engagement
Spotlighting Places & Projects for Sustainability
📣I’m delighted to share I’ve joined the CPRE London team as their new Policy and Campaigns Manager!
🌳The charity’s mission is to work to make London a well-planned, greener, climate resilient and nature rich city, which benefits everyone.
🏗️As a Chartered Town Planner and passionate advocate for planning as a force for good, I’m excited to collaborate with others working for a system that gives everyone a genuine voice in creating places where people and nature can thrive.
➡️The wider charity have dedicated an inspiring 100 years to shaping policy and decision-making around green space protection and enhancement. You can support and learn more about the great work @cprelondon do by checking out their website!
📣I’m delighted to share I’ve joined the CPRE London team as their new Policy and Campaigns Manager!
🌳The charity’s mission is to work to make London a well-planned, greener, climate resilient and nature rich city, which benefits everyone.
🏗️As a Chartered Town Planner and passionate advocate for planning as a force for good, I’m excited to collaborate with others working for a system that gives everyone a genuine voice in creating places where people and nature can thrive.
➡️The wider charity have dedicated an inspiring 100 years to shaping policy and decision-making around green space protection and enhancement. You can support and learn more about the great work @cprelondon do by checking out their website!
🧩Planning Systems Connector Training!
🗞️When the world feels increasingly complex, uncertain, and full of challenges it can be easy to feel like we are caught in a downward spiral.
🤹🏽♀️Things can be different when we understand how problems and objectives are interconnected, from climate change and pressures on nature to growing concerns around health and wellbeing. In using mechanisms such as planning legislation, policy and community engagement, planners are uniquely positioned to balance competing priorities, identify co-benefits, and tackle multiple issues at once.
➡️That’s why Pooran and I teamed up together to create Planning Systems Connector Training. The idea is to use systems thinking, collaboration, and practical tools to help participants better achieve shared outcomes.
💡In what ways do you see planners as systems connectors?
👉🏽More details on the OnePlanet website!
Tuesdays 29th September & 6th October
1:30 to 4:00 pm (UK time)
Small cohort (8 max)
Online
🧩Planning Systems Connector Training!
🗞️When the world feels increasingly complex, uncertain, and full of challenges it can be easy to feel like we are caught in a downward spiral.
🤹🏽♀️Things can be different when we understand how problems and objectives are interconnected, from climate change and pressures on nature to growing concerns around health and wellbeing. In using mechanisms such as planning legislation, policy and community engagement, planners are uniquely positioned to balance competing priorities, identify co-benefits, and tackle multiple issues at once.
➡️That’s why Pooran and I teamed up together to create Planning Systems Connector Training. The idea is to use systems thinking, collaboration, and practical tools to help participants better achieve shared outcomes.
💡In what ways do you see planners as systems connectors?
👉🏽More details on the OnePlanet website!
Tuesdays 29th September & 6th October
1:30 to 4:00 pm (UK time)
Small cohort (8 max)
Online
🛶The Broads!
📍The Broads National Park Authority plays a vital role in protecting one of the UK’s most unique landscapes.
🌊Across Norfolk and Suffolk, the Broads act as freshwater ecosystems recorded to host a quarter of the UK’s conservation priority species!
📈Despite this, the Authority flags that the “landscape is under increasing pressure from a variety of sources in the last century including habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution of waterways and increasing threats from non-native species. Rising sea levels associated with climate change have also seen a decline in species and habitats.”
🧩Mark said it best, expecting nature to cope with whatever we throw at it is arrogance and ignorance. Understanding that ecosystems have limits is essential, which is why allowing nature the time and space to recover is so important. Equally key are the people, organisations and legislation that exist to protect these environments, ensuring they remain healthy and resilient so that we can too.
💡Where could you learn more about the biodiversity in the Broads?
🛶The Broads!
📍The Broads National Park Authority plays a vital role in protecting one of the UK’s most unique landscapes.
🌊Across Norfolk and Suffolk, the Broads act as freshwater ecosystems recorded to host a quarter of the UK’s conservation priority species!
📈Despite this, the Authority flags that the “landscape is under increasing pressure from a variety of sources in the last century including habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution of waterways and increasing threats from non-native species. Rising sea levels associated with climate change have also seen a decline in species and habitats.”
🧩Mark said it best, expecting nature to cope with whatever we throw at it is arrogance and ignorance. Understanding that ecosystems have limits is essential, which is why allowing nature the time and space to recover is so important. Equally key are the people, organisations and legislation that exist to protect these environments, ensuring they remain healthy and resilient so that we can too.
💡Where could you learn more about the biodiversity in the Broads?
📣Calling all planners…
Planning has always been about balancing competing priorities. But as challenges become more interconnected, we need better ways to connect climate, housing, health, nature and communities.
That’s why we’ve created the Planning Systems Connector™ Training: a practical programme designed to help planners think more systemically, break down silos and make stronger connections across plans, policies and outcomes.
We’re delighted to be running it with Mahsa Ige, Chartered Town Planner and founder of @urbanistonamission, alongside Pooran Desai, founder of OnePlanet.
The programme also brings learning to life through a case study connected with the @southdownsnp, with contributions from special guests Julie Middleton and Chris Fairbrother.
If you work in planning and are looking for practical ways to create more joined-up solutions, we’d love to see you there.
👉Tuesdays 29th September & 6th October
1:30 to 4:00 pm (UK time)
Small cohort (8 max)
Online
📣Calling all planners…
Planning has always been about balancing competing priorities. But as challenges become more interconnected, we need better ways to connect climate, housing, health, nature and communities.
That’s why we’ve created the Planning Systems Connector™ Training: a practical programme designed to help planners think more systemically, break down silos and make stronger connections across plans, policies and outcomes.
We’re delighted to be running it with Mahsa Ige, Chartered Town Planner and founder of @urbanistonamission, alongside Pooran Desai, founder of OnePlanet.
The programme also brings learning to life through a case study connected with the @southdownsnp, with contributions from special guests Julie Middleton and Chris Fairbrother.
If you work in planning and are looking for practical ways to create more joined-up solutions, we’d love to see you there.
👉Tuesdays 29th September & 6th October
1:30 to 4:00 pm (UK time)
Small cohort (8 max)
Online
📣Communications in Planning!
📑Very excited to see this document published today by @theplanner_rtpi and @rtpiplanners. The guide focuses on “how better engagement can build trust with communities.”
🏗️There is so much value in this paper. It highlights the extent of misinformation, distrust and frustration that often surrounds the planning process and profession, whilst also providing clear entry points for productive and honest communication. Some stats that particularly stood out to me include:
➡️Only 9% of people in England responded to a planning application in 2024-25.
➡️Only 12% of people say they feel they have a say over the outcome of a proposal for a new development.
➡️A whopping 76% of UK planners disagree that the public understands the purpose of planning.
💡It couldn’t be clearer that we need to make planning a more accessible, enjoyable and collaborative process. The guide ends with simple takeaways for practitioners, including “speak like a human, not a planner” and “make the community a co-author, not a consultee”. What would your top tip be?
📣Communications in Planning!
📑Very excited to see this document published today by @theplanner_rtpi and @rtpiplanners. The guide focuses on “how better engagement can build trust with communities.”
🏗️There is so much value in this paper. It highlights the extent of misinformation, distrust and frustration that often surrounds the planning process and profession, whilst also providing clear entry points for productive and honest communication. Some stats that particularly stood out to me include:
➡️Only 9% of people in England responded to a planning application in 2024-25.
➡️Only 12% of people say they feel they have a say over the outcome of a proposal for a new development.
➡️A whopping 76% of UK planners disagree that the public understands the purpose of planning.
💡It couldn’t be clearer that we need to make planning a more accessible, enjoyable and collaborative process. The guide ends with simple takeaways for practitioners, including “speak like a human, not a planner” and “make the community a co-author, not a consultee”. What would your top tip be?
🏗️London Festival of Architecture!
🎤Last Saturday we came together as four planners to deliver “Get Involved in Urban Planning because you Belong!” for @theurbanplan_her’s first event. The aim of the day was to help members of the public understand how the planning system in England works:
– 🤹🏻Ryan White explained the roles of key decision influencers. He reflected on the responsibilities and limitations that planners, councils, developers and community groups have when trying to shape an area.
– 📑Rosa Vilares outlined the policy framework for us, breaking down what a plan-led system is and how it’s used to either approve or refuse development proposals.
– 📣Mahsa Ige @urbanistonamission showed us step-by-step how we can find, understand, object and support planning applications for developments that may affect us.
– 🏙️Nouvella Kusi closed the workshop with a case study that brought all these elements together, flagging key consultation opportunities and barriers along the planning process.
💬The event came to life because of the passionate attendees who were keen to share their experiences and have a say in how London transforms. This included Councillor @ryancoxgreenparty, championing the importance of community engagement with notebook in hand! Do you think influencing planning decisions could help us feel a stronger sense of belonging?
🏗️London Festival of Architecture!
🎤Last Saturday we came together as four planners to deliver “Get Involved in Urban Planning because you Belong!” for @theurbanplan_her’s first event. The aim of the day was to help members of the public understand how the planning system in England works:
– 🤹🏻Ryan White explained the roles of key decision influencers. He reflected on the responsibilities and limitations that planners, councils, developers and community groups have when trying to shape an area.
– 📑Rosa Vilares outlined the policy framework for us, breaking down what a plan-led system is and how it’s used to either approve or refuse development proposals.
– 📣Mahsa Ige @urbanistonamission showed us step-by-step how we can find, understand, object and support planning applications for developments that may affect us.
– 🏙️Nouvella Kusi closed the workshop with a case study that brought all these elements together, flagging key consultation opportunities and barriers along the planning process.
