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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · 8d

What is planning's true purpose?

"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood...but teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."

That quote captures what's missing in English planning, argue Matthew Morgan & Frazer Osment: www.theplanner.co.uk/2025/10/01/p...

The power of purpose: How planning can move past a failure of imagination

For planning to be inspiring, it needs a written purpose, argue Frazer Osment and Matthew Morgan

www.theplanner.co.uk

Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Aug 11

Are you an experienced leader in the built environment or nonprofit sector looking for a new challenge? Well, we might just have the opportunity you need!

We're searching for a dedicated and strategic Chair of the Board of Trustees. Could it be you?

Find out more here: www.qolf.org/work-with-us/

Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Aug 7

The real measure of UK housing quality? Lived experience.

Our new report distills 3 years of resident feedback. Learn how design impacts wellbeing (94% positive for green space in some places!) & where we fall short

www.qolf.org/what-we-do/c...

#UKHousing #Placemaking #BuiltEnvironment

Resident Reviews: creating better places by learning from people’s lived experience - QOLF

This report is for people involved in building & designing new homes. It shows how learning from lived experience is key to creating high-quality places.

www.qolf.org

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Aug 7

Very much so! Thank you Joe

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Jul 15

Great to see the APPGEBE asking: How can we build 1.5M quality homes? For us, it's about ensuring new homes & neighborhoods genuinely enhance quality of life.

They're calling for evidence, so take a look: www.cic.org.uk/news/cic-inv...

#UKHousing #QualityOfLife #BuiltEnvironment #UKHomes

CIC Invites Evidence for Inquiry into… | Construction Industry Council

CIC is launching a call for evidence to explore the critical question: "How can we build 1.5 million quality homes in this Parliament?"

www.cic.org.uk

Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Jul 3

How can we truly engage the next generation to shape their local areas?

In a world increasingly focused on youth voices, we asked 68 children & young people in Holyhead how they want to engage.

Find out what these inquisitive and insightful young people had to say: www.qolf.org/news-and-upd...

Young voices shaping Holyhead/Caergybi: Fun and inclusion in place - QOLF

What if the most transformative ideas for community engagement are waiting to be discovered by embracing the fresh perspectives of children and young people?

www.qolf.org

Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Jun 19

New funding for affordable homes! But how do we ensure they boost health & wellbeing?

Our new report shares insights from our recent #UKHousing roundtable. It champions:

✅ Health-centred design
✅ Real resident engagement
✅ Corporate courage & collaboration

Read more: www.qolf.org/what-we-do/n...

New affordable homes for health and wellbeing: what’s possible? - QOLF

The Quality of Life Foundation convened a discussion to answer the question: New affordable homes for health and wellbeing: what’s possible?

www.qolf.org

Reposted by Quality of Life Foundation

Jules Birch @julesbirch.bsky.social · Jun 18

Housing bank will be established by April 2026, @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social tells Today and will deliver long term return for taxpayers.
💷 Backed by £16bn of new funding plus £5bn of new capital grant funding
🏘️ Expected to deliver 500k homes over its lifetime and 60k in this parliament

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Jun 2

How do we build truly #ThrivingCommunities AND secure a strong bottom line in the #BuiltEnvironment?

It all starts with better decisions.

Our new blog explores aligning strategy with both societal wellbeing & financial health from day one: www.qolf.org/news-and-upd... #UKHousing #Development

Unlocking potential: the transformative role of better decision-making - QOLF

Better decision-making doesn't just lead to better places; it unlocks healthier, fairer, and more resilient communities.

www.qolf.org

Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Apr 29

"But here is the thing. Britain’s housing target of 1.5 million new homes is made up of individual homes. Each one matters just as much as a large scheme."

An #InterestingRead by Satish Jassal on the opportunities presented by small sites: www.bdonline.co.uk/opinion/plan... #BuiltEnvironment

Planning at the edges: What awkward urban sites can teach us about better design

Awkward, overlooked and often written off, small urban sites demand a more careful and creative design approach - and they can reveal much about how we plan, consult and build in our cities, writes Sa...

www.bdonline.co.uk

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Apr 28

Listening to residents drives real change.

Our latest review with Urban&Civic shows clear quality of life improvements, thanks to a real commitment to resident feedback.

Find out more: www.qolf.org/projects/urb...

#UKHousing #ResidentialDevelopment #QualityOfLife

Urban&Civic Resident Review: Returning to measure change - QOLF

www.qolf.org

Reposted by Quality of Life Foundation

Institute for Public Policy Research @ippr.org · Apr 24

❤️‍🩹 | NEW REPORT: Voters want bold action on health – and don’t see it as 'nanny statism'. Our new research with Public First shows that smarter public health policy isn’t just good for the nation – it could be a vote-winner too.

www.ippr.org/articles/the...

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Apr 22

What if residents had real power to shape their neighbourhoods?

We’ve launched a new project to make that happen, co-creating a tool with 6 housing partners & their residents to put community priorities 1st

Read more: www.qolf.org/news-and-upd...
#ResidentVoice #Community #QualityOfLife #UKHousing

Neighbourhood and Community Tool to put residents at the heart of decision making - QOLF

The Neighbourhood and Community Tool will empower residents to shape the future of their neighbourhoods, while supporting registered providers to make better-informed, place-based decisions.

www.qolf.org

Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Apr 8

How do you know if your developments actually support quality of life? Redrow asked us to find out.

