Designing for parental wellbeing: a new way to conceptualise wellbeing in our cities

The urban environment can either add to or help alleviate the mental load of parenting. The way we design housing, streets, public spaces, services and everyday journeys influences parents’ ability to access support, connect with others, feel safe, rest and navigate daily life. Design has the ability to offer solutions to some of society's most complex challenges and in this panel discussion, we will explore how the built and social environment intersects with different dimensions of wellbeing—from mental and physical health to belonging, connection and loneliness—and what it would mean for cities to intentionally design with caregivers’ experiences in mind.

Meet our speakers and chair

Georgina Blix is an Associate Director at CHROFI in Sydney, and Head of Wellbeing research for the architectural design studio. Georgina is an internationally renowned expert in design for wellbeing and couples this with expertise in urban design, master planning, residential design, and education. Her areas of research include how to design for and measure wellbeing in cities with a focus on inter-generational connection, reducing loneliness and inclusive design.

Cristina Garriga is an Associate and Senior Creative Strategist at UNS, where she shapes meaningful experiences through insight-driven strategy, brand innovation and human-centred design. Working across architecture, urban design, and product design, she brings together strategic thinking and creative execution, ensuring brands, places, and environments are not only distinctive and engaging but deeply purposeful, relevant, and built around the needs of clients, users, and communities.

Filippo Lodi is a Director at UNS, where he leads a multidisciplinary team of architects, interior designers, urban planners, creative strategists and product designers. Trained in engineering, architecture and business, he bridges research, strategy and design execution to create human-centred environments that support everyday wellbeing. He has lectured and taught at Harvard GSD, The Bartlett, TU Darmstadt and the University of Bologna.

Almudena Sevilla is a Professor of Economic and Social Policy in the Department of Social Policy at LSE. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in January 2025 for her contributions to economics and her leadership in advancing women in the profession. She is the Founding Chair and now Ambassador of the Royal Economic Society’s UK Women in Economics Network, and she leads the LSE Women in Social and Public Policy Research Hub.

Katie Beck is a Policy Fellow at LSE Cities where she manages the Urban95 Academy, working with an interdisciplinary team to help municipal leaders design more child-friendly cities. Her areas of interest include gender-equal, child-friendly and care-centred city design and her independent research has looked at the gender dynamics of urban play spaces in east London analysing the spatial and social factors that impact access to and experience of public space.

Any questions?

You can contact us at urban95.academy@lse.ac.uk.

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