💬The event came to life because of the passionate attendees who were keen to share their experiences and have a say in how London transforms. This included Councillor @ryancoxgreenparty, championing the importance of community engagement with notebook in hand! Do you think influencing planning decisions could help us feel a stronger sense of belonging?
🌳Parks and Climate Stress!
📍London’s parks are essential for climate adaptation, helping to cool urban areas, reduce flood risk, improve air quality, and provide vital habitats for wildlife.
📑However, parks themselves are also vulnerable. For example, the Royal Parks’ Sustainability Strategy 2025-30 highlights that: “St. James’s Park has registered historic high temperatures” and “Summer droughts, increasing winter rainfall, risk of wildfires and extreme weather events, (i.e. storms and flooding), are additional changing dynamics that are already impacting habitats, affecting local wildlife and plant species within the parks.”
➡️The Sustainability Strategy is publicly available on @theroyalparks website, outlining their vision and objectives to build climate resilience and conserve biodiversity.
💡How can we help protect the parks across our city that do so much to support us?
🌳Parks and Climate Stress!
📍London’s parks are essential for climate adaptation, helping to cool urban areas, reduce flood risk, improve air quality, and provide vital habitats for wildlife.
📑However, parks themselves are also vulnerable. For example, the Royal Parks’ Sustainability Strategy 2025-30 highlights that: “St. James’s Park has registered historic high temperatures” and “Summer droughts, increasing winter rainfall, risk of wildfires and extreme weather events, (i.e. storms and flooding), are additional changing dynamics that are already impacting habitats, affecting local wildlife and plant species within the parks.”
➡️The Sustainability Strategy is publicly available on @theroyalparks website, outlining their vision and objectives to build climate resilience and conserve biodiversity.
💡How can we help protect the parks across our city that do so much to support us?
📍Tustin Estate Engagement!
🏢I’m back at Tustin Estate in @southwarkcouncil with Mert Yildiz from @urbansymbiotics, whose passion for community engagement shines on this resident-led redevelopment project.
📣In urban planning, “engagement” is much more than simply asking for opinions, it’s about giving people a meaningful role in shaping the future of their neighbourhoods. This could be through workshops, public events, interactive mapping, online platforms, or creative design activities (like the kids’ Minecraft version of Tustin Estate!).
🏡Whatever the method, productive engagement helps turn planning from a technical process into a collective conversation so that developments reflect the character, needs, and vision of the people who live there. It can help transform us from passive observers into active participants, helping create vibrant, sustainable and people-centred places that we can be proud to call home.
💡What activities or communication styles would most inspire you to get involved in local engagement?
📍Tustin Estate Engagement!
🏢I’m back at Tustin Estate in @southwarkcouncil with Mert Yildiz from @urbansymbiotics, whose passion for community engagement shines on this resident-led redevelopment project.
📣In urban planning, “engagement” is much more than simply asking for opinions, it’s about giving people a meaningful role in shaping the future of their neighbourhoods. This could be through workshops, public events, interactive mapping, online platforms, or creative design activities (like the kids’ Minecraft version of Tustin Estate!).
🏡Whatever the method, productive engagement helps turn planning from a technical process into a collective conversation so that developments reflect the character, needs, and vision of the people who live there. It can help transform us from passive observers into active participants, helping create vibrant, sustainable and people-centred places that we can be proud to call home.
💡What activities or communication styles would most inspire you to get involved in local engagement?
📣London Climate Action Week!
🗓️Yesterday marked the beginning of Climate Action Week. This means we get to explore a series of events across the capital designed to harness “the power of London for global and local climate action.”
📈At a time where we are seeing record-breaking temperatures and widespread climate impacts, this week brings hope. Better understanding how things like energy, nature, technology, culture, business and health are interconnected can help us build resilience as a city and inspire us to collaborate across sectors.
📍@ldnclimateweek summarises: “Now in its eighth edition, it brings together more than 75,000 people across more than 750 events over nine days each June. From community gatherings in every London borough to major international conferences, ministerial roundtables and public art installations — climate action happening, visibly, across an entire global city.”
💡You can sign-up on the website! Which events are you most excited for?
📣London Climate Action Week!
🗓️Yesterday marked the beginning of Climate Action Week. This means we get to explore a series of events across the capital designed to harness “the power of London for global and local climate action.”
📈At a time where we are seeing record-breaking temperatures and widespread climate impacts, this week brings hope. Better understanding how things like energy, nature, technology, culture, business and health are interconnected can help us build resilience as a city and inspire us to collaborate across sectors.
📍@ldnclimateweek summarises: “Now in its eighth edition, it brings together more than 75,000 people across more than 750 events over nine days each June. From community gatherings in every London borough to major international conferences, ministerial roundtables and public art installations — climate action happening, visibly, across an entire global city.”
💡You can sign-up on the website! Which events are you most excited for?
🏗️London Festival of Architecture!
📍For this year’s @londonfestivalofarchitecture @letsbuild__ partnered with @rocalondongallery to host “Belonging – The Village”.
🎤We reflected on how design can strengthen social ties and reduce isolation. Recognising that social value is also economic value, the session championed a renewed “village mentality” rooted in care, representation and collaboration. The key message was that successful places are defined not just by architecture, but by the relationships, belonging and shared responsibility they foster.
The panel featured the below speakers with Let’s Build marketing support from Francetta Evans-Anfrom, Founder of @architectswhowrite:
➡️Elizabeth Akamo: Architect at @scottbrownriggltd
➡️Neil Pinder: Vice-Chair of Let’s Build and Founder of @homegrownplus
➡️Annette Amanda Oyèkúnlé Fisher: Chair of @letsbuild__, Partner FA Global, Co-Chair for Unionne
💭What does “belonging” mean to you?
🏗️London Festival of Architecture!
📍For this year’s @londonfestivalofarchitecture @letsbuild__ partnered with @rocalondongallery to host “Belonging – The Village”.
🎤We reflected on how design can strengthen social ties and reduce isolation. Recognising that social value is also economic value, the session championed a renewed “village mentality” rooted in care, representation and collaboration. The key message was that successful places are defined not just by architecture, but by the relationships, belonging and shared responsibility they foster.
The panel featured the below speakers with Let’s Build marketing support from Francetta Evans-Anfrom, Founder of @architectswhowrite:
➡️Elizabeth Akamo: Architect at @scottbrownriggltd
➡️Neil Pinder: Vice-Chair of Let’s Build and Founder of @homegrownplus
➡️Annette Amanda Oyèkúnlé Fisher: Chair of @letsbuild__, Partner FA Global, Co-Chair for Unionne
💭What does “belonging” mean to you?
🏗️Developers and Planning!
🏘️Keeping applicants up to date with planning legislation and policy changes is a vital part of my job.
At our panel discussion for @searchlandhq last week, the audience included:
➡️Regional and National Developers
➡️Planners
➡️Development Consultants
➡️Land Buyers
➡️Strategic Land Promoters
➡️Local Authority Planning Officers
➡️Property Investors
🎤A collaborative approach that helps us all better understand the planning system can improve the quality of applications, support more efficient decision-making, and contribute to positive social, environmental and economic development outcomes.
💭Do you feel like planning news is reaching all the right audiences?
🏗️Developers and Planning!
🏘️Keeping applicants up to date with planning legislation and policy changes is a vital part of my job.
At our panel discussion for @searchlandhq last week, the audience included:
➡️Regional and National Developers
➡️Planners
➡️Development Consultants
➡️Land Buyers
➡️Strategic Land Promoters
➡️Local Authority Planning Officers
➡️Property Investors
🎤A collaborative approach that helps us all better understand the planning system can improve the quality of applications, support more efficient decision-making, and contribute to positive social, environmental and economic development outcomes.
💭Do you feel like planning news is reaching all the right audiences?
🏢Tustin Estate Co-design!
🏗️The Tustin Estate renewal is a resident-led regeneration project in @southwarkcouncil that will deliver new homes, enhanced public spaces, improved community facilities, and better connections across the estate.
💡I spoke with the Co-Founder of Urban Symbiotics, James Stewart, about what a “resident-led” approach actually means for the people who live here. @urbansymbiotics are the community engagement partner for the scheme, bringing this process to life by facilitating dialogue with residents, and ensuring that the voices of diverse groups across the estate inform and influence key decisions.
➡️Meaningful engagement that starts right at the beginning, runs all the way through and impacts outcomes can be incredibly powerful. Co-design draws on lived experience and knowledge to develop solutions that better meet local needs. It also builds trust and increases support by providing a consistent space for debate and compromise around challenges.
💭Are there examples of co-design projects near you?
🏢Tustin Estate Co-design!
🏗️The Tustin Estate renewal is a resident-led regeneration project in @southwarkcouncil that will deliver new homes, enhanced public spaces, improved community facilities, and better connections across the estate.
💡I spoke with the Co-Founder of Urban Symbiotics, James Stewart, about what a “resident-led” approach actually means for the people who live here. @urbansymbiotics are the community engagement partner for the scheme, bringing this process to life by facilitating dialogue with residents, and ensuring that the voices of diverse groups across the estate inform and influence key decisions.
➡️Meaningful engagement that starts right at the beginning, runs all the way through and impacts outcomes can be incredibly powerful. Co-design draws on lived experience and knowledge to develop solutions that better meet local needs. It also builds trust and increases support by providing a consistent space for debate and compromise around challenges.
💭Are there examples of co-design projects near you?
🎉Happy Volunteers’ Week!
🧩Volunteers play an essential role by supporting local projects and ensuring that different voices are heard in decisions about the places where we live, work and spend our time.
📊I really believe that giving is gaining, it’s a fantastic way to develop skills, explore different types of work and build professional networks. However, volunteering is not equally accessible to everyone. Many people simply cannot afford to volunteer alongside jobs, studies or caring responsibilities. I have also worked with so many impactful volunteer groups that are at risk of closing down due to a lack of funding.
