York Central goes from brownfield to blue sky at Festival of Ideas
York Central lent its support to the annual York Festival of Ideas again this year, hosting a ‘Brownfield to Blue Sky’ Festival Focus event featuring leading UK thinkers on sustainable futures and our place in the universe.
Hosted by Bloomberg economist and former BBC Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders, the ‘Space’ and ‘Place’ sessions at York’s Tempest Anderson Hall, included keynote speakers Feargal Sharkey, musician and prominent environmental campaigner and Abbie MacKinnon, Curator of Space Technology at the Science Museum in London.
Presented as two sessions under the overarching theme ‘From Brownfield to Blue Sky’, the events explored how we build our collective future and understand our place in the universe while treading lightly on our own planet.
The first session, Space: The final frontier posed the question which has intrigued humanity for centuries: Is there anybody out there? It began with a keynote address by Abbie MacKinnon of the Science Museum and was followed by a panel discussion with Professor Catherine Heymans, Scottish Astronomer Royal and Carlos Frenk, Ogden Professor of Physics at Durham University, exploring where knowledge, gleaned from our own small blue planet, fits in the vastness of an ever-expanding universe.
The afternoon session Place: The sky’s the limit saw a panel of experts bring the conversation back down to earth, debating whether it’s possible to imagine new spaces and places in ways that are sympathetic to the needs of future generations while respecting our heritage and environment. Feargal Sharkey opened the discussion and was joined by a panel of speakers include Peter Freeman, former Chair of Homes England and developer of King’s Cross, Emma Squire, co-CEO of Historic England and York Central’s Development Director, Karen Stafeckis.
As the UK’s largest brownfield regeneration site York Central will be pivotal in the city’s history, adding a new urban quarter of homes, commercial development and public spaces to an unparalleled ancient built environment.
“York Festival of Ideas is a highlight in the city’s cultural calendar, bringing together an extraordinary array of speakers offering new insights into the issues, opportunities and challenges that face the world. York Central is proud to play its small part in this well-loved event by supporting this Focus Day exploring the festival’s twin themes of Space and Place. As the new kid on the block of one of the world’s best known ancient historic places, we feel a particular responsibility to develop this new city quarter in a way that honours the past and looks forward towards the future. The speakers brought a wide range of experience and different perspectives from deep space to environmental challenges, providing fascinating contributions to inform our collective thinking.” - Helen Marriage, Non-Executive Director at York Central
“We were delighted to partner with York Central for this exceptional day of debate and discovery. Their support as a key festival partner is invaluable. As York Central prepares to transform the city's landscape, this event provided the perfect platform to discuss how we balance heritage with future-facing, sustainable innovation.” - Joan Concannon, Director of York Festival of Ideas
One of the largest free festivals of its kind in the UK, York Festival of Ideas runs from 30 May to 12 June under the overarching theme of Place and Space. Led by the University of York it features world-class speakers, performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities and much more. With topics ranging from archaeology to art, history to health and politics to psychology, the programme promises something for all ages and interests.
The Festival of Ideas is made possible by the support of organisations including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, LNER, Yorkshire Water, York Central, the Morrell Centre for Legal and Political Philosophy and the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Further information can be found at yorkfestivalofideas.com.
Image credit: University of York. Alex Holland
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