TEDx Brum - 3 Years On

On this day three years ago, I stepped onto the stage at Birmingham Hipppodrome Theatre and stood on that red circle of carpet to address an audience on my thoughts about how your city affects your health.

As with all TEDx videos it was uploaded onto YouTube, and 19,000 views later I’ve been thinking about what messages and priorities I would’ve emphasised if I was delivering that talk now.

I was first inspired by the possibility of delivering a TEDTalk after attending the 2016 TEDxBrum event called the "Power of Us". At that event I watched Devita Davison, Anisa Morridadi and Sacha Romanovitch inspire the audience of Birmingham Town Hall with the visions of the future and their belief in the power of us to achieve collective, collaborative wins.

When Immy Kaur briefed us about the 2017 event, to be called "Perspectives", she explained what had changed in the focus between 2016 and 2017. Since the event in 2016, the world had changed, and it was entirely a matter of perspective whether those changes were good or bad. In the UK, we had voted for Brexit, and the US had elected Donald Trump as president. Suddenly, the idea that we collectively held the power to make a better world together seemed untrue, yet those events in our history (and others like it) were widely regarded as being hugely positive by many. The "Perspectives" approach was a way of identifying that all of us see the world in a slightly different way, and all our views are valid.

In creating the shape and outline for my talk, I had huge support from Meg Lightheart who patiently spent time with me on the phone working through my presentation and ensuring that I was confident and ready. After several drafts, I felt ready to share my perspective with the good people of Birmingham.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to talk about ideas and innovations and opportunities and all the ways that the world could be better. I wanted to convey some of that enthusiasm into the audience, to help them recognise that our cities belong to us. I love public speaking to an extent that many people probably find sociopathic, so I wasn't too concerned about getting on stage on the day. However, this was the only time that I have been genuinely nervous, pacing backstage before I stepped out onto that red circle. The minute I took my place, I knew that I had things I wanted to say and I wanted people to hear.

In my original 2017 talk, I focused on some of the issues that the built environment creates or solves for us. I looked at the way that the built environment shapes us as people and influences our choices. I looked at the way that the built environment creates or limits accessibility for people. I looked at the way the built environment delivers shared public spaces and how we interact in those spaces. As the TEDx took place at the weekend after our 2017 Construction Careers Week in the Midlands, I also talked about my work inspiring young people to come into the built environment and make it better.

If I were delivering my talk today, I would inevitably be talking about how coronavirus has changed our relationship with our built environment. As we have all spent so much more time at home, I would certainly focus on the limitations and restrictions of our housing, including thermals, lighting and acoustics. I would also talk about not just public spaces but the need for green public spaces. Our access to green spaces has been proven to increase our pain threshold, improve our cognitive skills, and build our immune systems. Lastly, I would certainly talk about transport. Access to amenities and facilities has become more important as people choose not to take the risk of public transport, which has led to a massive increase in cycling and active transport. There is also a push for "15-minutes cities"; that is, areas within half a mile of us that include all of our key requirements, like leisure, retail, education and transport hubs. However, coronavirus is not the only thing that has happened to us all collectively in the last three years. I would also talk about environmental responsibility and the ongoing campaign to promote existing buildings for renovation as opposed to replacement.

"the greenest building is the building that already exists"

Over the three years since 2017, we have done little to build the infrastructure of neighbourhoods and communities. This is still something that needs to be addressed. However, there has been a focus on the redevelopment of High Streets and this is certainly something that would have been beneficial for us all in a COVID-adjacent world.

In 2017, I spoke alongside some truly inspirational orators including Travis Alabanza, Glenn Howells, Gurminder Bhambra, Clare Devaney, Andy Reeve and Amahra Spence. I would be fascinated to know how they might evolve their talks in light of what has happened in the last three years.

On a personal note, I want to say a massive thank you to Richard Tubb and Michael de Groot for their massive support and encouragement. It was great to know that there were supportive voices in the audience.

Creating a better built environment is still my passion and my focus. I would love to hear your thoughts on my talk in light of everything that has changed in the last three years. What do you think I should be talking about? What do you think are the key issues over these intervening three years?