➡️Creating paid routes, or sustainability financing already established volunteer infrastructure, is so important for keeping the good work alive. Talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not.
💭Who are the volunteers you would like to celebrate this week?
🎉Happy Volunteers’ Week!
🧩Volunteers play an essential role by supporting local projects and ensuring that different voices are heard in decisions about the places where we live, work and spend our time.
📊I really believe that giving is gaining, it’s a fantastic way to develop skills, explore different types of work and build professional networks. However, volunteering is not equally accessible to everyone. Many people simply cannot afford to volunteer alongside jobs, studies or caring responsibilities. I have also worked with so many impactful volunteer groups that are at risk of closing down due to a lack of funding.
➡️Creating paid routes, or sustainability financing already established volunteer infrastructure, is so important for keeping the good work alive. Talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not.
💭Who are the volunteers you would like to celebrate this week?
🎤The 2026 Planning Landscape!
🏗️Next week Searchland is spotlighting planning with an event focused around the convergence of policy, data, and AI.
💡The current planning system is in mid-transformation: new NPPF policy, data infrastructure, and AI tools all moving at once. Join the @searchlandhq breakfast panel, on Wed 3 June, to hear from industry leaders what this new landscape means for site identification, land promotion and planning strategy, and how not to get left behind in 2026.
Speakers include:
➡️Sam Stafford, Managing Director — LPDF | Land, Planning and Development Federation
➡️Ed Clarke, Associate Director — Lichfields
➡️Mahsa Ige, London Vice Chair — RTPI | Royal Town Planning Institute, Founder — Urbanist On A Mission
➡️Paul Burton, Executive Director — Hallam Land (Part of Henry Boot)
🎤The 2026 Planning Landscape!
🏗️Next week Searchland is spotlighting planning with an event focused around the convergence of policy, data, and AI.
💡The current planning system is in mid-transformation: new NPPF policy, data infrastructure, and AI tools all moving at once. Join the @searchlandhq breakfast panel, on Wed 3 June, to hear from industry leaders what this new landscape means for site identification, land promotion and planning strategy, and how not to get left behind in 2026.
Speakers include:
➡️Sam Stafford, Managing Director — LPDF | Land, Planning and Development Federation
➡️Ed Clarke, Associate Director — Lichfields
➡️Mahsa Ige, London Vice Chair — RTPI | Royal Town Planning Institute, Founder — Urbanist On A Mission
➡️Paul Burton, Executive Director — Hallam Land (Part of Henry Boot)
🪱Community Science!
📊Last week I joined the Biological Recording Company to talk all about the importance of collecting biodiversity data.
🐞Community science plays a vital role in protecting wildlife by encouraging people to record and share their observations. These valuable datasets allows us to develop a clearer understanding of what’s going on in our local ecosystems. @lesnesabbeywoods in @lbofbexley is a special place in London to do this, with a diverse range of habitats including ponds, grassland, wildflowers, woodlands and heathland.
🪲Accurate biological records allow scientists and decision makers to monitor species populations, identify environmental changes and respond to threats such as habitat loss and climate change. As the country increasingly prioritises nature recovery across legislation and policy, getting outside like this is an important step in understanding the “why” and bringing it all to life.
🐝Have you taken part in community science before? Check out the Biological Recording Company’s website for more recording days!
🪱Community Science!
📊Last week I joined the Biological Recording Company to talk all about the importance of collecting biodiversity data.
🐞Community science plays a vital role in protecting wildlife by encouraging people to record and share their observations. These valuable datasets allows us to develop a clearer understanding of what’s going on in our local ecosystems. @lesnesabbeywoods in @lbofbexley is a special place in London to do this, with a diverse range of habitats including ponds, grassland, wildflowers, woodlands and heathland.
🪲Accurate biological records allow scientists and decision makers to monitor species populations, identify environmental changes and respond to threats such as habitat loss and climate change. As the country increasingly prioritises nature recovery across legislation and policy, getting outside like this is an important step in understanding the “why” and bringing it all to life.
🐝Have you taken part in community science before? Check out the Biological Recording Company’s website for more recording days!
📍Poole Museum!
➡️Whether it’s tours, workshops or events, @poolemuseum make it clear that everyone is welcome.
💡They highlight that “Museums are not finished spaces. They are places of enquiry, shaped by the people who use them”. Their Co:Lab gallery is “the museum’s beating heart. Community driven, inclusive and engaging, showcasing Poole’s diverse communities.”
💷 Supportive planning policies and access to the right resources are essential in delivering educational treasures like this. Creating and maintaining community spaces involve so much work, with the museum’s redevelopment project taking several years and £10million funded by dedicated groups like @heritagefunduk, @mybcpcouncil, @aceagrams, @historicengland and more.
💭Do you have a local hub that celebrates you and your area?
📍Poole Museum!
➡️Whether it’s tours, workshops or events, @poolemuseum make it clear that everyone is welcome.
💡They highlight that “Museums are not finished spaces. They are places of enquiry, shaped by the people who use them”. Their Co:Lab gallery is “the museum’s beating heart. Community driven, inclusive and engaging, showcasing Poole’s diverse communities.”
💷 Supportive planning policies and access to the right resources are essential in delivering educational treasures like this. Creating and maintaining community spaces involve so much work, with the museum’s redevelopment project taking several years and £10million funded by dedicated groups like @heritagefunduk, @mybcpcouncil, @aceagrams, @historicengland and more.
💭Do you have a local hub that celebrates you and your area?
🏗️Future of London!
🎤It was an honour to join @futureofldn at @ricssurveyors last week to talk about my career and the planning profession as a whole.
🧩Networks like Future of London are so important because they bring together the next generation of built environment professionals at a time of unprecedented change. Rapid advances in AI, sustainability pressures and evolving expectations around housing, transport, and public space are reshaping how cities are being designed and managed. Early-career professionals are grappling expectations to adapt quickly while balancing limited experience, political uncertainty, and fast-moving technology.
🧱The @futureofldn is all about creating opportunities to slow down, connect across disciplines, exchange ideas and build real relationships. I truly believe that the best solutions for London’s future will not come from working in silos, but from people coming together like this to share knowledge and challenge thinking.
💡It was a pleasure to meet the inspiring professionals across the programme, as well as fellow speakers. Thank you to @ricssurveyors and @rtpiplanners for opening the session, and the fantastic team at @futureofldn for bringing it to life and inviting me to present!
Photo credits: @futureofldn
🏗️Future of London!
🎤It was an honour to join @futureofldn at @ricssurveyors last week to talk about my career and the planning profession as a whole.
🧩Networks like Future of London are so important because they bring together the next generation of built environment professionals at a time of unprecedented change. Rapid advances in AI, sustainability pressures and evolving expectations around housing, transport, and public space are reshaping how cities are being designed and managed. Early-career professionals are grappling expectations to adapt quickly while balancing limited experience, political uncertainty, and fast-moving technology.
🧱The @futureofldn is all about creating opportunities to slow down, connect across disciplines, exchange ideas and build real relationships. I truly believe that the best solutions for London’s future will not come from working in silos, but from people coming together like this to share knowledge and challenge thinking.
💡It was a pleasure to meet the inspiring professionals across the programme, as well as fellow speakers. Thank you to @ricssurveyors and @rtpiplanners for opening the session, and the fantastic team at @futureofldn for bringing it to life and inviting me to present!
Photo credits: @futureofldn
🎨Nigerian Modernism!
📍This week marked the end of the Nigerian Modernism exhibition at @tate, which celebrated “the achievements of Nigerian artists working before and after the decade of national independence from British colonial rule in 1960”.
💡The vast range of work highlighted how “prosperous African kingdoms and societies had been profoundly altered by decades of military campaigns and colonial exploitation Under British rule”, but “artists continued to find innovative ways to express their own ideas, histories and imaginations… [and] established new visual languages in their search for a new postcolonial identity”.
🤹🏽♀️The exhibition showcased how art is often inseparable from politics. Human expression reflects power and resistance, acting as a platform where evolving identities can be seen and negotiated. In many ways art is the process that allows us to reimagine the world, which is why it’s so important to fund and support.
💭What exhibitions are challenging the way we live today?
🎨Nigerian Modernism!
📍This week marked the end of the Nigerian Modernism exhibition at @tate, which celebrated “the achievements of Nigerian artists working before and after the decade of national independence from British colonial rule in 1960”.
💡The vast range of work highlighted how “prosperous African kingdoms and societies had been profoundly altered by decades of military campaigns and colonial exploitation Under British rule”, but “artists continued to find innovative ways to express their own ideas, histories and imaginations… [and] established new visual languages in their search for a new postcolonial identity”.
🤹🏽♀️The exhibition showcased how art is often inseparable from politics. Human expression reflects power and resistance, acting as a platform where evolving identities can be seen and negotiated. In many ways art is the process that allows us to reimagine the world, which is why it’s so important to fund and support.
💭What exhibitions are challenging the way we live today?
🏥Languages, Culture and Public Health!
📍In a city as diverse as London, multilingual communities can be left behind when messages aren’t culturally relevant or accessible. In cases like Covid, this turns language into a real public health risk.
📊Recognising different needs, from trust to communication styles, helps close dangerous gaps. This book “charts how information about the pandemic was disseminated across these different minority communities and, in turn, how these communities understood and translated it into their own cultural framework and against prevailing public discourses.”
➡️There are so many important lessons that we can learn. However, if we don’t embed this into permanent networks and funding streams, we are wasting critical opportunities to ensure London is better prepared, more equitable, and safer in future crises.
👏🏽Thank you to @soasuni Centre for Translation Studies for hosting the book launch for “Languages, Cultures, and Health in a Global City: Translating and Communicating Covid-19 Among London’s Multilingual Communities”. How could we apply the recommendations from this important work?
