First speakers announced for Festival of Place: Climate Resilience 2025

The first speakers for Festival of Place: Climate Resilience have been announced with talks on soil remediation, urban flood resilience and community-led retrofit with speakers including campaigning developer and former MD of Greenpeace Jonathan Smales, CEO, Human Nature and Lamé Verre, award-winning energy executive and Director of Net Zero for the Crown Estate. 

 

The popular annual digital event is free to the staff of The Developer member organisations who can register now using their work email. Single tickets for non-members are available for sale. A limited number of supported tickets are also available to ensure the event is inclusive and accessible.

 

With content powered by The Developer, the conference features 6 talks over two lunchtimes streamed live and recorded on 20-21 October. The talks can be counted towards professional CPD. The lunchtime sessions will focus on themes of flood, soil health and visionary sustainable developments with case studies and audience Q&A.

 

The role of soil in storing carbon and supporting biodiversity will be explored by Civic’s geoconsultancy lead Dan Matthews and Prof Jessica Davies from Lancaster University. The pair will speak to how, if we are going to make development more sustainable, soil health must shape the way we plan and build. This session draws on Davies’ research into land and soil systems and Matthews’ experience with the Soils in Construction Taskforce to learn how soil underpins all habitats, ecosystems and food systems as a space harbouring 58% of the planet’s biodiversity. This event is sponsored by Civic, aligning with their visions of having a positive impact on the environment to enable people to lead healthier lives.

 

At his talk, Smales will be sharing insights from his unique work in progressive property development at Human Nature including at The Phoenix, a 7.9-hectare brownfield site in Lewes, East Sussex within South Downs National Park which won planning in 2024. 

 

 

Shannon Baker, Director, Parks and Public Realm at Waterfront Toronto will be sharing her work at Biidaasige Park, Toronto, where 30-hectares of industrial brownfield land have been transformed into a river valley and biodiverse wetlands with a destination playground to protect the city from urban flooding and unlock future development. 

 

Lamé Verre, Director of Net Zero at the Crown Estate, the award-winning energy executive and co-founder of Lean In Equity & Sustainability (LiNES), will be sharing her experience in landmark pilot projects and working to foster a transparent, equitable energy transition.

 

Catherine Butler, Associate Professor of Human Geography at University of Exeter, will be sharing her research learnings from community-led retrofit, including how to engage and support the deliver of change by putting communities in the driving seat. Her research examines processes of societal transition required to address environmental challenges and linked issues of equity, justice, and wellbeing. As the current Chair of the Royal Geographical Society Energy Geographies Research Group, Butler has coordinated  over 16 funded research projects and is the University of Exeter lead for a major AHRC project examining transformation of homes in UK cities.

 

On supporting the event, Civic says: “At Civic, collaboration sits at the heart of everything we do. We believe that creating healthy, thriving places depends on bringing people together across disciplines to face shared challenges. Climate resilience is central to this – it’s not just about protecting communities from future risks, but also about shaping environments that support wellbeing, equity, and long-term sustainability.

 

“Supporting the Festival of Place: Climate Resilience reflects our commitment to these values. It’s a space to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and explore how we can collectively design and deliver places that are not only resilient to climate pressures but also healthier and more connected for the people who live and work in them,” says Stephen O’Malley, CEO and co-founder of Civic.

 

Find out more If your organisation is a member, you can register to join this event for free. Register now with your work email address to gain access. Not a member? Book your tickets now. Contact kimberley@thedeveloper.live for any queries. To find out more about organisation membership and perks, email james@thedeveloper.live. If you are a charity, student, community group, or for any other reason need a free or discounted ticket - we have a limited number available - apply here.