HOUSING OURSELVES IN THE WELLBEING ECONOMY
COMMUNITY-LED HOUSING.  CREATIVE PLACE MAKING    BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Full details here

HOUSING OURSELVES IN THE WELLBEING ECONOMY

COMMUNITY-LED HOUSING,    CREATIVE PLACE MAKING,     BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Blended Conference for In-Person and Online Participation
Date: Friday, 14 February 2025 – 10.00 – 17.00

Location:
In-person WeCreate Centre, Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Co. Tipperary – E53 VP86.   Places are limited – Registration essential.
It is possible to travel from Dublin to Cloughjordan by train see Irish Rail for times and booking.
On-line Three sessions of the event will be held on zoom for on-line participation. – Registration essential.

Cost: Online: Free of Charge.
In-person: Sliding Scale Payment €15.00 to €50.00 (Includes Lunch)
Inquiries – info@cloughjordancohousing.coop
Register here:  https://forms.gle/HsbWhUMBsYPVjp9JA

Housing is essential to the well-being of individuals and communities. However, the current speculative, profit-driven approach fails to address the interconnected challenges of affordability, ecological and financial sustainability, and social cohesion.

This event will explore transformative approaches to housing that prioritise sustainability, inclusivity, and community resilience. This event will highlight the importance of housing as a basic need and explore innovative solutions to ensure everyone has access to adequate housing, with a focus on community-led housing and creative place making.

This event, hosted by Cloughjordan Co-Housing in collaboration with the Irish Hub of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, builds on last year’s focus group discussions and the Housing session at the Rethinking Growth event in Dublin. Insights from the event will contribute to a paper on housing in Ireland’s Wellbeing Economy.

Schedule

09.30 – Welcome and refreshments
10.00 – Session 1 – THE HOUSING CRISIS & COMMUNITY LED HOUSING
11.30 – Break
12.00 – Session 2 – CREATIVE PLACE MAKING
13.30 – Lunch
14.30 – Tour of the Ecovillage
15.30 – Session 3 – BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
17.00 – Close

Contributors – See bios below

Peadar Kirby, Rory Hearne, Caroline Whyte, Paul Umfreville, Tom O’Donnell, Michael Weatherhead, Ali Grehan, Rosie Lynch, Graham Lightfoot, Matt Baker, Ariane Burgess, Gavin Harte, Anne-Marie Fuller, Corrin Fox, Paul Umfreville, Mick Forde-Bradley, Rob Cass, Davie Philip

10.00 – 11.30
Session 1 – Community-Led Housing 

This session will examine the root causes of the current housing crisis, introduce the need for a Wellbeing Economy and highlight community-led housing as a potential approach for delivering affordable, secure, and environmentally sustainable homes while fostering stronger, more connected, and resilient communities.

What is the cause of the housing crisis? Understanding the impact of commodification and financialisation of homes, individualism and speculative practices. 

What is a Wellbeing Economy, and how can this approach help reimagine housing?

Could a community-led approach to housing contribute to the wellbeing of a place while helping to meet broader goals such as climate action, community and rural regeneration?

Contributors
Peadar Kirby (Convenor), Rory Hearne, Caroline Whyte, Paul Umfreville, Tom O’Donnell, Michael Weatherhead

12.00 – 13.30
Session 2: Creative Placemaking 

This session will delve into how community-led housing can be advanced, highlighting cooperative approaches such as co-housing and community land trusts as key enablers within the Wellbeing Economy. It will also explore the role of creative placemaking in fostering participation, inclusion and connection to place. By utilising existing infrastructure and renovating structures in towns and villages, the session will showcase how these approaches can support the long-term sustainability and resilience of communities.

How can cooperative approaches and creative placemaking processes enable inclusive and sustainable neighbourhood development within a Wellbeing Economy? 

How can using established infrastructure and renovating existing structures nurture resilient and inclusive neighbourhoods?

What role can creative placemaking play in enhancing participation, inclusion and a deep connection to place, while advancing community-led housing solutions?

Contributors
Ali Grehan (Convenor), Anne-Marie Fuller, Rosie Lynch, Graham Lightfoot, Matt Baker, Ariane Burgess

15.30
Session 3 – Building Sustainable Communities

This session will explore the potential of modular offsite construction and community self-build or self-finish approaches in addressing affordability, sustainability, and inclusivity. It will emphasise how these methods can empower communities to take an active role in creating their homes. The session will also highlight the importance of reusing derelict and vacant buildings as part of rural regeneration, helping sustain vital services, and supporting community-led housing approaches.

What are the opportunities of renovating derelict sites and buildings for reinvigorating communities?

What opportunities do offsite construction methods offer in addressing the affordability crisis while ensuring sustainability, inclusivity, and community resilience?

How can modular housing systems offer scalable, affordable solutions for community-led housing initiatives? 

