Sustainable Leeds Post Covid-19

Paul Chatterton is the Professor of Urban Futures at the University of Leeds.


In this blog post for the About Leeds site he talks about the opportunities to create a more sustainable city after the virus. This is a reminder that city plans need to be flexible. The case study has space for this to be explored in more detail and could form a useful extension task to stretch and challenge students.

He suggests ten ideas for improving Leeds in the future:

Ten ideas to improve Leeds

1. Changing our roads – putting people first through wider pavements, more crossings, secure cycle parking, no parking on pavements, and a city-wide network for cycle and walking.
2. 15 minute neighbourhoods – within a short cycle or walk from your home being able to reach local independent shops, job opportunities, green spaces, parks and leisure options.
3. A network of Hubs for community resilience, climate action and Covid recovery – focusing on action, learning and skills.
4. Greenspaces in every neighbourhood – for leisure, wildlife, biodiversity, storing carbon, flood management, food growing and renewables.
5. Warm affordable homes for all – street by street homes retrofit undertaken by community businesses.
6. Neighbourhood assemblies, to work with the City Council to review policies and agree city budgets
7. Security for Leeds workers through an income guarantee and living wage for all
8. Leeds COVID Recovery fund – interest free loans and grants to fund community projects and sustainable community businesses.
9. A socially useful economy – converting Leeds factories and businesses to socially useful making for all.
10. Measuring what matters –  wellbeing, health, safety, air and environmental quality not just economic growth and output; and using these to shape the future of Leeds’ development.