Societies showed remarkable resilience and adaptability in 2020: in the face of public health crisis, political polarisation, and economic insecurity, we witnessed extraordinary examples of community solidarity and social innovation.
And yet deep uncertainties and challenges lie in wait in the year ahead. To meet these challenges, we need to strengthen the ties that bind us. To reimagine and renew our social contract. To build stronger, more resilient communities, from the ground up.
As we look for sources of inspiration and optimism, what lessons can be learnt from the way individuals and communities have navigated past national and global crises? What are the everyday values and practices that we need to re-discover, honour, create and share so that everyone, in every place, can thrive
Authors Hilary Cottam and Marc Stears join Anthony Painter in conversation to explore where we are as a nation in 2021, our hopes and resolutions for the future, and the new ways of thinking, working and organising that we need to embrace in order to face the challenges ahead, united.
Related media
-
Design’s response to the crises of 2020
Video
The crises of 2020 have created the perfect conditions for timely, relevant, optimistic and proactive responses, amongst those of us who lean the most into that designer mindset – whether by nature or nurture, and whether we identify as designers or not.
-
Is competition killing us?
Video
Competition laws are failing us on a whole host of issues vital to the public interest. But campaigning lawyer Michelle Meagher has a bold new agenda for reform.
-
Investing today to save tomorrow
Video
Changing what we do with our money could be one of the most powerful tools at our disposal for tackling the climate crisis – but putting our money where our values are can be complicated.