S3:E5 Sustainable development in cultural districts – Helen Kearney and Kat Pegler in conversation with Stephanie Fortunato
Guest
Helen Kearney and Kat Pegler
In conversation with
Stephanie Fortunato
In this episode, our host Stephanie Fortunato talks to Helen Kearney and Kat Pegler, authors of the recently released report: Sustainable Development in Cultural Districts – commissioned by The City of London Corporation with the support of GCDN.
Date of Recording
5 April 2023
Date of Publication
11 May 2023
[00:00:00]
THEME MUSIC
[00:00:04]
Stephanie Fortunato: Hello and welcome to The Three Bells. This podcast is one of a series brought to you by AEA Consulting and the Global Cultural Districts Network, in which we explore what's happening around the world at those busy and sometimes congested intersections of cultural and urban life.
My name is Stephanie Fortunato, Director of Special Projects for GCDN, and I'm speaking to you from Rhode Island, the ancestral land of the Narragansett, the Pokanoket, the Nipmuc, and other Indigenous peoples. I pay my respects to those who have and continue to live here, and to all First Nations people on the many lands on which we're listening from today.
Today I am super excited to be talking with the authors of a recent report on sustainable development in cultural districts around the globe. The piece was commissioned by the City of London public realm team, a key partner in what was Culture Mile—is now Destination City—undertaken in collaboration with GCDN.
GCDN helped facilitate consultation with member districts, and the final report includes case studies of several GCDN members and details the impacts of climate change, how these cultural districts are responding in practice and operations and points to some ways we might utilise the design of public spaces in moving cities toward greater sustainability and resiliency.
We have two authors here: Helen Kearney, a project manager, writer and historian who specialises in design, architecture, and the development of cities. And Kat Pegler, a researcher and creative in the climate arts sector specialising in eco-artivism, and co-founder of Leo, an alternative reading platform for creatives with dyslexia.
Helen and Kat, welcome.
[00:01:50]
Helen Kearney: Hello.
[00:01:51]
Kat Pegler: Hi.
…
External Links
Sustainable Development in Cultural Districts Report – a report commissioned by The City of London Corporation with the support of GCDN.
The Quartier des spectacles – a cultural district in downtown Montreal and a member of GCDN.
7 Square Endeavour – a collaboration-driven programme with a mission to sustainably transform seven urban squares around the world.
The Rotterdam Theatre Square – part of the 7 Square Endeavour and featured in the report.
About Our Speakers
Helen Kearney is a Project Manager, Writer, and Historian with specialism in design, architecture, and development of cities. She is currently Operations Manager at ICOMOS-UK, and Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University in London. Helen recently completed a research report for the City of London Corporation and GCDN that investigated the sustainability practices in a number of cultural districts across the world. +
Kat Pegler is a multi-disciplinary creative who is passionate about increasing access to the creative industries. She loves creating exciting and imaginative work in unconventional spaces and has produced and created a number of immersive and intriguing experiences for the public, bringing people closer to heritage, history and art. Kat is also a co-founder of Leo, an alternative reading platform for creatives who have dyslexia, to help increase access to the creative sector. +
Stephanie Fortunato is Director of Special Projects of the Global Cultural Districts Network. Her expertise sits at the intersection of cultural planning and urban development, collaborating with local communities on creating policies and partnerships to strengthen neighbourhoods and transform public spaces. +
