Keynote Sessions

In place of traditional keynote speeches this year’s conference will feature two plenary panel discussions intended to generate debate about key challenges and alternative futures for planning.

1. The Land Question Revisited: Rethinking how we invest in land and housing

Exacerbated by escalating housing costs and a persistent failure to fund high-quality infrastructure, recent years have seen calls to reconsider the economics of land and housing in the UK. In particular, proposals have come from across the political spectrum to better capture increases in land values in the public interest. This panel session will consider how a renewed focus on the land question might create new possibilities for a progressive rethinking of planning and public investment.

Confirmed speakers:

Laurie MacFarlane, co-author of “Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing”

Prof. Antonia Layard, University of Bristol Law School

Further details about our speakers and the second of our keynote sessions will be available shortly.