028 Be More Bradford: What Happens When a City Designs for Health
85% of our health is determined by non-clinical factors. So why does the built environment remain an afterthought in most public health conversations?
In this episode of Talking Place, recorded live at the Bradford Showcase at UKREiiF 2026, Tanisha sits down with three people who are making the evidence-based case for healthier cities and delivering it.
Professor Rosie McEachan (Director, Born in Bradford) shares landmark data from one of Europe's largest longitudinal health studies - including the finding that one in three children's asthma cases in Bradford are directly attributable to traffic-related air pollution.
Abigail Scott Paul (Global Head of Humanise Campaign, Heatherwick Studio) makes the neuroscience case for why bland buildings are a public health emergency.
And James Almond (Managing Director, P+HS Architects) brings the delivery reality including a £65m mental health hospital in Bradford that is already changing how an NHS trust operates.
Together, they tackle the big structural question: where is the power sitting that is preventing the change that needs to happen?
Topics covered:
What Born in Bradford reveals about place and health
How healthcare design changes behaviour: the sexual health clinic case study
What design decisions genuinely improve health outcomes
The Humanise Campaign: buildings, neuroscience and visual stress
How Bradford's city centre transformation is already changing lives
Leadership, long-term thinking and why Bradford's pedestrianisation was worth the fight
Bradford teenagers: reaching a tipping point in civic pride
Where is the power sitting that's blocking change?
Final thoughts: one message for decision-makers
Links & Mentions
Invest in Bradford - https://www.investinbradford.com/
Born in Bradford - https://borninbradford.nhs.uk
P+HS Architects - www.pandhs.co.uk
Humanise Campaign - https://www.humanisecampaign.org
Bradford Council -https://www.bradford.gov.uk
UKREiiF 2026 -https://www.ukreiif.com
Linfield Mount mental health hospital, Bradford
Bradford City Centre pedestrianisation
West Yorkshire Mass Transi
King's Cross regeneration, London
Talking Place is hosted by Tanisha Raffiuddin, Creative Director at Concept Culture.
New episodes every fortnight exploring placemaking, urban design, branding, and the stories behind the spaces we inhabit.
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