BelFast Forward 2020

It’s a week since Cornerstone attended the ‘BelFast Forward Conference’ and as evidence of its impact as a team, we are still talking about some of the powerful ideas that were communicated and wrestling with ‘what does this mean for us as a business’.

If I was to summarise one overarching idea that tied everything together it would be the word ‘connection’. Vishaan Chakrabarti’s presentation used the subheading ‘Designing Cities of Connection’ to explain, with great skill, how the common thread that runs through great cities and world-class architecture is that they create opportunities for people to interact with each other.

This may seem simple but it is clear to see that, in terms of architecture and urban planning, this has not been a priority over recent decades. However it was encouraging that there was unanimous support in the room from local government, developers, not-for-profits and, most importantly residents, to see Belfast become a city that makes human connections a priority.

Cornerstone is proud to be members of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce and events like the conference are evidence of the leadership they are bringing in building momentum for Belfast fulfilling its potential as becoming a city of connections.