Contributors
Gavin Harte (Convenor), Anne-Marie Fuller, Corrin Fox, Mick Forde Bradley, Paul Umfreville, Rob Cass

Speakers Bios

Davie Philip is a sustainable community advocate and facilitator working with Cultivate The Sustainable Ireland Coop. He is a founding-member of Cloughjordan Ecovillage, a director of Cloughjordan CoHousing and a coordinator of the Wellbeing Economy Hub for Ireland.

Peadar Kirby is Professor Emeritus of International Politics and Public Policy at the University of Limerick, Ireland. He has published extensively on Ireland’s development model, Latin American politics and political economy, globalization, vulnerability and resilience, and the low-carbon transition. A resident of Cloughjordan Ecovillage since 2009, Peadar is actively involved in its education and research group.

Rory Hearne is an Irish Social Democrats politician and TD for the Dublin North-West constituency. Previously, he was an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Social Policy in the Department of Applied Social Studies at Maynooth University. He is the author of the best-selling and award-nominated book Gaffs: Why No One Can Get a House, and What We Can Do About It (HarperCollins Ireland, 2022). Rory’s earlier book, Housing Shock: The Irish Housing Crisis and How to Solve It (Policy Press, 2020), was the first in Ireland to identify the rise of Generation Rent, the distorting influence of global investor funds in Irish housing, and the devastating impact of homelessness on families. It also proposed innovative solutions rooted in a human rights vision for housing, offering a practical policy pathway to ensure affordable, secure, high-quality, and environmentally sustainable homes for all.

Caroline Whyte has a background in ecological economics and does research and advocacy for Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability.  She is a core member of the Wellbeing Economy Hub for Ireland, which she represents in the European Union Wellbeing Economy Coalition, and she helped to organise the Rethinking Growth conference in Dublin in June 2024. She is on the Irish National Economic and Social Council and the steering committees of the Environmental Pillar and Stop Climate Chaos Ireland. Her current work includes research on GDP-growth dependency in the financial system and its effects on the housing market in Ireland and elsewhere. She lives in central France.

Paul Umfreville is a Town Planner and was Head of Scrutiny at a London Council, bringing accountability and community engagement into governance processes. This was part of a wider 25+ year local government career involving planning, environmental and community development, partnership working and policy development. Paul recently completed a PhD in political science at Technological University Dublin, with research comparing historic and more recent public policymaking processes as responses to housing crisis.

Tom O’Donnell is a founding director at SOA.ie.  He studied architecture at UCD and Cambridge University and has extensive experience in architectural practice in the public and private sectors. In 2020-21 he co-authored Roadmapping a Viable Community-Led Housing Sector for Ireland. He is based in Ireland and Germany.

Michael Weatherhead is a Co-Founder of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) and serves as its Development Lead. In this role, he manages relationships with new and existing supporters while overseeing the development of new programme areas. Previously, Michael spent over a decade as Managing and International Director of the consulting arm of the New Economics Foundation (NEF).

Ali Grehan is the former Dublin City Architect and is the chair of the Irish Green Building Council Board. She has held a variety of roles spanning private practice in Dublin, London and Bilbao, and in the Public Sector; where her particular focus has been on leading large-scale urban regeneration, housing and infrastructure projects. She recently completed MSC in Climate Change: Policy Media and Society at DCU where her final dissertation focused on collaborative planning and placemaking. Ali is a new resident of Cloughjordan Ecovillage.

Rosie Lynch is the Creative Director of Workhouse Union, a community co-design and creative placemaking organisation based in Callan, Co. Kilkenny. Working with community groups, local authorities, community development organisations and creative practitioners, they support the development of neighbourhoods and shared spaces with a unique approach rooted in care and collaboration. Through long-term community-led engagement, their approach uses creativity to bring people together around complex issues, needs and challenges. Rosie is a member of the team leading the ten-year Nimble Spaces/Inclusive Neighbourhood community-led housing project in Callan. She also served as a steering committee member of SOA’s Roadmapping a Viable Community-Led Housing Sector for Ireland Research Project (2022/21), and remains actively involved in community-led housing advocacy in Ireland.

Matt Baker is the CEO and co-founder of The Stove Network, an arts and community organisation based in Dumfries, Scotland. He is actively involved in What We Do Now (WWDN), a creative placemaking network that connects artists and community organisations to foster creative activities and projects aimed at driving social change and enhancing community wellbeing. Matt works at regional, national, and international levels to advance creative practice in community settings, influencing strategy and policy. From 2020 to 2023, he served as co-chair of the Scottish National Partnership for Culture.

Ariane Burgess has been the Scottish Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region since 2021. She is the convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. Prior to politics, Ariane and has been involved in projects including locally-owned renewable energy, cohousing, community woodlands and car share schemes.

Graham Lightfoot is a Director and Company Secretary of Cloughjordan CoHousing and has 45 years experience in small business, social enterprise and community group development and training, covering sustainable mobility, public transport, information and communications technologies and co-operative housing, serving as chairperson, secretary and treasurer on many occasions.  He has been involved in a range of EU multinational projects on the above topics. He played a key role in the establishment of GoCar, which now provides 1,000 vehicles for short term hire located in cities and towns throughout Ireland.