🎤Listed speakers and participants included: Professor Graeme Earl (SOAS), Professor Nana Sato-Rossberg (SOAS), Aicha Belkadi (SOAS), Ida Hadjivayanis (SOAS), Yan Jiang (SOAS), Jo Hemlatha (@londonschoolofeconomics), You-Kyung Ju (SOAS), Lutz Marten (SOAS), Martin Orwin (Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”), Amy Parsons (SOAS), Naresh Sharma (SOAS) and Marie Thaut (SOAS).
🏥Languages, Culture and Public Health!
📍In a city as diverse as London, multilingual communities can be left behind when messages aren’t culturally relevant or accessible. In cases like Covid, this turns language into a real public health risk.
📊Recognising different needs, from trust to communication styles, helps close dangerous gaps. This book “charts how information about the pandemic was disseminated across these different minority communities and, in turn, how these communities understood and translated it into their own cultural framework and against prevailing public discourses.”
➡️There are so many important lessons that we can learn. However, if we don’t embed this into permanent networks and funding streams, we are wasting critical opportunities to ensure London is better prepared, more equitable, and safer in future crises.
👏🏽Thank you to @soasuni Centre for Translation Studies for hosting the book launch for “Languages, Cultures, and Health in a Global City: Translating and Communicating Covid-19 Among London’s Multilingual Communities”. How could we apply the recommendations from this important work?
🎤Listed speakers and participants included: Professor Graeme Earl (SOAS), Professor Nana Sato-Rossberg (SOAS), Aicha Belkadi (SOAS), Ida Hadjivayanis (SOAS), Yan Jiang (SOAS), Jo Hemlatha (@londonschoolofeconomics), You-Kyung Ju (SOAS), Lutz Marten (SOAS), Martin Orwin (Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”), Amy Parsons (SOAS), Naresh Sharma (SOAS) and Marie Thaut (SOAS).
🌊Urban Water Bodies!
📍La Pointe de la Jonction in Geneva is where the Rhône and the Arve meet. It offers a striking scene: the clear waters of the Rhône gradually blend with the sediment-laden waters of the Arve, revealing the living dynamics of the landscape.
🏞️The site’s design doesn’t try to tame its uniqueness, highlighting it instead through open public spaces, pedestrian paths, and preserved riverbanks. Curious examples like this remind us that our waterways are connected and influenced by actions far beyond borders.
🗺️Many cities and towns across Europe host interlinked water bodies, even if it’s not visually obvious. This requires cross country collaboration to effectively protect blue infrastructure, treating these systems as a shared resource.
💭Are there any examples of this near you?
🌊Urban Water Bodies!
📍La Pointe de la Jonction in Geneva is where the Rhône and the Arve meet. It offers a striking scene: the clear waters of the Rhône gradually blend with the sediment-laden waters of the Arve, revealing the living dynamics of the landscape.
🏞️The site’s design doesn’t try to tame its uniqueness, highlighting it instead through open public spaces, pedestrian paths, and preserved riverbanks. Curious examples like this remind us that our waterways are connected and influenced by actions far beyond borders.
🗺️Many cities and towns across Europe host interlinked water bodies, even if it’s not visually obvious. This requires cross country collaboration to effectively protect blue infrastructure, treating these systems as a shared resource.
💭Are there any examples of this near you?
🇫🇷L’Alliance française et Les Escales Parisiennes !
📍L’Alliance française promeut la langue et la culture françaises à travers le monde grâce à des cours et des événements culturels.
🍷Les Escales Parisiennes est un programme qui valorise non seulement l’apprentissage linguistique, mais aussi la richesse artistique, gastronomique et patrimoniale de la France.
🏙️Un lieu ne se limite pas à ses bâtiments : il est façonné par les langues et les cultures qui l’habitent. Les découvrir révèle des nuances invisibles, transforme notre regard et permet une compréhension plus riche des différences et des expériences humaines.
➡️ Pour découvrir tous les détails de ce programme, consultez le site de @alliance_francaise_paris !
🇫🇷L’Alliance française et Les Escales Parisiennes !
📍L’Alliance française promeut la langue et la culture françaises à travers le monde grâce à des cours et des événements culturels.
🍷Les Escales Parisiennes est un programme qui valorise non seulement l’apprentissage linguistique, mais aussi la richesse artistique, gastronomique et patrimoniale de la France.
🏙️Un lieu ne se limite pas à ses bâtiments : il est façonné par les langues et les cultures qui l’habitent. Les découvrir révèle des nuances invisibles, transforme notre regard et permet une compréhension plus riche des différences et des expériences humaines.
➡️ Pour découvrir tous les détails de ce programme, consultez le site de @alliance_francaise_paris !
📍Le Pont du Gard !
🏗️Le Pont du Gard, aqueduc romain emblématique du sud de la France, illustre la rencontre entre ingénierie antique et aménagement du territoire.
🌊Construit au Ier siècle, il transportait de l’eau sur des kilomètres, démontrant une planification urbaine avancée. Le Pont du Gard a été inscrit officiellement sur la liste du Patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco en 1996 : une “appellation témoigne de la valeur universelle exceptionnelle du monument”.
🧩Avant 2000, le Pont du Gard connaissait un tourisme peu encadré, avec circulation automobile et pressions environnementales qui menaçaient sa conservation. Le Département du Gard, “prévoyant un nouvel afflux touristique important”, a pris la décision de “protéger et d’aménager le site culturel et touristique le plus visité du Gard”, par des mesures telles que l’interdiction de la circulation routière et la construction de deux bâtiments d’accueil discrets pour accueillir et informer le public.
💭Comment les sites d’intérêt particulier sont-ils protégés dans votre ville ?
📍Le Pont du Gard !
🏗️Le Pont du Gard, aqueduc romain emblématique du sud de la France, illustre la rencontre entre ingénierie antique et aménagement du territoire.
🌊Construit au Ier siècle, il transportait de l’eau sur des kilomètres, démontrant une planification urbaine avancée. Le Pont du Gard a été inscrit officiellement sur la liste du Patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco en 1996 : une “appellation témoigne de la valeur universelle exceptionnelle du monument”.
🧩Avant 2000, le Pont du Gard connaissait un tourisme peu encadré, avec circulation automobile et pressions environnementales qui menaçaient sa conservation. Le Département du Gard, “prévoyant un nouvel afflux touristique important”, a pris la décision de “protéger et d’aménager le site culturel et touristique le plus visité du Gard”, par des mesures telles que l’interdiction de la circulation routière et la construction de deux bâtiments d’accueil discrets pour accueillir et informer le public.
💭Comment les sites d’intérêt particulier sont-ils protégés dans votre ville ?
🐦⬛Flock Together!
🌳Flock Together is a UK-based collective that “facilitates many people’s first steps into nature, challenging perceptions on what ‘nature’ is and who it belongs to.”
🏞️Groups like this matter because green spaces have not always felt inclusive; many people have historically faced social, cultural, and economic barriers that limit their sense of belonging and safety. For @flocktogether.world, phase one was about “challenging the underrepresentation of Black, Brown and other POC in the outdoors space”, with phase two bringing “the masses into nature by unlocking and platforming next-level creativity.”
📍Last week we explored Richmond Park, London’s largest Royal Park hosting a rich variety of habitats, 144 species of birds, free-roaming deer and much more as a protected National Nature Reserve!
💭What movements could you spotlight or join this Earth Day?
🐦⬛Flock Together!
🌳Flock Together is a UK-based collective that “facilitates many people’s first steps into nature, challenging perceptions on what ‘nature’ is and who it belongs to.”
🏞️Groups like this matter because green spaces have not always felt inclusive; many people have historically faced social, cultural, and economic barriers that limit their sense of belonging and safety. For @flocktogether.world, phase one was about “challenging the underrepresentation of Black, Brown and other POC in the outdoors space”, with phase two bringing “the masses into nature by unlocking and platforming next-level creativity.”
📍Last week we explored Richmond Park, London’s largest Royal Park hosting a rich variety of habitats, 144 species of birds, free-roaming deer and much more as a protected National Nature Reserve!
💭What movements could you spotlight or join this Earth Day?
🏗️Infrastructure Planning!
🎤Last month RTPI London hosted “The Planning and Infrastructure Act – Implications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs)” at the @wspukandi offices.
💡Free to attend for RTPI members, the aim of the session was to help break down how decision-making processes influencing energy, water, waste and transport are being reformed in England. Robbie Owen from @lifeatpinsentmasons did a fantastic job of interpreting the legislation and summarising key timelines for further development and guidance.
📊The event was led by our brilliant Chair, Alex Johnson, who set the theme for 2026 as championing “the positive role of planning”. Having an opportunity to come together, reflect and ask questions about the system is such an important part of achieving this.
💭How well do you understand what’s happening around infrastructure planning? Where could you find out more?
🏗️Infrastructure Planning!
🎤Last month RTPI London hosted “The Planning and Infrastructure Act – Implications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs)” at the @wspukandi offices.
💡Free to attend for RTPI members, the aim of the session was to help break down how decision-making processes influencing energy, water, waste and transport are being reformed in England. Robbie Owen from @lifeatpinsentmasons did a fantastic job of interpreting the legislation and summarising key timelines for further development and guidance.
📊The event was led by our brilliant Chair, Alex Johnson, who set the theme for 2026 as championing “the positive role of planning”. Having an opportunity to come together, reflect and ask questions about the system is such an important part of achieving this.
💭How well do you understand what’s happening around infrastructure planning? Where could you find out more?
🌱Transforming Local Green Spaces!
🎤I joined Mia-Ming Steel, cofounder of @rootedcityproject to talk all about the importance of accessible nature in urban environments.