Our post-occupancy evaluation revealed what’s working + what could be better. Case study here: www.qolf.org/projects/pos...

Get in touch to discuss how this could work on your sites: [email protected]

www.qolf.org

Reposted by Quality of Life Foundation

Nationwide Foundation @nationwidefdtn.bsky.social · Mar 26

The news we've been waiting for! As long-time supporters of the community-led housing sector, we know how vital this funding is for CLH projects to develop their schemes. Well done to those in the sector (inc @tomchance.bsky.social) for their efforts.

Matthew Pennycook MP @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social · Mar 25

Community-led housing delivers social and affordable homes for local people and empowers communities.

This government is backing it with investment that will support the growth of the community-led housing sector.

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Government paves the way for local people to build more homes

The government has announced a £20 million investment to support the delivery of community-led housing.

www.gov.uk

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Reposted by Quality of Life Foundation

Julia Thrift @juliathrift.bsky.social · Mar 11

How can #councils and planners create healthier places?

This practical new guild from @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social shows how #DesignCodes can provide a framework for healthy place-making.

it's free - do take a look!

Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Mar 10

The #NPPF urges councils to create places that enable healthier lives. Our new guidance shows how #DesignCodes can be a powerful tool to do just that

📖 Download: www.qolf.org/what-we-do/d...

📅 Webinar: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-de...

Published w/ @tibbalds.bsky.social, @thetcpa.bsky.social

Design codes for health and wellbeing - QOLF

Design Codes for Health and Wellbeing provides practical advice for embedding health and wellbeing into the design coding process

www.qolf.org

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Mar 10

The #NPPF urges councils to create places that enable healthier lives. Our new guidance shows how #DesignCodes can be a powerful tool to do just that

📖 Download: www.qolf.org/what-we-do/d...

📅 Webinar: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-de...

Published w/ @tibbalds.bsky.social, @thetcpa.bsky.social

Design codes for health and wellbeing - QOLF

Design Codes for Health and Wellbeing provides practical advice for embedding health and wellbeing into the design coding process

www.qolf.org

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Reposted by Quality of Life Foundation

Steve Chambers @planningtransport.co.uk · Mar 4

Area based initiatives are back! www.gov.uk/government/p...

Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus

www.gov.uk

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Feb 27

What if the buildings we live and work in could not only cut carbon but also improve our #wellbeing?

Our research with dRMM and @edinburghnapier.bsky.social exploring the environmental & wellbeing impacts of #MassTimberBuilding shows that they can.

Read it here: www.qolf.org/what-we-do/m...

Measuring Mass Timber - QOLF

Quality of Life Foundation, dRMM, Edinburgh Napier University, and Built by Nature explore environmental and wellbeing benefits of mass timber buildings.

www.qolf.org

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Feb 25

🏡 Can build-to-rent offer a new model for #PrivateRenting?

“We wanted to understand whether #BTR, where homes are built and professionally managed, might contribute to a different model for renting,” says Matthew Morgan.

Read about our report on The Developer: thedeveloper.live/opinion/resi...

Positive social impacts are inherent in the design of BTR schemes

82% of BTR residents felt that their homes had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing according to a new study by the Quality of Life Foundation. Kimberley France reports

thedeveloper.live

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Feb 24

Schools aren’t the only way to reach young people. Home-educated children are often left out of conversations about their places.

A new blog from the Public Map Platform project in Anglesey / Ynys Môn explores how they’ve been involved. Read more: publicmap.org/en/blog/home... #CommunityEngagement

Home Edders become Mappers / Public Map Platform

In this blog, Kim Hutchinson, a Community Mapper on Public Map Platform, shares how, through the Home Edders become Mappers project that she’s been leading, she is delivering free digital mapping work...

publicmap.org

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Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Feb 17

The #NPPF calls on #LocalGov to create places that support #HealthyLives & tackle #HealthInequalities.

Our best practice report explores how councils are doing this despite challenges.

Read case studies from East Sussex, Leeds & Oxfordshire: www.qolf.org/good-practic... #HealthyPlaces #Planning

Health equity: Creating healthy places through planning - QOLF

We investigate how local authorities in England are creating healthy places through planning, despite funding restraints & limited capacity

www.qolf.org

Quality of Life Foundation @qualityoflifeuk.bsky.social · Feb 13

#NewTowns Taskforce interim report out today: A good step forward, but principles alone won't create thriving places.

We urge #HealthAndWellbeing to be core, measurable outcomes, with clear KPIs and evaluations to assess impact.

Read more here: www.qolf.org/news-and-upd...

#HousingGrowth

Delivering new towns that truly enhance our health and wellbeing - QOLF

The publication of the New Towns Taskforce’s interim report is a welcome step forward. It rightly highlights the essential foundations of successful communities: meaningful engagement, healthy and saf...

www.qolf.org

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Reposted by Quality of Life Foundation

Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) @adphuk.bsky.social · Feb 12

"Free webinar 27 February 2025"

Join us to explore revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, hosted with the Local Health and Global Profits project and Department of Health and Social Care.

Find out more➡️bit.ly/4aRiRGJ

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Reposted by Quality of Life Foundation

Nationwide Foundation @nationwidefdtn.bsky.social · Feb 5

What don't we know about the private rented sector? That's what our new report uncovers, delving into existing knowledge of the sector to find the gaps.

Read @jdavies92.bsky.social's blog for more on the report & our wider project to transform the PRS: nationwidefoundation.org.uk/the-private-...

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