Anne-Marie Fuller is a carer and community activist. She is a Feasta Trustee and steering group member of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) Ireland Hub and has a keen interest in Doughnut Economics and policy development.  She is the Environmental Rep for Kerry PPN, sits on their secretariat and is a PPN rep on the Kerry County Council Environment, Climate Action, Marine and Emergency Planning Strategic Policy Committee and the Local Action Group as well as the Local Community Development Committee. Anne-Marie is involved with Transition Kerry and an active member of Tralee Tidy Towns. She has a professional background in Energy and Science.

Gavin Harte is a sustainability entrepreneur who has launched numerous sustainability-focused start-ups throughout his career. A founder of the Cloughjordan Ecovillage, he also served as National Director of An Taisce and worked as a CSR consultant with Business in the Community Ireland. Gavin now leads ESD Training, providing sustainability consultancy services, and serves as a Director of Cloughjordan CoHousing. He is advancing the Village Homes project, a community-led construction system using indigenous timber to create affordable, carbon-negative homes while fostering sustainable building skills through community engagement.

Mick Forde Bradley is an architect and sustainability expert. He spent 15 years living and working in Copenhagen as co-owner of ZESO Architects before joining Limerick City and County Council as a Senior Executive Architect in the Housing Department. Mick is active in several mixed tenure housing schemes at Limerick City and County council, with a focus on affordable purchase and cost rental home provision.  He is also working on the short-term modular affordable rental transition (“SMART”) Housing Programme at LCCC- a key objective of the Limerick Mayoral Programme 2024-2029 to deliver 1,000’s of Modular homes, address housing shortages with SMART housing on temporary sites, creating a transitional solution while permanent housing develops.

Corrin Fox is the co-founder and CPO of Kionnali Living Systems Ltd., a Scottish startup dedicated to developing sustainable, integrated building technologies. Kionnali’s first product, LightForm, is a home designed to care for its users and the surrounding ecosystem, reflecting the company’s mission to protect, adapt, and heal in a changing world.

Rob Cass, Director of Irish Sustainable Homes, has 20 years of international experience. Upon returning to Ireland, he led the country’s largest brownfield regeneration project to the planning stage. He now focuses on addressing the housing crisis through modular housing, revitalising vacant properties, and scaling sustainable supply chains to create a better future for communities and the next generation.

The Wellbeing Economy

A Wellbeing Economy is an economy designed to serve people and the planet, not the other way around. Rather than treating economic growth as an end in and of itself and pursuing it at all costs, a Wellbeing Economy puts our human and planetary needs at the centre of its activities, ensuring that these needs are all equally met, by default.

“In considering factors such as health, education, and social connections as essential components of a thriving economy, prioritising human wellbeing and environmental sustainability, and focusing on social goals, equity, and overall quality of life, the wellbeing economy can align with our shared vision for a more compassionate, just, sustainable, fair and equitable future.” President Michael D Higgins

The WEAll Hub Ireland is an All Ireland network of organisations which is working in partnership with the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance to help achieve an economy designed to serve people and the planet.

Community-Led Housing

Community-Led Housing is a ground-up approach, which enables groups of people to pool their assets and collective resources to create homes and neighbourhoods which meet their particular needs, whatever they may be, in a sustainable and inclusive way. Community-led housing puts people at the centre of housing design and enables people to connect with their locality and each other without increasing pressure on climate and global ecosystems. Neighbourhoods create coherence and resilience in local areas, connecting people to their surroundings and local economies.

“Community-Led Housing is an example of bottom-up, active citizenship at its best, with the potential to put the humanistic perspective of housing provision centre stage, with communities and citizens at the heart of neighbourhood development, embracing the idea of homes as a social good.” Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland

Community-led housing helps bring the public into the planning process, and encourages a more participatory and democratic model of development. Because of this, it can particularly benefit local circular and wellbeing economies, as well as help address the climate crisis more appropriately. ​

A publication series, the result of a 12-month multi-stakeholder research project led by Self Organised Architects (SOA.ie) to inform and support the establishment of a Community-Led Housing (CLH) infrastructure in Ireland, is available here.

Creative Place Making 

Placemaking traditionally refers to the concept of developing successful spaces for communities and encouraging connection and creativity for the common good.  Creative placemaking is a cultural and arts led approach to placemaking that uses creativity as a support structure for communities to take a leading role in the development of their places. Creative placemaking is particularly effective at developing community engagement, amplifying less heard voices, and supporting the development of community capacity and partnerships to effect real change.

A Creative Placemaking Approach is a new publication from Stove Network in Scotland that aims to support a vision of place and community where: creativity is used to develop a resilient and fair, future society, built on community wealth building principles, innovation, and long-term thinking.