S3:E5 Sustainable development in cultural districts – Helen Kearney & Kat Pegler in conversation with Stephanie Fortunato

Short Summary: 

In this episode, our host Stephanie Fortunato talks to Helen Kearney and Kat Pegler, authors of the recently released report: Sustainable Development in Cultural Districts – commissioned by The City of London Corporation with the support of GCDN.

References:

• Sustainable Development in Cultural Districts Report – a report commissioned by The City of London Corporation with the support of GCDN.
• The Quartier des spectacles – a cultural district in downtown Montreal and a member of GCDN.
• 7 Square Endeavour – a collaboration-driven programme with a mission to sustainably transform seven urban squares around the world.
• The Rotterdam Theatre Square – part of the 7 Square Endeavour and featured in the report.

Helen Kearney Bio:

Helen Kearney is a Project Manager, Writer, and Historian with specialism in design, architecture, and development of cities. She is currently Operations Manager at ICOMOS-UK, and Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University in London. Helen is an experienced Project Manager with expertise in projects in the cultural sector, built environment and public spaces. 
 
Helen has managed complex, multi-disciplinary, built environment projects in central London with a particular focus on culture-led regeneration and public space design. She is a qualified Planner, specializing in sustainability practices in cities, in relation to the UN frameworks including the Sustainable Development Goals. 
 
Hlen holds a PhD from the Royal College of Art in London, in which she explored the history of communications in Victorian London and the impact that communications technology had on the development of the city. She recently completed a research report for the City of London Corporation that investigated the sustainability practices in a number of cultural districts across the world. 

Kat Pegler Bio: 

Kat Pegler is a multi-disciplinary creative who is passionate about increasing access to the creative industries. She loves creating exciting and imaginative work in unconventional spaces and has produced and created a number of immersive and intriguing experiences for the public, bringing people closer to heritage, history and art.
 
Kat has worked with an array of arts & cultural organizations across the UK and within the film industry, as well as a creative in marketing, she has an excellent understanding of how to engage a variety of audiences. As a researcher and creative in the climate art sector, specializing in eco-artivism, she is eager to collaborate with likeminded artists and people working in STEM to investigate ways to maximize the effect art can have on influencing climate action. 
 
Kat is a co-founder of Leo, an alternative reading platform for creatives who have dyslexia, to help increase access to the creative sector. Leo collaborates with leading creatives and authors across the industry, and now has an exclusive collaboration with Campaign Magazine.