Change is Coming: A new vision for York Claire Douglas, Shamim Eimaan, Lorraine Farrelly, Stefanie Stead and Charlotte Harrison (chair)
Event details
What makes a successful city centre and who are we designing it for? How do we create city centre spaces that balance people, place and purpose?
Cities everywhere are rethinking their centres - who they serve, how they feel and how they respond to the pressures of modern life. York is at a pivotal moment, meeting the challenges of rising costs and environmental pressures and embracing a unique opportunity to harness our heritage, creativity and vibrant communities.
Join our diverse panel of design leaders and urban visionaries to help shape a city centre that’s inclusive, accessible and future proof for all. Whether you’re a resident, business owner, student or simply someone who cares about the future of our city, help us build a centre that works for you.
Presented in partnership with City of York Council with the support of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, our event is an invitation to imagine a future where public spaces support wellbeing, protect the environment and allow communities to thrive. Let’s create a city where transport, streets and public spaces work seamlessly together.
Our speakers include Councillor Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council; Shamim Eimaan, Director of Cultural Connections York CIC; Lorraine Farrelly, Head of York School of Architecture at the University of York, and Stefanie Stead, a Director at Stead & Co Architects who specialises in heritage and community architecture. The session is chaired by Charlotte Harrison, a founding partner at Mass Architecture.
Following our panel discussion, you’re warmly invited to stay for drinks and a chat.
This event is presented in partnership with City of York Council with the support of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.
About the speakers
Councillor Claire Douglas has been Leader of City of York Council since 2023 and the Council’s Labour Group Leader since 2022. Claire was first elected a Labour Councillor representing Heworth Ward on City of York Council in 2019, the same area of York she has lived in for many years. She is a passionate champion of community activism in helping shape vibrant places where people are able to live happy, healthy lives. Prior to being elected Claire worked in a range of roles starting as a science teacher, before working in IT for a period in the US. She then carried her interest in IT into running a small international IT firm for 16 years based in York. She has also created and led voluntary and charitable organisations in her local community. Claire is very proud of York’s amazing heritage and culture. But is also a strong advocate that the city cannot afford to stand still. She sees driving investment in new public spaces, homes, buildings, and in our environment as crucial to shaping the next successful chapter in York’s vibrant and ever developing history.
Shamim Eimaan is the Director of Cultural Connections York CIC, formerly known as Eimaan Culture and Community Services, leading initiatives that promote health, wellbeing and empowerment for underserved communities in York. Their work includes culturally appropriate events, health awareness sessions, women’s wellbeing programmes, Digital inclusion, Culture Awareness and Lived Experience training, and partnerships with NHS services to reduce health inequalities and strengthen community trust. Shamim was a child refugee and came to the UK when Idi Amin expelled the Asians from Uganda in 1972. She was born in Uganda, grew up in Birmingham and moved to York in 1986.
Professor Lorraine Farrelly is Founding Professor and Head of the York School of Architecture at the University of York. She was previously Professor of Architecture at the University of Reading, where she was Head of Architecture from 2016 until 2023. She chairs the Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture (SCOSA) and oversees the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) new courses group, which advises and reviews new programmes and curriculum development.
Charlotte Harrison is a founding partner at Mass Architecture, with over 20 years of experience in design and refurbishment across commercial, community and residential sectors. Her career began with co-organising an international architecture festival in Leeds in 1996, followed by project leadership at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris Architects, where she worked on projects for Shelter and the Barbican Arts Centre. Mass Architecture is a dynamic, design-led practice which has worked on a diverse range of projects across Yorkshire and the North. Its aim is simple: to deliver architecture that serves people well. Places that feel intuitive, comfortable and quietly confident. Places that support communities, enrich daily life and stand the test of time.
Stefanie Stead MBE is a Director at Stead & Co Architects, a Chartered Architect specialising in community, heritage, faith and education projects, and a studio tutor at the University of York. Central to her work is the need to be inclusive, equitable and sustainable in order to create resilient and dynamic places. Stefanie was awarded an MBE for services to Construction and Architecture in the 2019 New Years Honours List. She believes it is crucial to involve those who will benefit from the process in the process. By working with local communities, charities and schools, designs become relevant and long term. She is co-author of Designing Community Spaces, which a practical toolkit for architects and communities reimagining places together published by RIIBA Publishing.
Partners
