In 2009, frustrated that children couldn’t play outside like so many of us did growing up, friends Amy and Alice got together with neighbours to close their street to traffic and open it up for play. The results were amazing, for children and all ages, and Playing Out was born. Bristol City Council created a unique piece of legislation, called a Temporary Play Street Order, that officially allows street communities to play out every week - and other councils got interested too.

Play Streets have resulted in happier kids, better connections with neighbours and a real sense of community cohesion. And by working with councils and getting policy made, the movement is scalable across the country - and the world!

This month on the Practical Democracy Podcast we talk to Kate Staniforth, Play Street Activator for Playing Out, about the history of the movement and the positive changes it's created in her neighbourhood.

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

The Onion Collective is a social enterprise that was founded by a group of mums from Watchet in Somerset, UK. Watchet is a town with high levels of deprivation and the founders shared a keen desire to make it a better place to grow up for their kids.

Galvanised by this shared interest, they came together and commissioned the creation of a visitor information centre and boat museum in 2016, and more recently a vibrant community centre on the harbourside called East Quay, which opened its doors in summer 2021.

This month in our podcast we speak to Georgie Grant, a director and co-founder of the Onion Collective, about East Quay and the possibilities that arise when a community comes together with a shared vision.

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

What stressors did COVID-19 cause, and what was their impact on people's political participation?

Dr Luca Bernardi is a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Liverpool. He and Ian Gotlib, a psychologist and professor at Stanford University, have been working on a piece of research analysing things like fear about one's health, financial worries, and restricted social contact, and their impact on how people feel about politics.

The research so far has thrown up some fascinating findings and a few surprises. In this episode, Dr Bernardi talks about the project, how it was conducted and how COVID-19 has impacted the public's feelings of trust in government and other political behaviour.

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

Welcome back to the Practical Democacy Podcast. In this episode, we talk to Julia Wagemann, founder of Women+ in Geospatial, to talk about unconscious bias in the geospatial sector.

Women+ in Geospatial was established as a way for women and non-binary or trans people to form a community and provide support, advice and inspiration to each other in a field that's typically male-dominated. The organisation hopes to tackle the unconscious biases and glass ceilings that many women face over the course of their careers.

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

We sit down with Dr Antonis Kousoulis, the Director of the Mental Health Foundation in England and Wales to chat about the relationship between mental health and public participation, the democratic landscape post-COVID and how we can remove the barriers that hinder people from participating.

Explore resources: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/

Follow Mental Health Foundation https://twitter.com/mentalhealth

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

We talk to Hirra Khan Adeogun, head of car-free cities at Possible about transport through a gendered lens and how inclusive the current system is. 

Hirra Khan is currently leading on Possible’s landmark programme to kickstart the process of making private cars obsolete in our cities, accelerating the move to a zero carbon Britain built by and for everyone. She’s passionate about designing sustainable futures that centre social justice, human rights and community cohesion.

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

How do changes to our road networks get made? Is the traffic order (TRO) process fit for purpose, and how do we achieve democratic buy-in?

Mark Philpotts, a.k.a. the Ranty Highwayman, lifts the veil on how we improve UK roads and the complexities of getting the public on side - particularly those who may be resistant to change.

Mark is a technical manager with Sweco UK. He specialises in walking and cycling design, although he has years of experience in general highway design. He has a strong emphasis on inclusivity, accessibility, and sustainable safety principles.

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

Compliance doesn't always mean inclusion.

Join us to take a deep dive into all things accessibility with TetraLogical director Léonie Watson and our very own senior customer success manager and passionate accessibility advocate Lauren LaRocca 

Léonie is a Director at TetraLogical, member of the W3C Advisory Board, co-Chair of the W3C Web Applications and HTML working groups, and member of the BIMA Inclusive Design Council.

With more than 25 years’ experience working for organisations including Nomensa, The Paciello Group, and Government Digital Service, Léonie is a respected member of the web community. 

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

On this episode, we’ll be talking about democracy in a time of climate emergency.  How are local authorities working towards their climate action plans, and how can we as citizens make sense of it and hold them accountable? 

Helping us explore these questions and more are our guests Siôn Williams, the outreach and networks coordinator for mySociety’s climate programme and Myf Nixon the communications manager for mySociety.

About mySociety 

Established in 2003, mySociety is a not-for-profit group pioneering the use of online technologies to empower citizens to take their first steps towards greater civic participation.

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

The way we travel is changing in the face of a climate emergency, but is the infrastructure we have ready for this change? In this episode, we talk to London walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman about how we can make active travel better for citizens. 

We deep dive into transport strategy, ask about barriers to participation and ponder the future of sustainable travel that benefits people and the planet.

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast

Delib on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelibThinks

For more episodes of The Practical Democracy Podcast please visit https://www.delib.net/practical-democracy/podcast