🚮This community-led group developed in response to a site that was neglected and used for fly-tipping. Through volunteering and partnerships with stakeholders like @middlesexuniversity @wearekier @marlborough_highways, RCP began cleaning up the space to protect local wildlife and bring it back into use. Now established in the area, the team have been offered to develop a more permanent community garden at the other end of the park!
🏅Acknowledged for her initiative and dedication, Mia was highly commended as part of the @barnetcouncil Environment and Sustainability Awards. She was nominated by Councillor Humayune Khalick, Colindale South Ward, noting “I believe that her efforts deserve recognition not only for her work so far but as this will help enormously in helping her with future projects in the Borough.”
💭Where is your nearest green space and how could it be improved?
🌱Transforming Local Green Spaces!
🎤I joined Mia-Ming Steel, cofounder of @rootedcityproject to talk all about the importance of accessible nature in urban environments.
🚮This community-led group developed in response to a site that was neglected and used for fly-tipping. Through volunteering and partnerships with stakeholders like @middlesexuniversity @wearekier @marlborough_highways, RCP began cleaning up the space to protect local wildlife and bring it back into use. Now established in the area, the team have been offered to develop a more permanent community garden at the other end of the park!
🏅Acknowledged for her initiative and dedication, Mia was highly commended as part of the @barnetcouncil Environment and Sustainability Awards. She was nominated by Councillor Humayune Khalick, Colindale South Ward, noting “I believe that her efforts deserve recognition not only for her work so far but as this will help enormously in helping her with future projects in the Borough.”
💭Where is your nearest green space and how could it be improved?
🔍Animal Tracking!
🌲Following animal tracks through fresh snow in Algonquin reveals far more than just movement; it uncovers a living web of relationships across ecosystems.
🐾A moose’s deep hoofprints led to browsed branches, showing where it fed and how its height shapes the forest. We also saw a grouse, where nearby imprints evidenced sudden flight and foraging. Fox and wolf prints showed “perfect walking”, with rear paws landing in the front paw marks to conserve energy across the thick snow.
🔄Reading these traces reminds us how interlinked our actions are. Like these animals, our choices ripple outward, shaping environments that then go on to shape us back again. Despite our footprints often feeling invisible, they leave lasting marks even as individuals.
💭What do the signs we leave behind say about us as humans?
🔍Animal Tracking!
🌲Following animal tracks through fresh snow in Algonquin reveals far more than just movement; it uncovers a living web of relationships across ecosystems.
🐾A moose’s deep hoofprints led to browsed branches, showing where it fed and how its height shapes the forest. We also saw a grouse, where nearby imprints evidenced sudden flight and foraging. Fox and wolf prints showed “perfect walking”, with rear paws landing in the front paw marks to conserve energy across the thick snow.
🔄Reading these traces reminds us how interlinked our actions are. Like these animals, our choices ripple outward, shaping environments that then go on to shape us back again. Despite our footprints often feeling invisible, they leave lasting marks even as individuals.
💭What do the signs we leave behind say about us as humans?
🌳Le mont Royal!
📍Le mont Royal est une colline située au cœur de Montréal. Symbole de la ville, il offre un grand parc et des panoramas spectaculaires.
📑Le Plan d’urbanisme et de mobilité 2050 (PUM) résume quatre objectifs pour le territoire emblématique du mont Royal:
➡️Reconduire la notion de capacité limite de la montagne afin d’assurer la conciliation entre les nouvelles fonctions et la préservation du patrimoine.
➡️Préserver et accroitre les milieux naturels et la biodiversité de ce site d’exception.
➡️Redonner la place à la mobilité active et collective.
➡️Révéler le mont Royal comme lieu rassembleur des communautés montréalaises.
🏗️PUM est “le document officiel de planification de l’aménagement du territoire et de la mobilité de la Ville de Montréal.” Il est important parce qu’il prépare la ville à long terme face aux grands défis à venir.
💭Quels sont les objectifs de votre Plan pour l’avenir de votre quartier ?
🌳Le mont Royal!
📍Le mont Royal est une colline située au cœur de Montréal. Symbole de la ville, il offre un grand parc et des panoramas spectaculaires.
📑Le Plan d’urbanisme et de mobilité 2050 (PUM) résume quatre objectifs pour le territoire emblématique du mont Royal:
➡️Reconduire la notion de capacité limite de la montagne afin d’assurer la conciliation entre les nouvelles fonctions et la préservation du patrimoine.
➡️Préserver et accroitre les milieux naturels et la biodiversité de ce site d’exception.
➡️Redonner la place à la mobilité active et collective.
➡️Révéler le mont Royal comme lieu rassembleur des communautés montréalaises.
🏗️PUM est “le document officiel de planification de l’aménagement du territoire et de la mobilité de la Ville de Montréal.” Il est important parce qu’il prépare la ville à long terme face aux grands défis à venir.
💭Quels sont les objectifs de votre Plan pour l’avenir de votre quartier ?
📸Street Photography!
🏙️Capturing candid moments of everyday life can help us appreciate and better understand the urban experience.
🔎Like all forms of art, our environment (natural and built) is processed through our own unique lens. Whether we define something as beautiful, accessible and safe will vary from person to person. This interpretation can often be revealed in street photography, where we can sense how someone feels about a place, or what they want us to feel, by the way the pictures have been taken.
🤔This makes it important to challenge what we see, making room for nuance and diverse perspectives. Even without featuring humans, buildings and infrastructure imply our presence and tell a story about people. Observation and imagination tend to be interlinked, which is why it’s important to critically consider images with questions like “who is taking the picture and why?”, “in what light is this portraying a place?” and “what else could be going on outside of the frame?”
💭What do these photos tell you about Montreal?
📸Street Photography!
🏙️Capturing candid moments of everyday life can help us appreciate and better understand the urban experience.
🔎Like all forms of art, our environment (natural and built) is processed through our own unique lens. Whether we define something as beautiful, accessible and safe will vary from person to person. This interpretation can often be revealed in street photography, where we can sense how someone feels about a place, or what they want us to feel, by the way the pictures have been taken.
🤔This makes it important to challenge what we see, making room for nuance and diverse perspectives. Even without featuring humans, buildings and infrastructure imply our presence and tell a story about people. Observation and imagination tend to be interlinked, which is why it’s important to critically consider images with questions like “who is taking the picture and why?”, “in what light is this portraying a place?” and “what else could be going on outside of the frame?”
💭What do these photos tell you about Montreal?
📍Designing with Indigenous Recognition
➡️Both Sankofa Square, Toronto and Kìwekì Point, Ottawa recognise Indigenous presence within urban landscapes that have long erased it.
🏗️Cities are not neutral, with even the most subtle design choices often shaped by power. Meaningful change requires more than symbolic gestures of course, but reframing places can challenge dangerous dominant narratives.
🏙️For example, last year ‘Yonge-Dundas’ Square’s name officially changed to ‘Sankofa’, which refers to “learning from the past to inform the future”. @cityofto shares that this was decided through significant public consultation and work with the Recognition Review Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which included “Black and Indigenous leaders, along with other diverse residents and business owners living and working along Dundas Street.”
🌱Previously ‘Nepean’ Point in Canada’s capital city, now ‘Kìwekì’ Point, refers to “returning to one’s homeland”. @ncc_ccn summarise that the changes provide “an opportunity to highlight Algonquin voices, and to showcase elements of Algonquin culture and language. Furthermore, the selected Indigenous names provide a unique opportunity for Canadians visiting the site to learn more about the Algonquin Nation.”
💭What stories have been silenced in your city, and how could they be brought to light for a better informed public?
📍Designing with Indigenous Recognition
➡️Both Sankofa Square, Toronto and Kìwekì Point, Ottawa recognise Indigenous presence within urban landscapes that have long erased it.
🏗️Cities are not neutral, with even the most subtle design choices often shaped by power. Meaningful change requires more than symbolic gestures of course, but reframing places can challenge dangerous dominant narratives.
🏙️For example, last year ‘Yonge-Dundas’ Square’s name officially changed to ‘Sankofa’, which refers to “learning from the past to inform the future”. @cityofto shares that this was decided through significant public consultation and work with the Recognition Review Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which included “Black and Indigenous leaders, along with other diverse residents and business owners living and working along Dundas Street.”
🌱Previously ‘Nepean’ Point in Canada’s capital city, now ‘Kìwekì’ Point, refers to “returning to one’s homeland”. @ncc_ccn summarise that the changes provide “an opportunity to highlight Algonquin voices, and to showcase elements of Algonquin culture and language. Furthermore, the selected Indigenous names provide a unique opportunity for Canadians visiting the site to learn more about the Algonquin Nation.”
💭What stories have been silenced in your city, and how could they be brought to light for a better informed public?
🌱London Nature Recovery Strategy!
📍Nature Recovery Strategies are about going beyond simply recognising the importance of nature, but identifying specific locations and priorities for action.
🌳The London Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) proposes to set out “which parts of our city’s nature need most urgent attention, what we need to do, and where we need to do it, to help nature flourish.” This is made up of two main parts, The Statement of Biodiversity Priorities and The Local Habitat Map.
💡Having a visual, clear understanding of this is both useful and exciting! For example, it was so interesting to learn that Sunny Hill Park has Woodland and Lowland Meadow habitats, even considered an Area of Particular Importance for Biodiversity (APIB).
💭How could you or your local organisations use Nature Recovery Strategies to help reverse biodiversity loss and allocate resources efficiently?
🌱London Nature Recovery Strategy!
📍Nature Recovery Strategies are about going beyond simply recognising the importance of nature, but identifying specific locations and priorities for action.
🌳The London Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) proposes to set out “which parts of our city’s nature need most urgent attention, what we need to do, and where we need to do it, to help nature flourish.” This is made up of two main parts, The Statement of Biodiversity Priorities and The Local Habitat Map.
💡Having a visual, clear understanding of this is both useful and exciting! For example, it was so interesting to learn that Sunny Hill Park has Woodland and Lowland Meadow habitats, even considered an Area of Particular Importance for Biodiversity (APIB).
