CHARLIE HUGHES

Charlie Hughes is Chairman of Smart Futures Limited, an international consultancy specialising in sustainable development, economic development and inward investment strategies for Governmental, municipality, multi-national corporate and private investor/developer clients. He is also Chairman of Miller Hughes Associates, an urban masterplanning and architectural consultancy which specialises in sustainable urban regeneration, housing, education and health. He has been responsible for directing many urban regeneration programmes and is currently responsible for major projects in the UK, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey, Latvia and France. His key interest is in competitive sustainable cities, and the political, policy and investment drivers which support them.

He is currently lead consultant for Prudential on one of the largest projects in the UK for a new community in the South of England for 10,000 homes, employment, education, health, community and other related facilities. His role includes the creation of an integrated sustainability framework and mapping system to guide the development and subsequent urban management of this new sustainable community. He has acted as an urban planning and development advisor to a number of European cities and Governmental Agencies. He advises multi-national corporations on the integration of Corporate responsibility, sustainable development and real estate and has presented papers on this subject to international conferences in the USA, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, Hong Kong and Australia. In November 2002, for his pioneering work in this field, he was presented with the *CoreNet Global Innovators Award. He is past chairman of the Steering Committee for the CoreNet/American Institute of Architects Global Sustainable Design Leadership Awards, He is a member of the EU Fifth Framework CABERNET (Concerted Action on Brownfield and Economic Regeneration Network) programme set up to establish and disseminate best practice in sustainable brownland regeneration throughout the European Union.

Mr. Hughes was appointed by the EU Commission to the international panel of experts established to develop the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment, a key action under the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme. His specific responsibility was as a member of the working Group set up to assess research and skills necessary to drive sustainable competitive European Cities under the four key themes of the urban strategy viz sustainable urban management, sustainable transportation, sustainable design and sustainable construction. He is consultant advisor to Waterfront Expo the largest global event for waterfront developments with responsibility for integrating exhibition and conference content with the key competitive and sustainability agendas of international cities. He is a member of the European Urban Regeneration Council of the Urban Land Institute.