Sustainable Futures hosts Delivering a Regional Sustainability Vision conference

The Delivering a Regional Sustainability Vision conference, held on ARU's Cambridge campus in June 2025, sought to bring together cross-sectoral leadership to discuss the challenges of balancing growth agendas with sustainability in an open forum.

Attendance was free, and delegates were members of the public, community and volunteer organisations and their members, public and private sector representatives, and academics from ARU and beyond.

The conference opened a dialogue on how to balance growth agendas, the attraction of inward investment, and the increased infrastructural demands with sustainability.

To frame the conversation around opportunity and sustainability, the conference focused on three themes of:

  1. Participation and civic engagement
  2. Skills, green skills and the future of work
  3. Infrastructure

These three themes are central to ARU, and are key issues facing Cambridge and its regions. Following a keynote address from Jason Longhurst, UK Head of Sustainable Investment & Partnerships, Prologis, the conference was structured around a session on each of the three themes. Each session contained a keynote address from an ARU academic highlighting the work being undertaken at the university on the topic, followed by an extended panel discussion and audience question and answer.

1. Participation and civic engagement

ARU keynote: Prof Yvonne Barnett, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation)

Panellists:

  • Heather Thomas, Founder and CEO, Together Culture Cambridge
  • Prof Flora Samuel, Professor of Architecture, University of Cambridge; The Cambridge Room
  • Siobhan Mellon, General Manager, Cambridge Carbon Footprint
  • Prof Marie-Pierre Moreau, Professor of Education, ARU
  • Jemma Little, Head of Economy, Energy, and Climate, Cambridge City Council

Sustainable Futures facilitator: Prof Fabrizio Galeazzi, Professor in Heritage and Creative Technologies and Director of StoryLab.

ARU is underpinned by its civic work and emphasises participation in research and development of policy recommendations. This panel explored how place-based participation and civic engagement between communities, public and private sector organisations, charity and volunteer organisations, and higher education institutions is vital in delivering visions of sustainable futures.

2. Skills, green skills and the future of work

ARU keynote: Prof Claire Pike, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education Enhancement)

Panellists:

  • Gareth John, National Policy Director, First Intuition; Chair, Cambridge Ahead Skills Group
  • Dr Michael Cross, Co-Author and Producer, The Green Edge
  • Anne Bailey, CEO & Co-founder, Form the Future C.I.C.
  • Dr Melanie Collins, Head of Regions (South), Skills England
  • Sarah Strachan, Senior Lecturer Practitioner in Sustainability, ARU

Sustainable Futures facilitator: Dr Sunrita Dhar Bhattarcharjee, Associate Professor, School of Management.

Skills and work have been positioned as central focuses for the UK's growth plans, with cross-sectoral job creation projected regionally and nationally. Additionally, growing demand for adding sustainability expertise to existing roles and reskilling into environmental careers are regionally relevant to Cambridge and to national growth targets.

3. Infrastructure

ARU keynote: Prof Aled Jones, Director of Global Sustainability Institute

Panellists:

  • Tom Palmer, Trustee, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust
  • Zoe Metcalfe, Global Resilience Practice Leader, Atkins Réalis
  • Bridget Smith, Leader, South Cambridgeshire District Council
  • Prof Yonghong Peng, Deputy Dean for Research Innovation, ARU

Sustainable Futures facilitator: Dr Maryam Imani, Associate Professor, School of Engineering and the Built Environment.

One of the primary arenas that require civic engagement and leadership on skills is that of the intensive infrastructural development positioned as necessary to equip Cambridge with the means to meet its growth goals. Current infrastructural commitments are wide ranging, and as such the conference explored how to align sustainability with transport, housing, community building and social infrastructure, water, waste, and energy developments.

For more detailed information about the conference, download the conference summary (PDF) and/or conference report (PDF).