How do homes shape our health, happiness, and sense of belonging, and what does it take to design places where everyone can truly thrive?
In this episode of Talking Place, host Tanisha Raffiuddin talks place with Ruth Skidmore, Social Impact Lead at Meeting Place, whose journey from architecture into social impact has shaped a people first approach to planning, development, and placemaking.
Together, they explore why homes matter far beyond bricks and mortar, how community voices can meaningfully influence development, and why equitable, accessible, safe places are essential to a healthy and cohesive society.
In this episode, you will learn:
🟣 How Ruth’s squiggly career from architecture to social impact shaped her perspective on place, community, and responsibility
🟣 How Meeting Place uses creative engagement methods from high street pop ups to school workshops and digital tools to reach people who are often left out of planning conversations
🟣 What The Impact of a Home report is trying to measure and why understanding the social and wellbeing impact of all types of homes really matters
About Our Guest
Ruth Skidmore is the Social Impact Lead at Meeting Place, where she works with developers, local authorities, institutions, and communities to embed social value, meaningful engagement, and equitable design into development projects of many different scales.
Trained as an architect, Ruth’s career includes experience in design studios, sustainability consultancies, and social impact research. Her award winning masters thesis on social value calculators led to published work in The Developer and opened the door to her transition into impact led consultancy.
At Meeting Place, she leads on community engagement strategies, social value research, and the development of The Impact of a Home, a new national framework designed to quantify how homes affect wellbeing, opportunity, and community strength.
Ruth is a passionate advocate for creating places that are safe, inclusive, and accessible for everyone, prioritising face to face engagement, storytelling, and intergenerational dialogue to shape the future of the built environment.
Join the Conversation:
What makes a place feel like home, its design, its stories, or the people who shape it?
Share your thoughts with us on Instagram or LinkedIn @TalkingPlacePodcast using the hashtag #TalkingPlacePodcast
Links and Mentions:
Meeting Place: https://www.meeting-place.uk
Impact of a home report: https://meeting-place.uk/impact-of-a-home/
To learn more about the host Tanisha Raffiuddin – visit here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tanishaa
Website: www.conceptculture.co
Twitter: @tanisha.rr
Instagram: @tanisha.rr
To learn more about Talking Place – visit here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/talking-place-podcast
Website: https://www.conceptculture.co/talking-place-podcast
Instagram: @talkingplacepodcast
X (Twitter): @tppodcast_
Bluesky: @talkingplace
TikTok: @talkingplacepodcast
To learn more about Concept Culture – visit here:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/concept-culture-uk
Website: www.conceptculture.co
Twitter: @_conceptculture
Instagram: @_conceptculture
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