Projects
Planning, regeneration and research shaping more liveable, inclusive and climate-resilient places
I bring together planning expertise, practical experience, academic leadership and applied research to help organisations navigate complex challenges and create positive change.
My work spans planning and policy, regeneration, placemaking, community engagement, climate resilience and planning education. Across professional practice, research and teaching, I connect evidence, policy and local knowledge to develop practical approaches that respond to the needs of people and places.
The projects below demonstrate this work in practice, from neighbourhood regeneration and participatory planning to climate resilience, place-based strategy and professional learning.
Planning, Regeneration & Delivery
Town Centre Regeneration · Place Strategy
Banff & Macduff Town Centre Regeneration
Project Overview
A town centre regeneration project bringing together stakeholder perspectives, local priorities and practical actions to support the future vitality and resilience of Banff and Macduff.
I led stakeholder engagement to inform the development of the Banff & Macduff Town Centre Action Plan, bringing together diverse stakeholder perspectives to build consensus around regeneration priorities and translate local ambitions into an actionable town centre improvement programme.
Alongside this work, I led the implementation and management of the Retail Plus Scheme, supporting investment in town centre businesses and contributing to wider regeneration objectives across both communities.
Outputs & Impacts
The work connected stakeholder engagement and town centre planning with practical delivery, providing a framework for prioritising improvements and supporting local businesses. It brought together strategic regeneration planning and implementation, helping align local aspirations with opportunities for investment and action.
Community Regeneration · Place-Based Planning
Livingston Regeneration & Partnership Planning
Project Overview
A place-based regeneration programme connecting neighbourhood priorities, partnership planning and practical initiatives to support community wellbeing and neighbourhood improvement.
I developed the Livingston North Ward Action Plan and Livingston South Ward Action Plan, bringing together community priorities, local evidence and partner input to identify challenges, opportunities and practical actions for neighbourhood regeneration.
I also supported the development of the Livingston Integrated Partnership Plan, helping partners translate community priorities into strategic objectives and more coordinated approaches to regeneration and service delivery.
This work connected strategic planning with local implementation, supporting initiatives including environmental improvements, community gardens, youth provision, employability initiatives and wider neighbourhood development.
Outputs & Impact
The ward action plans provided a structured basis for identifying neighbourhood priorities and coordinating potential responses. The wider partnership planning work connected community-level concerns with broader regeneration and service objectives, helping establish links between strategic priorities, partner activity and local initiatives.
Regeneration Strategy · Place-Based Planning
Seaforth Neighbourhood Regeneration Strategy
Project Overview
I developed and project managed a neighbourhood regeneration strategy, bringing together evidence, stakeholder perspectives and community priorities to identify challenges, opportunities and actions for longer-term renewal.
The strategy involved analysis of socio-economic conditions, existing policies and regeneration opportunities, alongside engagement with partners and residents to develop a shared understanding of local needs and priorities.
Working collaboratively with public, community and economic partners, I translated evidence and consultation findings into recommendations to support future investment, partnership working and neighbourhood improvement.
Outputs & Impact
The strategy established an evidence-informed basis for identifying regeneration priorities and considering future investment and intervention. By connecting local needs with policy context and stakeholder perspectives, it supported a more coordinated approach to neighbourhood planning and longer-term renewal.
Neighbourhood Regeneration · Resident Engagement
Saltmead Waterfront Regeneration & Community Investment
Project Overview
A neighbourhood regeneration project combining physical improvement, community investment and resident engagement within the Saltmead estate.
I led regeneration activity across physical improvements, community investment and resident engagement, working with residents, community organisations and delivery partners to align investment with local priorities.
Working with residents, community organisations and delivery partners, I helped identify local priorities, support community participation and connect physical regeneration investment with wider social and community outcomes.
Outputs & Impact
The work brought together physical improvement, community participation and investment activity within a wider neighbourhood regeneration approach. It helped connect decisions about the built environment with residents' priorities and the broader social objectives of renewal.
Housing-Led Regeneration & Development Delivery
Housing Renewal & Investment Programme
Project Overview
A housing regeneration programme across North West England focused on acquiring and regenerating former local authority housing stock to support affordable housing provision.
I project managed the acquisition of former local authority housing stock on behalf of The Regenda Group. I led the purchase process, coordinating partners and overseeing refurbishment and redevelopment activity to return properties to social housing provision.
The role brought together acquisition, project coordination and development delivery, supporting investment in existing housing assets and their return to affordable housing use.
Outputs & Impact
The successful return of former local authority properties to affordable housing, bringing homes back into use for social rent and contributing to the provision of affordable housing across North West England.
Community Engagement & Participatory Planning
Research-Informed Practice
Creative Methodology & Serious Games
Innovation Overview
As part of my PhD research, I developed an integrated participatory framework bringing together LEGO® Serious Play®, serious games and placemaking. This framework enables communities and practitioners to explore complex environmental challenges, visualise alternative futures and co-design locally relevant solutions.
The methodology was published in the Journal of Urban Design and Planning through the paper Gamifying Flood Resilience: Serious Games, Playful Placemaking and Blue Green Infrastructure Planning .
This work continues to evolve through professional learning, knowledge exchange and collaboration with international researchers. I also contribute to the EKLIPSE Expert Working Group, exploring how games can strengthen connections between science, policy and society.
