This October, Mellis participated at the Future of London Annual Conference, diving deep into one of today's most pressing urban challenges: how do we create neighborhoods that are both climate-resilient and genuinely inclusive?

The panel discussion, "Neighbourhoods: Designing inclusive climate approaches," brought Mellis together with Hilary Satchwell, Managing Director at Tibbalds, Farrah Hussain Head of Development at Countryside Partnership and Jen Peters Assistant Director Planning, Design & Sustainability at Ealing Council.

Mellis imparted her in depth knowledge on neighbourhoods and community needs through the story of the Becontree Estate retrofit project. This project exemplifies our approach to community-led design, where we developed a retrofit design guide through close collaboration with residents of Europe's largest housing estate.

Mellis emphasised the importance of genuine community involvement and understanding real lived experiences, and the significance of building trust and understanding how people actually live in their home. This connection allows for designers to create adaptable designs that consider different needs within a community, such as price points and tenures

The wider session highlighted a crucial industry challenge: balancing sustainability policies focused on buildings with the need for cohesive, well-designed neighbourhoods. This resonates strongly with our practice's commitment to delivering meaningful community benefits through architecture while addressing urgent climate challenges.

What became clear during the discussion was that we can't tackle climate resilience with a one-size-fits-all approach. It's about creating a tapestry of solutions that respect different budgets, lifestyles, and needs within our communities. Sometimes the most effective answers aren't the most technically advanced - they're the ones that residents will actually embrace and use, and will work in the long run. 

To read more about it, check out the article by Future of London here: https://www.futureoflondon.org.uk/knowledge/climate-resilience-and-equity/conference/neighbourhood-design/

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