Lucy musgrave's presentation on embracing diversity for the nla sounding board
25th May 2023
We are delighted to announce that we have joined many others in the sign up to the Diverse Leader’s Pledge to help make the built environment sector more representative through recruitment, progression, and advocacy. This pledge means committing to measurable goals over the coming years that we believe will catalyse change, enabling engagement, action and progress around diversity and inclusion within the workspace.
To demonstrate this in action, our founder, Lucy Musgrave gave a thought-provoking presentation on embracing diversity at the NLA Sounding Board. Aware of the importance of presenting this from a wide-ranging and intersectional perspective, Lucy interviewed twelve different people living in London. She asked them all; ‘From your perspective, what change do you want to see in London’s built environment (either spatially and/or in its governance) to make a more equitable and fair city?’. Thank you to all the interviewees whose thoughtful answers inspire a push for change.
You can watch the full presentation below:
Elena Ashton, Mayor of London’s Peer Outreach Worker
“Changes in the built environment can affect the way everyone feels in their place of work or chosen facility, regardless of race, gender or sexuality…well-lit corridors, spaces for neurodivergent and or religious individuals to take necessary breaks”
James Lee, Mayor’s Design Advocate, Head of the Bridge Programme, City Bridge Trust
“Sadly, there are too few disabled creators, Instead, we are consumers coping around the creative vision of non-disabled designers...Cocreate with us to make spaces for all Londoners to enjoy”
Danna Walker, Founding CEO, Built by Us
“The built environment provides so much Inequality…particularly for those on the lowest income…Who is driving and setting the vision for our city and its built environment? Who is holding the pen? We need far more diversity in built environment professionals, who understand both the technical aspects of this and the lived experience.”
Megan Key, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist
“We need more consultation with the trans and non-binary community in London…it’s a very difficult time to be trans…we need allies…making us feel safe as we go about our daily lives is really crucial, especially in a time of so many anti-trans political and social movements.”
Alistair Wilson, CEO, School for Social Entrepreneurs
“Nurture community particularly of excluded groups who have experienced prejudice…we must preserve spaces that allow communities to thrive and reduce isolation and loneliness of all sorts of diverse people around the world.”
Saba Ahmad, Senior Project Manager, Gardiner & Theobald LLP
“Recognised potential for the built environment to promote the Independence and well-being of people living with dementia…despite this, lack of generalisability and repeatability…don’t rely on the first-hand experience of the person living with dementia.”
Clifford Headley, Trustee, Hibiscus Community Centre
“Race inequality of young people of African heritage between 12-25…no longer enjoy the same freedoms, confined to postcodes, risking bodily harm or loss of life by leaving these boundaries…the streets have become killing fields of black children, while the police stand by.”
Pooja Agrawal, Co-founder and CEO of Public Practice & co-founder of Sound Advice
“Invest and create music studios in 20 of the most deprived housing estates in London. In an era where knife crime is at a peak, as a way of supporting particularly black and Asian groups where music and social media is such a large part of their expression…We need to bridge poor relationships with the state and people…A chance to co-design and invest in skills and confidence, giving their expression a new platform.”
Bob Green, Head of Operations, Tonic Housing
“Simply to put communities at the heart of all strategies and policies, which are too often concentrating on numbers…our community groups are waiting, we have ideas and all we need are partners to help us to live in safety and celebrate who we are.”
Ellie Cosgrave, Director of Community and Research, Publica
“Making London more inclusive requires us to think about how power dynamics work in our planning and development processes…they are structurally disempowering especially for the most marginalised…In London, we need to listen to marginalised people when they say they are bending under the strain, not wait for them to snap.”
Amanprit Arnold, Co-chair, GLA Disability Network
“I would like to see a DeafSpace mixuse cultural hub in London…A welcome space to call home, to celebrate our culture, history and sign language and to collaborate with each other.”
