Talking Points: Age-friendly cities, female inventors, and improving ‘sink estates’

Each fortnight we round-up some of the latest news, research, and reports that are shaping our thinking. These are things that have led to an interesting conversation at Design Council HQ. 

It’s a short note this week, as our attention has been with that big talking point: the Autumn Statement. You can see our new Director of Policy’s response here.

Age against the Machine

In the week that Design Council launched its Transform Ageing programme to improve the lives of older people, Liverpool has announced it’ll be a “fall-less city”. It’s part of the great “age-friendly cities” worldwide initiative.  Getting more technical, IPPR have published a report about building healthcare innovation into the Northern Powerhouse.  

Transparent land

Following the excellent news that the Land registry will not be privatised, there are now calls for it to be opened up even more.  What could be achieved with better transparency about land ownership?  It’s an interesting question, and as it happens, the Scottish government are asking it right now. 

For local people

Keep an eye out for your home town. BEIS have published the first wave of “science and innovation audits”, in-depth reports about places in the UK and how good they are at innovation. Edinburgh, Sheffield and others feature. Meanwhile if you live in Oxford, Cambridge, or Milton Keynes – you’re in luck.  The government have endorsed the report of the National Infrastructure Commission, and there’s going to be some new roads. 

Other things we’ve been reading this week:

• “An analysis of female inventorship”: a super report from the IPO about gender and patenting worldwide.  In the same week as Innovate UK announced the winners of their Women in Innovation awards. 
• Whilst we wait for the government to announce their Estate Regeneration Strategy, here are Respublica’s thoughts on how to improve so-called “sink estates”. A “What Works Centre” on estate regeneration is one recommendation.
• Nesta wrote a blog about fundamentally redesigning the planning system
• The dull-but-important changes to IP law that we’ve been going on about were featured in the Guardian last week. 
• The director of Zaha Hadid Architects wants to privatise all public space and scrap social housing.  As you can imagine, the responses have been cheery and measured…
• RIBA have announced the winner of their 2016 International Prize.  It’s a university in Lima. 
• Finally, here’s a fascinating blog about the design language of the two US election campaigns.