Social Impact 2025: Speakers announced for two-day event

T his year’s Festival of Place: Social Impact 2025 event is focussing on affordable housing, impact investment and spatial justice this year, as it seeks to support learning on how professionals are seeking to make a measurable and positive place-based impact in the built environment. The first five speakers have been announced and topics include the just transition, feminist planning and investing in social housing.

 

The event features 8 online talks with audience Q&As. Covering two days on topics of housing and spatial justice, Festival of Place: Social Impact is supported by LDA Design, who will also be sharing case studies of their work "creating places where people belong." 

 

The annual event is a live streamed digital conference over two lunchtime sessions, running from 24-25 March on Airmeet from 11am-3pm. Tickets are on sale while organisation members attend free.

 

2025 Speakers:

 

Chinyelu Oranefo, Director of Sustainability & ESG Finance, Lloyds Bank -

Adopting the lens of a just transition and assessing social risk in the context of sustainable and ESG finance, as well as the retrofitting of social housing and the National Wealth Fund.

 

Alexandra Notay, Chair, Radix Big Tent Housing Commission - 

Unlocking social impact through affordable and quality housing – sharing the results of the Radix housing commission and what’s needed to overcoming barriers to delivery in the market

 

Matthew Morgan, Director and Co-Founder, Quality of Life Foundation -

Assessing the social impact of Built to Rent development: Presenting the findings of resident and community evaluations at three flagship BTR projects in London

 

Holly Bruce, Councillor for Langside, Glasgow City Council -

Feminist planning: Gender mainstreaming to prevent violence against women and girls

 

Jack Burnham, Head of Affordable Housing, Octopus Investments -

Place-based impact investing: Working in partnership to deliver affordable housing