resuscitating the economic fortunes of our high streets, there is a fantastic opportunity to think more widely about the role of high streets as key places to celebrate cultural and societal diversity.

At this interactive co-design event, with the help of students studying Architecture in their final year of undergraduate studies, we’ll investigate alternatives to High Streets as sites for consumerism, and consider a richer and more diverse set of people & place-specific activities. As part of the event, we will introduce student propositions for sustainable community hubs to explore what role they and other community buildings might play in creating more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable high streets.

This will be a hybrid event broadcast from the The University of Sheffield's School of Architecture, with participants able to join both in-person and online. If you are attending in-person, the address is:

Floor 18,

Arts Tower,

Western Bank,

Sheffield

S10 2TN

This is a free event, but places are limited.

Please note: We will be capturing and sharing this event.

During the event we will be recording video, taking screen-shots and live-tweeting to help us share the evening’s activities and our learning with others. Some of the information collected during the evening may also be used for research purposes. Please read our Capture Policy for more information.

Please feel free to email us at info@theglasshouse.org.uk if you have any queries.

About the Series

As the world continues to adapt to the ever-shifting influences of the Covid-19 pandemic, The Glass-House 2021/22 WEdesign event series will dive into some of the themes that have brought people together around the globe to fight for equity, celebrate diversity, tackle climate change and grapple with how we both celebrate and mitigate against the influences of our past to shape our society today.

The Glass-House WEdesign events are interactive spaces where students, practitioners, policy-makers and citizens work together with The Glass-House and with students and tutors from our partner universities The Manchester School of Architecture, The Glasgow School of Art, University of Sheffield School of Architecture & Live Works, and University College London, Bartlett. Together we will explore and co-design propositions to innovate design and placemaking, drawing and building on student projects that explore these global themes.

Local Places, Global Issues is being planned as a hybrid event series, with interactive events and co-design activities taking place, when possible, in person in Manchester, Glasgow, London and Sheffield as well as online.