News ⋅ May 2023
See more
Lucy musgrave's presentation on embracing diversity for the nla sounding board
25th May 2023
We are delighted to announce that we have joined many others in the sign up to the Diverse Leader’s Pledge to help make the built environment sector more representative through recruitment, progression, and advocacy. This pledge means committing to measurable goals over the coming years that we believe will catalyse change, enabling engagement, action and progress around diversity and inclusion within the workspace.
To demonstrate this in action, our founder, Lucy Musgrave gave a thought-provoking presentation on embracing diversity at the NLA Sounding Board. Aware of the importance of presenting this from a wide-ranging and intersectional perspective, Lucy interviewed twelve different people living in London. She asked them all; ‘From your perspective, what change do you want to see in London’s built environment (either spatially and/or in its governance) to make a more equitable and fair city?’. Thank you to all the interviewees whose thoughtful answers inspire a push for change.
You can watch the full presentation below:
Elena Ashton, Mayor of London’s Peer Outreach Worker
“Changes in the built environment can affect the way everyone feels in their place of work or chosen facility, regardless of race, gender or sexuality…well-lit corridors, spaces for neurodivergent and or religious individuals to take necessary breaks”
James Lee, Mayor’s Design Advocate, Head of the Bridge Programme, City Bridge Trust
“Sadly, there are too few disabled creators, Instead, we are consumers coping around the creative vision of non-disabled designers...Cocreate with us to make spaces for all Londoners to enjoy”
Danna Walker, Founding CEO, Built by Us
“The built environment provides so much Inequality…particularly for those on the lowest income…Who is driving and setting the vision for our city and its built environment? Who is holding the pen? We need far more diversity in built environment professionals, who understand both the technical aspects of this and the lived experience.”
Megan Key, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist
“We need more consultation with the trans and non-binary community in London…it’s a very difficult time to be trans…we need allies…making us feel safe as we go about our daily lives is really crucial, especially in a time of so many anti-trans political and social movements.”
Alistair Wilson, CEO, School for Social Entrepreneurs
“Nurture community particularly of excluded groups who have experienced prejudice…we must preserve spaces that allow communities to thrive and reduce isolation and loneliness of all sorts of diverse people around the world.”
Saba Ahmad, Senior Project Manager, Gardiner & Theobald LLP
“Recognised potential for the built environment to promote the Independence and well-being of people living with dementia…despite this, lack of generalisability and repeatability…don’t rely on the first-hand experience of the person living with dementia.”
Clifford Headley, Trustee, Hibiscus Community Centre
“Race inequality of young people of African heritage between 12-25…no longer enjoy the same freedoms, confined to postcodes, risking bodily harm or loss of life by leaving these boundaries…the streets have become killing fields of black children, while the police stand by.”
Pooja Agrawal, Co-founder and CEO of Public Practice & co-founder of Sound Advice
“Invest and create music studios in 20 of the most deprived housing estates in London. In an era where knife crime is at a peak, as a way of supporting particularly black and Asian groups where music and social media is such a large part of their expression…We need to bridge poor relationships with the state and people…A chance to co-design and invest in skills and confidence, giving their expression a new platform.”
Bob Green, Head of Operations, Tonic Housing
“Simply to put communities at the heart of all strategies and policies, which are too often concentrating on numbers…our community groups are waiting, we have ideas and all we need are partners to help us to live in safety and celebrate who we are.”
Ellie Cosgrave, Director of Community and Research, Publica
“Making London more inclusive requires us to think about how power dynamics work in our planning and development processes…they are structurally disempowering especially for the most marginalised…In London, we need to listen to marginalised people when they say they are bending under the strain, not wait for them to snap.”
Amanprit Arnold, Co-chair, GLA Disability Network
“I would like to see a DeafSpace mixuse cultural hub in London…A welcome space to call home, to celebrate our culture, history and sign language and to collaborate with each other.”
News ⋅ May 2023
See more
