University of the Built Environment

University of the Built Environment (formerly known as UCEM) is the leading provider of supported online education for the built environment. Tune in for discussions about the real estate and construction industries, as well as insights into what it's like to study with UCEM and conversations with the institution's students, alumni, supporters and staff. Find out more at ube.ac.uk

University of the Built Environment is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 96 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts University of the Built Environment, a education show with 96 episodes published.

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  University of the Built Environment

  Episode 26: Can British towns ever become cycling towns, or are we kidding ourselves?

  Sep 28, 202641 min

  Cycling accounts for just 2% of trips in England. In the Netherlands, that figure is 27%. So why the enormous gap? Is Britain being held back by poor infrastructure, a car-dominated culture, a lack of investment, or simply a reluctance to give cyclists more space? In this episode of BE Sustainable, host Mike Speight asks whether British towns could ever reach the point where cycling becomes an ordinary, everyday way of getting around rather than something associated with sport, leisure, or the particularly brave. Using Reading (where the University of the Built Environment offices are based) as our test case, our panel looks at what Britain could learn from the Netherlands, whether Dutch-style cycling infrastructure is genuinely transferable to British towns and cities, and the difficult choices that might have to be made along the way. Our guests Mike is joined by Professor Ashley Wheaton, Vice Chancellor of the University of the Built Environment and Chair of Cycling UK; Councillor Paul Gittings, Mayor of Reading and a Bikeability instructor in local schools; Melissa Bruntlett, Netherlands-based urban mobility advocate and co-author of ‘Building the Cycling City and Curbing Traffic’; and Jason Wride, University of the Built Environment data analyst, author and everyday cyclist who has cycled extensively in Britain and overseas. Further reading and sources Melissa and Chris Bruntlett – books , including ‘Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality’ and ‘Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives’: Explore the Modacity books Department for Transport – National Travel Survey 2025: Active travel: Read the latest cycling statistics for England Department for Transport – National Travel Survey 2025: Travel to and from school: Read the school travel statistics Statistics Netherlands – Cycling in the Netherlands: Explore the CBS cycling statistics Government – Third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy: Read the Government's active travel strategy Reading Borough Council – Reading Transport Strategy 2040: Explore Reading's transport strategy Reading Borough Council – active travel and transport investment: Read about Reading's latest transport plans Transport for London – Travel in London 2025: Active travel trends: Explore London's active travel figures Greater Manchester – Active Travel Mission: Explore the Bee Network's active travel plans

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  University of the Built Environment

  BPOC episode 12 - Celebrating National Inclusion Week

  Sep 16, 202630 min

  "Talent and potential is everywhere, regardless of your background. The problem is that opportunity isn't always distributed equally." - Professor Malcolm Todd, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of the Built Environment In this special National Inclusion Week episode of Be Part of the Change, host Ivy-Elizabeth Curle, Student Inclusion Officer and Quantity Surveying student at the University of the Built Environment, is joined by Professor Malcolm Todd, Pro Vice Chancellor and Professor of Sociology. Together, they explore the meaning of inclusion, the importance of belonging, and the role individuals and organisations can play in creating environments where everyone feels valued, heard and able to thrive. In this episode, we discuss: * What inclusion really means and why it matters more than ever. * How a sense of belonging impacts wellbeing, confidence and success. * Practical actions that anyone can take to help others feel included. * The barriers that can unintentionally exclude people within the built environment sector. * Why inclusive design requires listening to and involving diverse communities. * The progress the sector has made on diversity, equity and inclusion, and where more work is needed. * How young professionals can find their voice, build confidence and create opportunities for themselves. * The importance of meaningful listening and ensuring all voices are heard. * The difference between being invited into a conversation and having genuine influence over decisions. * Professor Malcolm Todd’s personal experiences of belonging, advocacy and finding allies throughout his career. As we celebrate National Inclusion Week, take a moment to reflect on how you can help others feel valued, respected and heard within your organisation, university or community.

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  Episode #24

  Episode 24: Can urban planning ever make women truly safe?

