Neil May was an inspiration to many across the built environment. Alongside his innovative work on moisture in buildings he had passion for housing, social equality, and understanding the roots of the ‘housing crisis’.
Our guest speaker for the second Neil May Memorial Lecture is Josh Ryan-Collins (UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose). Josh will discuss the UK and wider high-income economy housing affordability crisis. He will argue that the demand for housing as investment good and source of rent extraction is the key challenge that needs addressing by policy makers, rather than supply-side interventions. He will also examine how increasing supply is incompatible with the UK’s climate and biodiversity commitments, meaning the key challenge is to rethink the allocation of existing residential space.
Josh Ryan-Collins is an Associate Professor in Economics and Finance at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. His research is focused on macroeconomic policy, the economics of housing and land and sustainable finance. He is author of Why Can’t you Afford a Home (2018, Polity), Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing (2017, Zed books, co-authored) and Where Does Money Come From (2012, NEF, co-authored). His academic work has been published in journals including Housing Studies, Socioeconomic Review, Ecological Economics, Nature Climate Change and Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. He was previously Senior Economist at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), one of the UK’s leading progressive think tanks and is a council member of the UK’s Progressive Economy Forum.
The session will be chaired by Professor Bob Lowe (UCL Energy Institute) who will give an introduction reflecting on Neil’s life and achievements. This will be followed by the lecture, an insightful Q&A, and a drinks reception.
In addition to his work at UCL’s Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, and as co-founder of the UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings, Neil helped shape the development of many of our Sustainable Development Foundation Alliance partners, icnluding the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products, alongisde the Good Homes Alliance, Passivhaus Trust and Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance. A special thank you to Professor Nick Gallent and the The Bartlett School of Planning for their contribution in organising the event.
Key details
- Date: Tuesday 20th September
- Timings: 18:00-20:30
- Location: University College London, Bloomsbury Campus (room TBC), Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT
Registration
