Features and comment

Features and comment

Showing 6 articles, in Society

09 February 2021 | 4 minutes

Understanding the principles of planetary health

Ella Kissi-Debrah died in London in February 2013, aged only nine years old, having been unwell with respiratory disease requiring multiple hospital admissions for several years.


26 January 2021 | 4 minutes

Re-imagining our place - Sheffield City Region, the healthiest place in the country to live and work

As the vaccine brings hope that things will ‘return to normal’, we should aim for normal to mean something different. How about a normal that eradicates inequalities in healthy life years within a generation?


16 December 2020 | 4 minutes

Real estate prices are reaching record highs but that doesn’t mean it’s the only time to sell

The pandemic has had unexpected effects on the housing market, causing a rush to sell. But is this the right moment?


01 October 2020 | 4 minutes

Why political decision-making is failing our urban green spaces

Green spaces in city neighbourhoods are critical for wellbeing. Policymakers know this, which is why they put local authorities under pressure to keep parks and green spaces open during lockdown. However, there is a large gap between what this research shows should be done to maximise the benefits of urban green space, and what is actually put in place in cities.


30 September 2020 | 3 minutes

Five COVID customs which emerged during lockdown

I have been tracking how people are expressing beliefs and values using folkloric practices today. It seems that during these dark times they are being used to visibly brighten our communities. Many of us will have perpetuated these customs simply for something to do – particularly families desperate for ideas to occupy children.


15 July 2020 | 4 minutes

Black authors are still underrepresented in UK publishing

In response to Black Lives Matter protests, sales of books by black British authors, such as Reni Eddo-Lodge and Bernadine Evaristo, have topped the UK bestseller lists. Several recent prestigious awards have also been won by black writers, including Candice Carty-Williams who won book of the year for Queenie at the British Book Awards. While these firsts must be celebrated, they also shine a light on publishing’s systemic practices, which have maintained inequalities and under-representation for black, Asian and minority ethnic writers and diverse books.