Facing the future: Scotland’s housing challenges

Housing remains a critical issue, and a topic worthy of an in-depth discussion. Our speakers will offer their perspectives on the challenges surrounding housing, exploring potential solutions. The event will be chaired by Eugene Mullan.

Recommended arrival time is 17.30, with the event beginning at 18.00

Please get in touch if you have any accessibility or dietary requirements.

Speakers:

Eugene Mullan– FRIAS, RIBA, MScUD, ARTPI, FRSA

Eugene Mullan is an architect and urban designer. He is Director at Smith Scott Mullan Associates. Eugene is experienced in the regeneration of neighbourhoods and creation of successful places. He has designed residential projects across a range of tenures, including design for older people and those with dementia. He was secretary of the parliamentary Cross-Party Group on Architecture and the Built Environment for ten years. He is a founder, current Trustee, and past Convenor of We Play Together, a charity and social enterprise based at the Crags Centre in Edinburgh. He is currently a citizen representative on the Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board. He is also on the Board of SURF Scotland’s Regeneration Forum.

Professor Ken Gibb

Ken Gibb is professor of housing economics at the University of Glasgow, where he is the director and PI of the ESRC UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE). Professor Gibb’s recent work has included projects about policy interventions to reverse recent downturns on the Scottish affordable housing supply programme, as well as Scottish property tax reform - both for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, as well as evaluations on retrofit (SFC), (on-going) Passivhaus new build (Glasgow City-region and NLC), and is researching residential air source heat pumps (EPSRC). He is involved in research on homelessness, involving cost benefit analysis, as well as the housing emergency. Professor Gibb is a board member of Clyde Valley Housing Association, and a trustee of the Centre for Homelessness Impact. He also sits on the committee of Shelter Scotland. Recently, he chaired a Scottish Government short life working group ‘towards shared understanding of housing affordability’. He is a member of the Scottish Government Housing Investment Taskforce.

Eli Harji

Eli Harji is a policy lead at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA). She has a particular interest in social housing finance and approaches to energy and net zero. Eli is also a member of the Women in Public Affairs (WiPA) Scotland executive committee, which aims to increase women's representation and leadership across Scotland's public affairs and policy sectors. She is now the co-chair of Women in Public Affairs Scotland.

Sarah-Jane Laing

Sarah-Jane Laing was appointed as CEO of Scottish Land and Estates in December 2019, the first woman to hold this role in their history. She began in the housing strategy office before becoming Head of Policy and then Executive Director in 2017. She leads a team of 25, influencing government on issues which impact on rural Scotland. At Holyrood, her focus is on climate change and increasing the supply of quality, affordable rural homes. She also focuses on issues around land use policy to ensure thriving rural communities, as well as environmental resilience and wider societal benefits. Before joining SLE she spent over 10 years in housing and planning with local authorities and housing associations. She represents SLE with many external stakeholder groups and is a member of the Scottish Government's Women in Agriculture Taskforce, and the Climate Change Emergency Response Group. She is also a recipient of the Farmers Club Windsor Leadership bursary.

Professor Duncan MacLennan

Professor Duncan MacLennan CBE FAcSS FRSE MCIH( Hon) MRTPI (Hon) FRICS is Emeritus Professor of Urban Economics at The University of Glasgow. He is a Professorial Fellow in Urban Economics, University of New South Wales, and an Adjunct Professor of Housing Economics, McMaster University, Ontario. He is currently involved in a research project for the David Hume Institute.

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