💭How could you or your local organisations use Nature Recovery Strategies to help reverse biodiversity loss and allocate resources efficiently?
🏆Woman of Influence Nomination!
➡️I am incredibly honoured to have been nominated as a Women of Influence 2026 by The Planner.
🏗️We are very lucky across the profession to have such talented and dedicated individuals, which couldn’t be more clear from the other nominees. I truly believe that having access to this kind of expertise, mentorship and most importantly trust, in my career is what has helped me become a confident freelance consultant and build @urbanistonamission. From my early examples to now, I am constantly learning from others, including @annettefisherarchitect @helenfadipe.mrtpi @drweiyang @preach_inclusion, who lead with such clear ambitions for change.
🧩Thank you to the @theplanner_rtpi and judging panel, sharing in their comments: “She has pioneered the use of social channels as a planning ‘influencer’ to introduce the multifaceted world of planning to many, whilst platforming the impactful place-shaping work of many often missed organisations and community groups.”
🔑As we move away from International Women’s day, it is also important to highlight that so many in positions of power praise women publicly while failing to protect their rights, safety, and opportunities in practice. In working towards sustainable and resilient development, we must act against the dangers of representation without responsibility.
🏆Woman of Influence Nomination!
➡️I am incredibly honoured to have been nominated as a Women of Influence 2026 by The Planner.
🏗️We are very lucky across the profession to have such talented and dedicated individuals, which couldn’t be more clear from the other nominees. I truly believe that having access to this kind of expertise, mentorship and most importantly trust, in my career is what has helped me become a confident freelance consultant and build @urbanistonamission. From my early examples to now, I am constantly learning from others, including @annettefisherarchitect @helenfadipe.mrtpi @drweiyang @preach_inclusion, who lead with such clear ambitions for change.
🧩Thank you to the @theplanner_rtpi and judging panel, sharing in their comments: “She has pioneered the use of social channels as a planning ‘influencer’ to introduce the multifaceted world of planning to many, whilst platforming the impactful place-shaping work of many often missed organisations and community groups.”
🔑As we move away from International Women’s day, it is also important to highlight that so many in positions of power praise women publicly while failing to protect their rights, safety, and opportunities in practice. In working towards sustainable and resilient development, we must act against the dangers of representation without responsibility.
The Brain at Rest
So many of us are functioning, if at all, from a place of ‘fight, flight, freeze or fawn’ right now.
This book doesn’t fix anything, but I do believe it does a good job of highlighting the traps that can compromise our ability to stay healthy, make rational decisions and collaborate for productive solutions.
In a desperate attempt to process, I have personally found trying to understand the brain helpful. It is important to be aware of how much we need time alone, away from our screens and being out in nature to self-regulate and come back stronger, even if only a little bit at a time.
For those defining ‘urban existence’, concerned with adaptation and championing community resilience, there is so much in this book we can learn. Dr. Jebelli shows us how place shaping can lead to brain shaping, emphasising the public health responsibility of planning and design.
How could you use your local green and blue spaces to help take care of those around you?
The Brain at Rest
So many of us are functioning, if at all, from a place of ‘fight, flight, freeze or fawn’ right now.
This book doesn’t fix anything, but I do believe it does a good job of highlighting the traps that can compromise our ability to stay healthy, make rational decisions and collaborate for productive solutions.
In a desperate attempt to process, I have personally found trying to understand the brain helpful. It is important to be aware of how much we need time alone, away from our screens and being out in nature to self-regulate and come back stronger, even if only a little bit at a time.
For those defining ‘urban existence’, concerned with adaptation and championing community resilience, there is so much in this book we can learn. Dr. Jebelli shows us how place shaping can lead to brain shaping, emphasising the public health responsibility of planning and design.
How could you use your local green and blue spaces to help take care of those around you?
🗞️Planning RTPI Blog Feature!
📊The ‘State of the Profession 2025’ report found that a cumulative 29.4% of respondents became aware of the planning profession “through their school or university education, making educational outreach a particularly impactful mode of volunteering within the profession.”
📍This is why it was a pleasure for me to accept when Dr Jenny Lawy, Head of Geography at Hendon School, asked me to come speak to the students at the beginning of this year. Dr Lawy summarised:
🎤”From the moment she began speaking, it became clear just how vital planners are in creating the towns, cities, villages and even farming landscapes that we rely on every day. Mahsa helped us understand that the built world doesn’t just “happen”—it is carefully designed, assessed and improved by planners who balance community needs, environmental concerns, and long term sustainability. Whether deciding where new housing should go, improving transport links, or protecting green spaces, planners play a key role in making places safe, functional and enjoyable.”
🏗️In the wake of unprecedented financial investment and press coverage, the planning profession finds itself in a unique position. I believe planners must act to showcase the power of planning as a force for good, specifically to non-planners, in order to build the resilience and capacity of the system long-term.
💡We all have individual interests and skill sets that could help achieve this, what could that look like for you?
🗞️Planning RTPI Blog Feature!
📊The ‘State of the Profession 2025’ report found that a cumulative 29.4% of respondents became aware of the planning profession “through their school or university education, making educational outreach a particularly impactful mode of volunteering within the profession.”
📍This is why it was a pleasure for me to accept when Dr Jenny Lawy, Head of Geography at Hendon School, asked me to come speak to the students at the beginning of this year. Dr Lawy summarised:
🎤”From the moment she began speaking, it became clear just how vital planners are in creating the towns, cities, villages and even farming landscapes that we rely on every day. Mahsa helped us understand that the built world doesn’t just “happen”—it is carefully designed, assessed and improved by planners who balance community needs, environmental concerns, and long term sustainability. Whether deciding where new housing should go, improving transport links, or protecting green spaces, planners play a key role in making places safe, functional and enjoyable.”
🏗️In the wake of unprecedented financial investment and press coverage, the planning profession finds itself in a unique position. I believe planners must act to showcase the power of planning as a force for good, specifically to non-planners, in order to build the resilience and capacity of the system long-term.
💡We all have individual interests and skill sets that could help achieve this, what could that look like for you?
🏡Warm Homes Plan!
📑Last month the government published a “landmark plan to make the British people better off, secure our energy independence and tackle the climate crisis.”
💡Amongst other measures, this includes confirmation that from October 2030 landlords will be required to meet a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C, subject to exemptions. EPC ratings will be calculated by the ‘Home Energy Model’ methodology (HEM), which has four headline metrics:
– 🪟Fabric Performance: this is influenced by factors such as the level of insulation in the building, window quality, and airtightness.
– ♨️Heating System: an assessment of heating and cooling technologies.
– 📲Smart Readiness: the building’s potential to self-generate energy (usually from solar panels), and to integrate smart technologies that optimise energy consumption.
– 💷Energy Cost: the predicted costs of energy use (related to all three other metrics).
💭Details around this are currently under consultation until the 18th of March – which means you can have your say! Do you or someone you know have relevant technical knowledge to input?
🏡Warm Homes Plan!
📑Last month the government published a “landmark plan to make the British people better off, secure our energy independence and tackle the climate crisis.”
💡Amongst other measures, this includes confirmation that from October 2030 landlords will be required to meet a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C, subject to exemptions. EPC ratings will be calculated by the ‘Home Energy Model’ methodology (HEM), which has four headline metrics:
– 🪟Fabric Performance: this is influenced by factors such as the level of insulation in the building, window quality, and airtightness.
– ♨️Heating System: an assessment of heating and cooling technologies.
– 📲Smart Readiness: the building’s potential to self-generate energy (usually from solar panels), and to integrate smart technologies that optimise energy consumption.
– 💷Energy Cost: the predicted costs of energy use (related to all three other metrics).
💭Details around this are currently under consultation until the 18th of March – which means you can have your say! Do you or someone you know have relevant technical knowledge to input?
🎲Infrastructure and Monopoly Lifesized!
🚂In both the board game and real life, infrastructure is the quiet engine of value. In fact, my favourite assets on the board have always been the stations and utilities.
📑This mirrors themes across big legislative and policy changes going on in the UK. For example, The Planning and Infrastructure Bill reached Royal Assent in December and focuses heavily on accelerating delivery of transport hubs, grid connections and water capacity. This is because homes alone are not enough.
📍Sustainable infrastructure development can help unlock housing growth, determine viability and influence density. This emphasis also makes up core reforms in the proposed National Planning Policy Framework, which is currently open for consultation until the 10th of March!
💭Do you feel like you know enough about how the recent and proposed changes to the planning system could be impacting you locally?
🎲Infrastructure and Monopoly Lifesized!
🚂In both the board game and real life, infrastructure is the quiet engine of value. In fact, my favourite assets on the board have always been the stations and utilities.
📑This mirrors themes across big legislative and policy changes going on in the UK. For example, The Planning and Infrastructure Bill reached Royal Assent in December and focuses heavily on accelerating delivery of transport hubs, grid connections and water capacity. This is because homes alone are not enough.
📍Sustainable infrastructure development can help unlock housing growth, determine viability and influence density. This emphasis also makes up core reforms in the proposed National Planning Policy Framework, which is currently open for consultation until the 10th of March!
💭Do you feel like you know enough about how the recent and proposed changes to the planning system could be impacting you locally?
🏙️Property Market Updates!
🏗️Market reports closely track how people and organisations use space within a city, telling us a lot about a place.
📊This data reveals how prices and rents are shifting, where growth and investment are most concentrated, how different land uses are performing (e.g. commercial and residential), and much more.
📈Understating how demographic and employment trends influence spatial demand is important for town planners – but also many others like investors, developers, occupiers, and policymakers looking to assess opportunities and constraints. In a fast-moving, globally connected market like Dubai, conditions can shift quickly due to factors like regulatory reforms, new infrastructure and migration patterns.
