Creating inclusive and stunning environments, with Jonathan Smales

Imagine a living in a beautiful place that is affordable and inclusive, where people thrive and economies flourish alongside stunning landscapes. Sounds too good to be true?

My guest on this show doesn't think so.

Jonathan Smales is the Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Human Nature, a new generation sustainable developments business.

Jonathan believes passionately that it’s time to create a new generation of places, homes and shared spaces that regenerate where we can live well in ways that respond to the crises of climate and nature. Human Nature’s unapologetically ambitious vision is to create remarkable living spaces, growing strong communities with architecture and landscapes that surprise and delight.

In this fascinating and visionary interview, Jonathan:

• Gives insight into his background and how the shift in attitude towards the environment in the 1980s influenced his goals.
• Describes some of the built environment projects he and other members of the Human Nature team have been involved in, both with and before Human Nature.
• Relates the process of co-production and collaboration in Human Nature to Alan’s description of Steve Jobs' approach to innovation.
• Talks through how the Phoenix project in Lewes, East Sussex, UK started; its scale, the development and planning process, how they plan to make the project carbon negative, and the solutions and the resources that will be available on the estate to create a sustainable neighbourhood and a ‘living landscape’.
• Outlines the financial side of the project, revealing some of the challenges they have faced and how they have overcome them through different streams of funding and investment.
• Discusses aligned values and how, in the case of the Phoenix, this also includes residents, business owners, and investors.
• Shares his opinion on what factors currently prevent equitable projects that create a vibrant community.
• Reveals his background of business training as a civil servant and working for Greenpeace, recalling mistakes he made along his career and the lessons he learnt working with a friend.
• Expounds on some of his learnings from both Greenpeace and Human Nature, including mentality, values, and the power of doing good and surrounding yourself with good people.