  Jul 28, 202625 min

  Women and girls experience towns and cities differently. Many change their routes, avoid particular places after dark or plan journeys around where they are most likely to feel safe. Yet planning responses often remain focused on familiar interventions such as brighter lighting, CCTV and clearer sightlines. In this episode of BE Sustainable, host Mike Speight asks whether better placemaking can genuinely make women safer, or whether the built environment is being expected to solve a problem rooted in wider cultures, behaviours and institutions. He is joined by Charlotte Morphet , the University of the Built Environment’s Urban Planning programmer leader and a specialist in planning and placemaking that works for women and girls, and Holly Lewis, co-founder of architecture and urbanism practice We Made That and town architect for the London Borough of Hackney. The discussion also considers why women’s safety has struggled to secure a central place within planning policy, including recent criticism of proposed changes to England’s National Planning Policy Framework . The murder of Sarah Everard raises a further and deeply uncomfortable question. When violence can involve trusted individuals and the misuse of institutional authority, where do the responsibilities and limitations of planning lie? Charlotte and Holly discuss what genuinely inclusive placemaking could look like and why women’s lived experience should carry greater weight in decision-making. Resources: Nationwide plans announced to design safer streets as nine in ten women report feeling unsafe walking at night – Active Travel England, March 2026. Includes findings from YouGov polling on women’s safety when walking after dark. Prevalence and reporting of sexual harassment in UK public spaces – UN Women UK and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for UN Women. This report contains the figures that 71% of women surveyed had experienced sexual harassment in a public space, rising to 86% among those aged 18 to 24. Angiolini Inquiry: Part 1 report – the independent inquiry into the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by an off-duty Metropolitan Police officer. England planning proposals fail to mention safety of women and girls, say critics – The Guardian, 28 January 2026. MPs raise lack of gendered safety in draft NPPF with planning minister – The Planner, January 2026. Gender-responsive urban planning and design – UN-Habitat guidance on creating inclusive public spaces and involving women and girls in urban decision-making. Girl, Woman, Othered? Why women’s safety must be a priority for placemaking – Meeting Place’s write-up of a panel discussion featuring Charlotte Morphet on women, planning policy and the NPPF. Where are women in planning policy? Safety, gender and the NPPF – details of the Meeting Place webinar featuring Charlotte Morphet, Anna Sabine MP, Susannah Walker and Nikki Davies. TfL and Metropolitan Police women’s safety audits – information on safety audits undertaken with women in five London boroughs, including work involving We Made That.

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  Episode #23

  Episode 23: If hybrid working is here to stay, why are the best London offices thriving?

  Jun 30, 202630 min

  "I think the office is becoming more important. It's not shrinking at all." It's a view that may surprise anyone who has spent the past few years reading headlines predicting the decline of the office. But according to Sam McClary, Chief Executive of the British Council for Offices , the real story is very different. So if the office isn't disappearing, what exactly is it becoming? In this episode of the BE Sustainable podcast, presenter Mike Speight explores why some workplaces are flourishing in the age of flexible working while others risk being left behind. Joining the discussion are three guests with very different perspectives on the future of the workplace. Alexander Morris, Managing Director at BGO , brings the investor viewpoint. Sam McClary offers an industry-wide perspective on the changing office market. Meanwhile, Gustaf Sedihn , a current student at The London School of Architecture , shares fresh thinking from the next generation of workplace designers, including research into how offices could incorporate childcare and wider social infrastructure. Together, the panel examines the growing divide between prime and secondary office stock, asking what separates a thriving office from one that risks becoming obsolete. They discuss whether the role of the office has fundamentally changed, how employers increasingly view workplaces as part of their talent strategy, and why occupiers are placing greater emphasis on quality, sustainability and employee experience. Featured in the discussion is BGO's landmark 105 Victoria Street development in Westminster [pictured above]. Described by BGO as the UK's largest 100% electric, net zero carbon office development, the scheme combines premium workspace with 25,000 sq ft of greenspace and terracing, a 200-metre walk-and-talk track, an urban farm, extensive cycling facilities and community-focused public spaces. Rather than simply adding amenities, the development reflects a broader shift in thinking: that successful offices must function as destinations that support wellbeing, sustainability, social connection and everyday life, giving people a compelling reason to spend time there. The conversation also explores whether offices could play a much broader role in society. Could workplace design help tackle challenges such as childcare? What responsibility do offices have to the neighbourhoods around them? And how can developers create places that people actively choose to visit rather than simply attend out of obligation? Whether you believe the office is being reinvented or merely refined, this episode explores what the workplace of the future might look like, and why the buildings attracting the most demand today may offer important clues about where the sector is heading next. Resources · ONS hybrid working data · Cushman & Wakefield Q1 2026 Central London Marketbeat · Savills Q1 2026 Central London Office Market Watch · Deloitte London Office Crane Survey · BGO 105 Victoria Street · BCO appointment/profile

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  Episode #22

  Episode 22: Are degree apprenticeships the future, or just the cheapest fix?

  May 21, 202633 minS0

  <p><b>Guests</b></p>Rosie Jackson - StaceMark Ashby - StaceRobert Brown – PRE Surveyors<p>Touted as the answer to skills shortages, spiralling student debt and widening access to professional careers, degree apprenticeships are growing rapidly across the UK, particularly within the built environment.</p><p>The pitch is undeniably attractive: earn while you learn, avoid tuition fees, gain practical experience from day one and enter industry already embedded in the workplace. But beneath the optimism, more difficult questions are emerging. Are apprenticeships genuinely transforming opportunity, or are they being oversold as a catch-all solution to complex workforce challenges? An...

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