💭Are you following market updates about your town or city? How much do they tell you about the social and environmental impacts of development?
🏙️Property Market Updates!
🏗️Market reports closely track how people and organisations use space within a city, telling us a lot about a place.
📊This data reveals how prices and rents are shifting, where growth and investment are most concentrated, how different land uses are performing (e.g. commercial and residential), and much more.
📈Understating how demographic and employment trends influence spatial demand is important for town planners – but also many others like investors, developers, occupiers, and policymakers looking to assess opportunities and constraints. In a fast-moving, globally connected market like Dubai, conditions can shift quickly due to factors like regulatory reforms, new infrastructure and migration patterns.
💭Are you following market updates about your town or city? How much do they tell you about the social and environmental impacts of development?
🌊Thirst Exhibition!
📣Today is the last day to see the free Thirst Exhibition at the @wellcomecollection.
🌧️’Thirst: In Search of Freshwater’ explores humanity’s vital connection with freshwater through Aridity, Rain, Glaciers, Surface Water and Groundwater. More than a critical source of life, the space showcases how water has shaped societies and urban development across time.
🗺️The key message I wanted to share from the exhibition is: “The water crisis we face today is often described as only an environmental issue. This masks exploitative practices like over-extraction, and other causes such as conflict. However, the regenerative power of water offers hope as we face the current climate crisis. We can learn from its cyclical, healing nature, as well as from communities, past and present, who create abundance out of scarcity.”
💡For example, traditional water engineering systems such as qanats are featured. Originating from Iran, this irrigation technology completely transformed water access and influenced countries around the world as a result. Are there any water engineering examples that have inspired you?
🌊Thirst Exhibition!
📣Today is the last day to see the free Thirst Exhibition at the @wellcomecollection.
🌧️’Thirst: In Search of Freshwater’ explores humanity’s vital connection with freshwater through Aridity, Rain, Glaciers, Surface Water and Groundwater. More than a critical source of life, the space showcases how water has shaped societies and urban development across time.
🗺️The key message I wanted to share from the exhibition is: “The water crisis we face today is often described as only an environmental issue. This masks exploitative practices like over-extraction, and other causes such as conflict. However, the regenerative power of water offers hope as we face the current climate crisis. We can learn from its cyclical, healing nature, as well as from communities, past and present, who create abundance out of scarcity.”
💡For example, traditional water engineering systems such as qanats are featured. Originating from Iran, this irrigation technology completely transformed water access and influenced countries around the world as a result. Are there any water engineering examples that have inspired you?
🌱Bloom Where You’re Planted
➡️It’s okay to feel confused by conflicting information or even misinformation – but don’t let the conversation style stop you from supporting change. Find reliable, digestible sources that can help you better understand what’s happening and share in ways that are sustainable for you.
💬Social media is one of many tools for change but it’s important to remember that not everyone feels comfortable posting online. This may because of personal risks, mental health or having a sensitive job role. Here are some other things that could be done instead:
– 📝Write to your local Councillors or MPs.
– 📲You can ‘save’ content so that it still gains traction.
– 📣Offline, identify an established platform that you could consistently support.
– 🕯️Direct positive energy through creativity or prayer.
– 🧩Check-on others and seek help if you are struggling.
💭Meaningful action requires persistence that can be realistically sustained. Is there anything you have found particularly helpful?
🌱Bloom Where You’re Planted
➡️It’s okay to feel confused by conflicting information or even misinformation – but don’t let the conversation style stop you from supporting change. Find reliable, digestible sources that can help you better understand what’s happening and share in ways that are sustainable for you.
💬Social media is one of many tools for change but it’s important to remember that not everyone feels comfortable posting online. This may because of personal risks, mental health or having a sensitive job role. Here are some other things that could be done instead:
– 📝Write to your local Councillors or MPs.
– 📲You can ‘save’ content so that it still gains traction.
– 📣Offline, identify an established platform that you could consistently support.
– 🕯️Direct positive energy through creativity or prayer.
– 🧩Check-on others and seek help if you are struggling.
💭Meaningful action requires persistence that can be realistically sustained. Is there anything you have found particularly helpful?
🎉Happy New Year!
🗓️It’s been a busy two years for @urbanistonamission so I thought I’d share a snapshot of 2024-2025…
– 🏗️55 planning applications were submitted with a 91% approval rate. Planning projects were sited across 32 different local authorities in England.
– 🎤23 events came to life. UOAM participated as a speaker for the majority, with most sessions covering planning & sustainability and the most common core audience being landlords & developers. Other events included built environment professionals, political leaders and members of the public; unpacking topics such as retrofit & energy, inclusive planning, leadership and climate action.
– 📸234 posts were made on Instagram, with 155k+ views across reels. Nature, property & planning and heritage were the three top themes shared. A big shout out to the businesses, council officers, local volunteers, educators, landlords, built environment professionals and many more who featured to showcase the work they’re doing to champion sustainable development!
🙏🏽An enormous thank you for all the support over the past two years. I hope you’ve enjoyed being a part of the journey and learned a little something about town planning along the way! What do you hope to see from planners in 2026?
🎉Happy New Year!
🗓️It’s been a busy two years for @urbanistonamission so I thought I’d share a snapshot of 2024-2025…
– 🏗️55 planning applications were submitted with a 91% approval rate. Planning projects were sited across 32 different local authorities in England.
– 🎤23 events came to life. UOAM participated as a speaker for the majority, with most sessions covering planning & sustainability and the most common core audience being landlords & developers. Other events included built environment professionals, political leaders and members of the public; unpacking topics such as retrofit & energy, inclusive planning, leadership and climate action.
– 📸234 posts were made on Instagram, with 155k+ views across reels. Nature, property & planning and heritage were the three top themes shared. A big shout out to the businesses, council officers, local volunteers, educators, landlords, built environment professionals and many more who featured to showcase the work they’re doing to champion sustainable development!
🙏🏽An enormous thank you for all the support over the past two years. I hope you’ve enjoyed being a part of the journey and learned a little something about town planning along the way! What do you hope to see from planners in 2026?
🗺️City Scavenger Hunts!
🤳🏽World City Trail offers a creative way to get to know a city by using challenges that guide you between landmarks.
🌃Gamifying our environment like this invites us to notice details and reflect on place in a fun and interactive way. This time of year, when bad weather and darkness can deter us from getting outside, having options like this can be especially valuable.
🧩Beyond puzzle solving and getting your step count up (I did over 20k this day!), activities like this highlight what could be possible for urban engagement and driving change. From seasonal trails to neighbourhood missions, there’s many ways we could be inspired to bond with our cities more.
💭How could public and private groups use tools like this to encourage local action?
🗺️City Scavenger Hunts!
🤳🏽World City Trail offers a creative way to get to know a city by using challenges that guide you between landmarks.
🌃Gamifying our environment like this invites us to notice details and reflect on place in a fun and interactive way. This time of year, when bad weather and darkness can deter us from getting outside, having options like this can be especially valuable.
🧩Beyond puzzle solving and getting your step count up (I did over 20k this day!), activities like this highlight what could be possible for urban engagement and driving change. From seasonal trails to neighbourhood missions, there’s many ways we could be inspired to bond with our cities more.
💭How could public and private groups use tools like this to encourage local action?
🏠Maison Tavel!
⏳Maison Tavel is considered ‘the oldest private residence in Geneva’, and is also a museum showcasing the city’s urban development.
🗺️From artefacts, paintings maps and more, this unique space tells the story of how people and place have evolved in Geneva throughout the years. You can learn about how land, infrastructure and buildings have adapted across centuries through their detailed video, the impressive city model from the 1800s, or the many other resources peppered throughout the different floors.
💡This means that beyond the site itself being of historic significance in Geneva’s Old Town, it continues to add value through knowledge sharing. Reflecting on how humans lived before us is critical for building urban resilience today, helping us understand why certain choices were made and what challenges were overcome.
💭Does your city have a museum that covers urban development?
🏠Maison Tavel!
⏳Maison Tavel is considered ‘the oldest private residence in Geneva’, and is also a museum showcasing the city’s urban development.
🗺️From artefacts, paintings maps and more, this unique space tells the story of how people and place have evolved in Geneva throughout the years. You can learn about how land, infrastructure and buildings have adapted across centuries through their detailed video, the impressive city model from the 1800s, or the many other resources peppered throughout the different floors.
💡This means that beyond the site itself being of historic significance in Geneva’s Old Town, it continues to add value through knowledge sharing. Reflecting on how humans lived before us is critical for building urban resilience today, helping us understand why certain choices were made and what challenges were overcome.
💭Does your city have a museum that covers urban development?
🎬Festival International du Film sur les Glaciers!
📍A series of documentaries and short films were presented in Geneva this month to raise awareness about the effects of climate change.
📽️The final day of the film festival included works from the incredibly talented @bernard.garo and @marcdecosterd at @blackshroud_arts; Dr. Nathalie Dietschy; Constance and Lesly Cousin from @doobleimpact and @clairobscur.asso.rennes; Dominique Margot, Cornella Seitier and @brighof. We also heard from René Longet, expert in sustainable development, who shared:
🏔️“Glaciers are both witnesses to and among the most emblematic victims of climate change. The melting of the world’s ice, including permafrost, is accelerating everywhere, at both high and high altitudes, rendering entire regions of our planet uninhabitable… This Festival invites us all, each in our own way, to care for our shared homeland, the Earth, and to commit to preserving its beauty and diversity.”
💡How could you use the power of storytelling to inspire climate action?
🎬Festival International du Film sur les Glaciers!
📍A series of documentaries and short films were presented in Geneva this month to raise awareness about the effects of climate change.
