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In this latest episode of Bricks & Mortar, Sarah Jackman is joined by Terry Watts, CEO of the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust – an organisation founded in the 1980s to “tackle the lack of diversity in the surveying profession”.
To help support that objective, it this week launches My Environment My Future, a new schools programme seeking to promote the built environment and careers available within the surveying profession to those taking GCSE geography.
Watts discusses the background to the initiative, how the programme’s structured and the positive feedback from the initial pilot project, which suggested that the scheme had been successful in not only promoting an understanding of the sector amongst participants, but in motivating them to consider pursuing a career in the built environment.
He highlights his plans to develop the scheme – including expanding it to cover other careers in the built environment – and how his ultimate aim “is that there will be a GCSE for the built environment just as there’s one in business studies … then there’ll be a route to choose. Meanwhile, we’re trying to signpost as many other routes and other opportunities for people to find out more as we can.”
In this episode of the EG Property Podcast editor Samantha McClary talks to EG’s head of workspace research Graham Shone about his Shifting Working Patterns investigation.
This in depth report, which utilises Radius Data Exchange insight, takes a look at what impact the move to majority working at home really means for real estate. Does it really mean the death of the office? Are city centres now redundant? Is there a hope for local retail as we all spend longer at home and are we all really going to move to the country?
Listen in for Graham’s expert insight and click here to download the report.
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We’re Still Here is back for another episode this week, making Friday a Friyay. And while tech and special projects editor Emily Wright is away for the week making pastry somewhere deep in Middle England, tech and global reporter Lucy Alderson has stepped in this week to debrief on this week’s biggest news stories with deputy editor Tim Burke.
And unlike the jam-packed, news-filled week it was for all things property, Alderson and Burke kick off proceedings by discussing how the government’s U-turn on its back to the office campaign could see London turn into a doughnut – nothing in the middle with lots of activity round the edges. The duo discuss the various reactions from real estate heavyweights to the government’s new covid-19 measures, and how it will affect the capital’s recovery in the long-term.
Attentions turn to discussing the latest developments concerning the widespread redundancy programmes taking place across the agency sector. This week saw a number of high profile senior directors strike out on their own to set up new consultancies after losing their jobs, and Alderson and Burke discuss the challenges, but also the opportunities, that removing the stigma around redundancies could present.
The two also discuss another issue that stigma also surrounds – mental health. Last week EG launched its second annual mental health survey to gather insight into the mental health of property’s workforce. Last year’s survey showed that 1 in 4 property professionals had considered suicide, and EG is looking to see whether property has been able to shift those worryingly high stats back. Please help us by filling out the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VBKMQ6Y
Southampton City Council’s Green City Charter has put a commitment to addressing the biggest environmental challenges facing the city front and centre for its business community and residents.
What role and responsibilities does the real estate industry have to play in ensuring the city meets its sustainability targets? And how does the Covid-19 crisis refocus or reinforce those goals?
In this conversation, recorded as part of EG’s Future of Southampton event, deputy editor Tim Burke is joined by:
Pete Boustred, head of green city and infrastructure, Southampton City Council
Gary Whittle, commercial director, Meachers Global Logistics
Amanda Reynolds, director, AR Urbanism
To access all of our content from the event head to https://www.egi.co.uk/the-future-of-southampton/
Southampton, like so many other cities, is attempting to look beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and map out a path to recovery. But the experiences of its leaders, businesses and residents during the crisis will mean that not everything returns to how it was before.
In this conversation, recorded as part of EG’s Future of Southampton event, we ask how Southampton’s real estate industry and built environment will be reshaped by the events of 2020, and what a thriving, vibrant city centre now needs to look like.
Joining EG’s deputy editor Tim Burke are:
- Nick Jones, head of Southampton office, AECOM
- Gavin Hall, director, planning, Savills
- Jo McGuinness, partner, real estate, Shoosmiths
- Megan Streb, partnerships manager, Sustrans
To access all of our content from the event head to https://www.egi.co.uk/the-future-of-southampton/
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On this week's episode of We're Still Here, host Emily Wright is joined by EG publisher Damian Wild to talk all things local.
