About the Conference
Belfast is going through a phase of unprecedented growth, transition and regeneration. Belfast Chamber envision Belfast as a city of international significance, where people choose to live and companies decide to invest. Belfast Chamber recognise the need to learn from other successful cities across the world, to deliver best practice and to ensure that the promised investment does materialise and delivers the regeneration, economic growth and social benefits that the city needs.
With this in mind, the Belfast Chamber are hosting conference that will help to harness the energy in our great city.
People
How have cities addressed the tensions between developers and communities, between public and private sector, and between the affluent product – What are the plans in our city for transport, major developments, and investment?
Speaker: Maria Vassilakou
Maria Vassilakou was the first green vice mayor of Vienna and city councillor for urban development, traffic, climate protection, energy planning and citizen participation.
Panel:
•Kevin Kingston – Chief Executive, Danske Bank
•Darragh McCarthy – CEO and Founder, FinTrU
•Carol McTaggart – Group Director of Development, Clanmil Housing Group
•Maeve Monaghan – Chief Executive, NOW Group
People
What does great place making look like, what challenges does it bring, how do we measure success?
Speaker: Vishaan Chakrabarti, Founder, PAU
Architect and planner Vishaan Chakrabarti, FAIA FRAIC, is Founder of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism | PAU, a firm he founded in 2015 dedicated to the advancement of sustainable cities. PAU’s projects include designs for comprehensive new communities in East New York, Philadelphia, the Domino Sugar Refinery, Newark, Detroit, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as well as a master plan vision for Sunnyside Yards in Queens. PAU’s Penn Palimpsest project imagines creating a light-filled public commons by recycling the foundations and superstructure of Madison Square Garden to renew Penn Station and its surrounds.
Speaker – Joe O’Neill, Chief Executive, Belfast Harbour
Panel:
•Chris Conway – Chief Executive, Translink
•Damian Mitchell – Property Director, Causeway Asset Management
•Gareth Murphy – Managing Director, We Are Vertigo
•Paddy O’Gorman – Principal, Bywater Properties
People
How have cities emerged from post-industrial or conflict pasts and how have they organised themselves to achieve regeneration?
Speaker: Robert Walsh, Manhattan College
Robert worked on the Economic Development Strategy of the Bloomberg Administration for NYC. Including pro-active steps to diversify the economy, keeping finger on pulse and emphasis on quality of life issues starting with safety and clean streets but also other issues including education, the environment, and parks/waterfronts, presenting Innovative & Creative Ideas to energize the City (High Line, Governors Island, Public Art, Transforming Roosevelt Island into College Campus) and Investment in the Infrastructure.
Speaker – Sue Gray, Permanent Secretary, Department of Finance
Panel:
•Alasdair Adair – Pro-Vice Chancellor, Ulster University
•Gordon McElroy – Director, MKB Law
•Jacqui Dixon – Chief Executive, Antrim and Newtownabbey District Council
Sponsors
