Design Your Way Out of the Apocalypse – sixteen3 Salon | CDW Edition
Events, Inspiration, Stories
Tuesday 19th May 2026 | 14:00 – 15:30
At a time of environmental urgency, economic pressure and a long list of global challenges, designers are rethinking what they value and why.
As part of the sixteen3 Salon Series, our panel brings together perspectives spanning regenerative futures, neuroarchitecture, entrepreneurship and circularity, all focused on creating better places at every scale.
In the current moment, where do genuine opportunities lie? What must be protected? And how can design help us cut through and stay relevant in tough times?
Together, we’ll explore how we might measure value more holistically, why designing for the brain is no longer a nice to have, how to challenge assumptions in pursuit of better quality of life, and ultimately how these ambitions can translate to real-world outcomes.
Featuring:
- Lauren Davies, Strategic Design Lead at Arup
- Natasha Reid, Founder at Matter Space Soul
- Arthur Kay, advisor and author
A candid, practical and optimistic discussion for anyone interested in what design needs to do now to create a positive future.
Speaker Bios
Lauren Davies is Strategic Design Lead at Arup, where she helps clients and colleagues navigate uncertainty and complexity to make stronger long-term decisions. With over seven years’ experience, and an MA in Design from Goldsmiths University, she works at the intersection of design, futures thinking and organisational strategy. Her work focuses on shaping visions, frameworks and participatory processes that help organisations clarify challenges, ask better questions and turn ideas into action. She brings a strategic design lens to complex social, organisational and systemic issues, helping imagine and deliver more resilient futures.
Arthur Kay is an advisor, entrepreneur and author focused on making cities better places to live. He serves as a Board Member for Transport for London, the Royal Academy of Engineering, FastForward 2030 and the Museum of the Home, and is Professor of Practice at the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity. He is co-author, with Professor Dame Henrietta Moore, of Roadkill: Unveiling the True Cost of Our Toxic Relationship with Cars (Wiley, 2025), named a Financial Times Best Book of the Year. Arthur founded and exited several ventures, including Bio-bean, Skyroom and the £100m Key Worker Homes Fund, spanning clean technology, housing and urban innovation
Natasha Reid is founder of MATTER SPACE SOUL, a progressive spatial design studio and lab shaping places for human and social wellbeing. Specialising in Human-Centric Design, NeuroArchitecture and Biophilic Design, she works across architecture, urban design, human sciences and the arts. Building on her experience at award-winning architecture studios, Natasha has spent more than a decade developing new approaches to humanistic design. Her Compassionate Places Method was published in the Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health and recognised by the World Health Organisation in 2025. Her work explores how environments can support healthier, more connected communities.