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From the nooks and crannies of inner cities to unspoilt coasts and mountains, I’ve always been fascinated by the diversity of places. Some places in the UK are more man-made than others: but, however remote, the human touch is always present.
We all live our lives through places. Places shape how we live, and they bear witness to the major events of our lives. Little wonder, then, that changes to places can be so charged and controversial.
My fascination with places led me to planning – the art of making good places. Planning involves an element of managing and controlling change. Critical though it is to avoid the worst excesses of poorly conceived change, this regulatory function has unfortunately come to define the purpose of urban planning. What planning should also be about is creativity, imagination and aspirations; vision, and the bigger picture.
I also believe that planning needs to be more entrepreneurial. Not in a narrow commercial sense; but in a wider social sense, embracing innovation and a positive attitude to risk, community development and social enterprise.
So many people have a stake in the future of our places – cities, towns, villages and countryside – that collaboration is an absolute must. Top-down command-and-control is no longer a viable way of creating enduring places of quality. That needs dialogue and collaboration with local communities, businesses, politicians, the public sector and everybody else who has a stake in a place’s future. Collaborative action has immense power to achieve positive change – a common thread in my work, as you’ll see if you explore this website.
Please take a look around the website to find out more about the kind of work that I do. Explore the links at the top to find out more about my approach and experience. Or check out my blog: you can sign up to receive new blog posts by email or RSS.
Planning should be all about people. If you want to talk about anything – just get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.