📽️The final day of the film festival included works from the incredibly talented @bernard.garo and @marcdecosterd at @blackshroud_arts; Dr. Nathalie Dietschy; Constance and Lesly Cousin from @doobleimpact and @clairobscur.asso.rennes; Dominique Margot, Cornella Seitier and @brighof. We also heard from René Longet, expert in sustainable development, who shared:
🏔️“Glaciers are both witnesses to and among the most emblematic victims of climate change. The melting of the world’s ice, including permafrost, is accelerating everywhere, at both high and high altitudes, rendering entire regions of our planet uninhabitable… This Festival invites us all, each in our own way, to care for our shared homeland, the Earth, and to commit to preserving its beauty and diversity.”
💡How could you use the power of storytelling to inspire climate action?
🌊Le Lac Léman!
📍The passionate team at @asl_leman did a fantastic job of explaining the threats facing le lac Léman, also known as Lake Geneva.
📊Despite the serious concerns associated with plastic, chemical waste, eutrophication, invasive species and more, the group still take a positive and proactive approach. We discussed the power of data collecting, changes in policy, local campaigning and coordinated clean-ups like Net’Léman.
💡So much can be learned from this exhibition, ‘Léman, l’éveil d’un peuple’, which “retraces the decisive action of associations, scientists, fishermen, journalists and institutions that helped turn the tide. At a time when new threats are hanging over the lake, the exhibition is also a reminder that every individual can, in turn, become an agent of change.”
💭What are the biggest issues impacting nature and water systems near you? What needs to be done to address them?
🌊Le Lac Léman!
📍The passionate team at @asl_leman did a fantastic job of explaining the threats facing le lac Léman, also known as Lake Geneva.
📊Despite the serious concerns associated with plastic, chemical waste, eutrophication, invasive species and more, the group still take a positive and proactive approach. We discussed the power of data collecting, changes in policy, local campaigning and coordinated clean-ups like Net’Léman.
💡So much can be learned from this exhibition, ‘Léman, l’éveil d’un peuple’, which “retraces the decisive action of associations, scientists, fishermen, journalists and institutions that helped turn the tide. At a time when new threats are hanging over the lake, the exhibition is also a reminder that every individual can, in turn, become an agent of change.”
💭What are the biggest issues impacting nature and water systems near you? What needs to be done to address them?
📣London Vice Chair!
🎤I’m excited to announce that I will be acting as Vice Chair for @rtpiplanners London across 2026!
🏗️Working with the fantastic new Chair Alex Johnson and London Regional Manager Emily Russell, we’re here to champion planning locally, help deliver strategic objectives and support planners in London. This includes a packed CPD programme, social networking events and much more.
🧩Seeing as today is International Volunteer Day, I would like to share some words of encouragement from RTPI President, Helen Fadipe: “Together, through your efforts and those of volunteers across the RTPI, we are shaping a profession that supports inclusive, resilient, and sustainable places and that is something to celebrate.”
💭What local volunteer opportunities could be out there for you?
📣London Vice Chair!
🎤I’m excited to announce that I will be acting as Vice Chair for @rtpiplanners London across 2026!
🏗️Working with the fantastic new Chair Alex Johnson and London Regional Manager Emily Russell, we’re here to champion planning locally, help deliver strategic objectives and support planners in London. This includes a packed CPD programme, social networking events and much more.
🧩Seeing as today is International Volunteer Day, I would like to share some words of encouragement from RTPI President, Helen Fadipe: “Together, through your efforts and those of volunteers across the RTPI, we are shaping a profession that supports inclusive, resilient, and sustainable places and that is something to celebrate.”
💭What local volunteer opportunities could be out there for you?
📍National Emergency Briefing
➡️Last week I attended the UK’s first National Emergency Briefing on the Climate & Nature crisis in Westminster.
📈A series of honest, science-based and comprehensive presentations concluded a crystal clear message: we are not safe and must act now. Specifically, an open letter was read to Keir Starmer, all public service broadcasters, and Ofcom calling for a televised emergency briefing to the public. The goal is to provide people with accurate information so that we can prepare, adapt and make decisions based on the realities of the world we face.
🎤Ten of the UK’s leading experts briefed an invite-only audience of politicians and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media with the latest implications for health, food, national security and the economy. This included about 150 Parliamentarians and questions from influential figures like @greenpartyzack and @deborahmeaden.
🧩The briefing was designed to finally create a societal tipping point towards genuine emergency action. With more to come from @nebriefing and the open letter we can all sign by going to the NE page, how else could we help support the movement?
📍National Emergency Briefing
➡️Last week I attended the UK’s first National Emergency Briefing on the Climate & Nature crisis in Westminster.
📈A series of honest, science-based and comprehensive presentations concluded a crystal clear message: we are not safe and must act now. Specifically, an open letter was read to Keir Starmer, all public service broadcasters, and Ofcom calling for a televised emergency briefing to the public. The goal is to provide people with accurate information so that we can prepare, adapt and make decisions based on the realities of the world we face.
🎤Ten of the UK’s leading experts briefed an invite-only audience of politicians and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media with the latest implications for health, food, national security and the economy. This included about 150 Parliamentarians and questions from influential figures like @greenpartyzack and @deborahmeaden.
🧩The briefing was designed to finally create a societal tipping point towards genuine emergency action. With more to come from @nebriefing and the open letter we can all sign by going to the NE page, how else could we help support the movement?
🎙️The PlannerPod!
💬Thank you again to the PlannerPod for inviting me to speak on all things planning and social media earlier this month.
🧩A special shoutout to Simon Wicks, editor of @theplanner_rtpi , who has made an active effort to reach out to me and learn more about my work over the past year. Simon has a genuine interest in how planning can be more engaging to non-planners and beyond, working hard behind the scenes to support those making it happen.
🏘️The episode reflects the spirit of the current @rtpiplanners campaign ‘It takes planners & you’. This is “a campaign that invites the public to see planners not as obstacles but as allies in shaping great places to live work and connect. It opens people’s eyes to the role planners play in everyday life from parks and footpaths to housing, transport and public spaces right outside their homes.”
💭Whether you’re a planner or not, what is your relationship with the world of town planning?
💡Checkout the wonderful @theurbanplan_her for more planning content!
🎙️The PlannerPod!
💬Thank you again to the PlannerPod for inviting me to speak on all things planning and social media earlier this month.
🧩A special shoutout to Simon Wicks, editor of @theplanner_rtpi , who has made an active effort to reach out to me and learn more about my work over the past year. Simon has a genuine interest in how planning can be more engaging to non-planners and beyond, working hard behind the scenes to support those making it happen.
🏘️The episode reflects the spirit of the current @rtpiplanners campaign ‘It takes planners & you’. This is “a campaign that invites the public to see planners not as obstacles but as allies in shaping great places to live work and connect. It opens people’s eyes to the role planners play in everyday life from parks and footpaths to housing, transport and public spaces right outside their homes.”
💭Whether you’re a planner or not, what is your relationship with the world of town planning?
💡Checkout the wonderful @theurbanplan_her for more planning content!
🎤London Build!
💡Last week I had the honour of being invited to speak for “Leaders of Tomorrow” with @letsbuild__ and @londonbuildexpo.
🧩Chaired by the experienced and highly engaging @annettefisherarchitect, the conversation covered a range of topics about what it means to lead. I was joined by Antonia Blege at @prparchitects, Elizabeth Akamo at @scottbrownriggltd and Fela Aromolaran at the @berkshealthnhs.
🏗️For me, it was important to talk about the harm that poor leadership can cause. From inconsistent messaging on sector priorities, uncertainty about future legislative and regulatory direction/timing, a lack of interdisciplinary collaboration and proportionate funding… cracks can be detrimental to industry morale when not addressed.
💭How are you leading in your industry?
🎤London Build!
💡Last week I had the honour of being invited to speak for “Leaders of Tomorrow” with @letsbuild__ and @londonbuildexpo.
🧩Chaired by the experienced and highly engaging @annettefisherarchitect, the conversation covered a range of topics about what it means to lead. I was joined by Antonia Blege at @prparchitects, Elizabeth Akamo at @scottbrownriggltd and Fela Aromolaran at the @berkshealthnhs.
🏗️For me, it was important to talk about the harm that poor leadership can cause. From inconsistent messaging on sector priorities, uncertainty about future legislative and regulatory direction/timing, a lack of interdisciplinary collaboration and proportionate funding… cracks can be detrimental to industry morale when not addressed.
💭How are you leading in your industry?
🛶Gongoozling!
👀Last week the wonderful @carlysimo led a gongoozling tour for her birthday. This is defined in the Cambridge dictionary as “the activity of watching boats and activities on canals (= long, narrow, artificially made stretches of water), for pleasure”.
🏙️Whether you’re gongoozling, train-spotting, people-watching or just taking in your surroundings, observing how things unfold in public spaces can offer moments of play or learning amidst otherwise chaotic cities. More than supporting our mental health, this allows us to reflect on historic urban development.
📍Town planning plays a crucial role in facilitating this experience, both directly and indirectly. From pathways, benches, toilets and more, the safety, accessibility, conservation and beauty of our cities will ultimately determine how likely we are to venture out.
💭Are you a gongoozler?
🛶Gongoozling!
👀Last week the wonderful @carlysimo led a gongoozling tour for her birthday. This is defined in the Cambridge dictionary as “the activity of watching boats and activities on canals (= long, narrow, artificially made stretches of water), for pleasure”.
🏙️Whether you’re gongoozling, train-spotting, people-watching or just taking in your surroundings, observing how things unfold in public spaces can offer moments of play or learning amidst otherwise chaotic cities. More than supporting our mental health, this allows us to reflect on historic urban development.
📍Town planning plays a crucial role in facilitating this experience, both directly and indirectly. From pathways, benches, toilets and more, the safety, accessibility, conservation and beauty of our cities will ultimately determine how likely we are to venture out.
💭Are you a gongoozler?