FOUR of the planning and design industry’s most respected organisations have united to arrange a unique event to celebrate design delivery and best practice in the planning system.

The Make it Happen conference – held at 1 The Island Quarter in Nottingham on Wednesday, 17 April – aims to throw a positive light on the great work going on within the planning and design industry.

The first-of-its-kind national conference is jointly hosted by the eponymous partnership, which consists of the Urban Design Group, the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Landscape Institute.

The event pulls on the quartet’s significant reach in the industry, with presentations covering key topics, positive and effective community engagement, the role of pre-app and the use of technologies such as virtual reality in the planning process.

Delegates will also hear from Vicky Payne of the Urban Design Network on spatial planning and design coding for housing, climate and levelling up, as well as an update on the Nottingham City Homes 2050 project from Studio Partington.

Dr Laura Alvarez, who has been instrumental in organising the event, said: “The Make it Happen Partnership was formed with the expressed aim of celebrating successes and best practice. At a time when planning and regeneration is at the forefront of conversations and the role of the planning department is under increased scrutiny, this first national conference is a perfect opportunity to discuss the way forward.

“We’ve got some excellent sessions on the agenda, and we believe Make it Happen will be a great opportunity to network with colleagues from across the UK and to get our heads together to debate viable, constructive avenues for positive change.”

The event takes place in the RIBA award nominated building at 1 The Island Quarter, in a panel format that will encourage interactivity and conversation, as well as a variety of networking opportunities. Tickets can be ordered from the RTPI website. The event is sponsored by Urban Design Group, Landscape Institute, Nottingham City Council, Freeths, Sustrans, CPMG, Allan Joyce Architects, UDL, Arup, Leicester City Council, RIBA and Cartwright Communications.

Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals