“Changes in the built environment can affect the way everyone feels in their place of work or chosen facility, regardless of race, gender or sexuality…well-lit corridors, spaces for neurodivergent and or religious individuals to take necessary breaks”

Elena Ashton, Mayor of London’s Peer Outreach Worker

“Sadly, there are too few disabled creators. Instead, we are consumers coping around the creative vision of non-disabled designers... Co-create with us to make spaces for all Londoners to enjoy.”

James Lee, Mayor’s Design Advocate, Head of the Bridge Programme, City Bridge Trust

“The built environment provides so much Inequality…particularly for those on the lowest income… Who is driving and setting the vision for our city and its built environment? Who is holding the pen? We need far more diversity in built environment professionals, who understand both the technical aspects of this and the lived experience.”

Danna Walker, Founding CEO, Built by Us

“We need more consultation with the trans and non-binary community in London…it’s a very difficult time to be trans…we need allies…making us feel safe as we go about our daily lives is really crucial, especially in a time of so many anti-trans political and social movements.”

Megan Key, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist

“Nurture community particularly of excluded groups who have experienced prejudice…we must preserve spaces that allow communities to thrive and reduce isolation and loneliness of all sorts of diverse people around the world.”

Alistair Wilson, CEO, School for Social Entrepreneurs

“Recognised potential for the built environment to promote the Independence and well-being of people living with dementia…despite this, lack of generalisability and repeatability…don’t rely on the first-hand experience of the person living with dementia.”

Saba Ahmad, Senior Project Manager, Gardiner & Theobald LLP

“Race inequality of young people of African heritage between 12-25…no longer enjoy the same freedoms, confined to postcodes, risking bodily harm or loss of life by leaving these boundaries…the streets have become killing fields of black children, while the police stand by.”

Clifford Headley, Trustee, Hibiscus Community Centre

“Invest and create music studios in 20 of the most deprived housing estates in London. In an era where knife crime is at a peak, as a way of supporting particularly black and Asian groups where music and social media is such a large part of their expression…We need to bridge poor relationships with the state and people…A chance to co-design and invest in skills and confidence, giving their expression a new platform.”

Pooja Agrawal, Co-founder and CEO of Public Practice

“Simply to put communities at the heart of all strategies and policies, which are too often concentrating on numbers…our community groups are waiting, we have ideas and all we need are partners to help us to live in safety and celebrate who we are.”

Bob Green, Head of Operations, Tonic Housing

“Making London more inclusive requires us to think about how power dynamics work in our planning and development processes…they are structurally disempowering especially for the most marginalised…In London, we need to listen to marginalised people when they say they are bending under the strain, not wait for them to snap.”

Dr. Ellie Cosgrave, Director of Community and Research, Publica

“I would like to see a DeafSpace mixuse cultural hub in London…A welcome space to call home, to celebrate our culture, history and sign language and to collaborate with each other.”

Amanprit Arnold, Co-chair, GLA Disability Network