From the power and clout of local governments to an increased focus on retail in local markets and commuter towns, this episode of the podcast delves into how we maintain our newfound familiarity with local areas and hometowns while supporting businesses and commerce in our global capitals.
The pair discuss retail marketplace Appear Here's move to expand into more local markets including Somerset and Connecticut in response to changing human behaviour and consumer trends post-COVID and reflect on a week of EG events focused on regional markets including Cambridge, Southampton and Swansea.
Also on this episode of the We're Still Here podcast, talk turns to well-being. Wild advises listeners to "reclaim their lunch breaks" and pledges EG's support for LandAid's Steptober Campaign. A great opportunity to support an excellent cause and get out of the office/home office/kitchen/garden shed to get those steps up, whatever the weather.
For more information on how you can support Steptober check out all the details here https://www.landaid.org/events/steptober.
Indifference is the biggest challenge that cities face. Governance congestion is what slows up development and progress, not planning and we are failing to address the "wicked problems" of affordability, climate change and even opioid addiction that all our cities face.
These were just some of the discussion points raised in this insightful and engaging conversation with Phil Allmendinger, professor of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge, recorded as part of EG's Future of Cambridge event.
To access all of our content from the event head to https://www.egi.co.uk/the-future-of-cambridge/ and www.egi.co.uk/news
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In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, recorded as part of our Future of Cambridge event, EG editor Samantha McClary talks to Mark Shirburne-Davies, a director of House by Urban Splash and the man in charge of delivering more than 400 homes in Northstowe.
The conversation covers a range of topics including the potential solutions to Cambridge’s ever growing affordability issues, design and beauty, sustainability, Cambridge as an engine for wider regional growth and how robots could and perhaps should (and in the case of MMC factories, do) play a role in the delivery of housing.
The interview was conducted as a live broadcast interview over Twitter so while the audio may not quite as clear as you have come to expect form a studio recorded EG Property Podcast, the content is mostly definitely of the high standard you demand from the team at EG.
To access all of our content from the EG Future of Cambridge event head to https://www.egi.co.uk/the-future-of-cambridge/ and www.egi.co.uk/news
In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, recorded as part of our Future of Cambridge coverage, EG editor Samantha McClary speaks with Orestis Tzortzoglou, development director at BioMed Realty about the life sciences sector in Cambridge, its growth, its resilience and the role it has to play in the continuing success of the city.
This podcast was recorded via Teams, so the audio quality may not be as crystal clear as you have come to expect from an EG podcast production. The content quality, however, will as always, will be top notch.
To access all of our content from the EG Future of Cambridge event head to https://www.egi.co.uk/the-future-of-cambridge/ and www.egi.co.uk/news
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On this week's We're Still Here podcast, Emily Wright is joined by EG tech reporter Lucy Alderson for a full debrief on the virtual EG Tech Awards. Now in their third year, the 2020 event went fully digital; fitting for an celebration of all things tech.
From the awards themselves to the joys of networking in virtual bars, Wright and Alderson reflect on the power and reach of virtual events and consider how a hybrid approach could impact the future of real estate events once life has returned to some kind of normality. If you missed the awards in all their green screen glory, fear not. You can check out the event for free here https://www.egi.co.uk/tech-awards/ and find a full list of winners.
Also on this week's podcast, Wright is joined by HB Reavis UK chief executive Steven Skinner and Stefan Schmidt, Symbiosy solutions manager for HB Reavis to discuss the developer's plans to launch a "ready to work" portfolio of office spaces in response to businesses' evolving needs post-pandemic.
Combining a tech platform with physical flexibility the company will launch the new concept at its 145,000sq ft Bloom Clerkenwell site, EC1, in the new year to encourage forms to return safely to offices.
For more check out the story here https://www.egi.co.uk/news/hb-reavis-to-help-office-occupiers-get-back-to-work/ and tune into this week's podcast.