Future Development
I am continuing to expand the application of these approaches through workshops, training and collaborative projects with organisations interested in creative approaches to participatory planning and climate resilience.
Workshop Design & Facilitation · Participatory Placemaking
Playing with Place: Co-designing Greener, More Resilient Communities
Workshop Designer & Facilitator · National Urban Design Conference, Glasgow
Project Overview
Playing with Place was a hands-on urban design workshop I designed and facilitated at the National Urban Design Conference in Glasgow, exploring how water, nature and people can work together to create greener, more liveable and climate-resilient places.
Drawing on my research into participatory placemaking, blue green infrastructure and creative facilitation, the workshop used physical model-making, collaborative design and playful challenges to help participants explore complex urban design questions, visualise alternative possibilities and consider different perspectives on the future of places.
Through practical, collaborative activities, participants experimented with design ideas, explored the relationships between the built and natural environments, and considered how creative approaches can support more sustainable and resilient communities.
Approach
- Hands-on model-making to explore urban design ideas and alternative futures
- Creative facilitation and collaborative problem-solving
- Exploring the relationship between water, nature and the built environment
- Using playful, accessible methods to encourage different perspectives
- Connecting participatory placemaking with climate resilience and blue green infrastructure
Practice Insights
The workshop demonstrated how creative, hands-on approaches can make complex planning and environmental challenges more tangible, creating opportunities for shared learning, dialogue and experimentation.
The models provided a starting point for wider conversations, with the real value lying in the ideas, perspectives and discoveries that emerged through the process. The workshop reflects my wider interest in developing engaging, research-informed approaches that help practitioners and communities explore challenges and imagine better places together.
The workshop was delivered following an invitation from the Urban Design Group as part of the National Urban Design Conference in Glasgow, 2026.
Community Planning · Participatory Engagement
Planning for Real® Community Engagement
Engagement Overview
Following accredited Planning for Real® facilitator training, I led the design and delivery of a Planning for Real® community engagement process, using participatory methods to enable residents to identify priorities, articulate local knowledge and influence place-based planning discussions.
The process used accessible, hands-on participation methods to bring together community knowledge, lived experience and local aspirations, supporting more inclusive approaches to community planning and place-based decision-making.
Through physical models, visual engagement techniques and structured discussion, the approach helped residents identify valued places, challenges and opportunities while ensuring local knowledge informed future planning priorities.
Approach
- Planning for Real® participatory methods and physical modelling
- Accessible community workshops and facilitated discussion
- Visual engagement techniques to support inclusive participation
- Capturing local knowledge, priorities and aspirations
- Connecting community experience with place-based planning processes
Outcomes
The engagement supported communities to articulate priorities, identify opportunities for improvement and contribute meaningful knowledge to local planning processes.
This work reflects my wider approach to participatory planning and community engagement: moving beyond consultation towards collaborative approaches where communities contribute evidence, ideas and place-based understanding that can inform planning and regeneration.
Research & Innovation
International Research Collaboration
Participatory Placemaking & Blue Green Infrastructure
Principal Investigator · University of the West of Scotland & Wageningen University & Research
Research Overview
I lead an international research collaboration exploring how participatory placemaking and blue green infrastructure can contribute to more equitable, nature-positive and climate-resilient urban environments.
The collaboration brings together perspectives from Scotland and the Netherlands to examine how community knowledge, lived experience and environmental evidence can inform climate adaptation, biodiversity enhancement and sustainable urban development.
The research contributes practical insights into how inclusive approaches can strengthen planning, placemaking and environmental decision-making.
Research Focus
- Participatory approaches to placemaking and climate adaptation
- Blue green infrastructure and equitable access to environmental benefits
- Nature-positive and multi-benefit urban interventions
- Community knowledge and lived experience in planning
- Knowledge exchange between research, policy and practice
- International collaboration and comparative learning
My Role
As Principal Investigator, I lead the collaboration, supporting international knowledge exchange, participatory research development and future opportunities for collaborative research.
The project connects academic and practitioner perspectives to explore how locally grounded approaches can contribute to wider thinking around inclusive and climate-resilient urban development.
Doctoral Research
Blue Green Placemaking for Liveable, Flood-Resilient Urban Environments
Hydro Nation Scholar · University of Dundee · PhD Research
Research Overview
As a Hydro Nation Scholar, funded by the Scottish Government, my doctoral research explored how blue green infrastructure, placemaking and participatory co-design could be brought together to support more liveable, inclusive and flood-resilient urban environments. It considered how technical flood-risk evidence, local knowledge and community perspectives can complement one another to inform responses to flooding that reflect local needs and aspirations, while delivering wider benefits for biodiversity, environmental quality and social wellbeing.
Research Contribution & Recognition
The research has received external recognition, including the award-winning PhD video Placemaking and Blue Green Infrastructure for Multiple Benefits, recognised through the Buildings & Cities Video Challenge 2024.
The first journal paper from this research was shortlisted for the RTPI Early Career Research Awards for Research Excellence, recognising its contribution to planning research and innovation.
Outputs
Research outputs include peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, research communication activities and practitioner-facing resources exploring blue green infrastructure, participatory placemaking and climate-resilient planning.
Academic Leadership · Curriculum Development · Professional Learning
Planning Education & Work-Based Learning
Overview
I combine academic leadership and curriculum development with specialist expertise in planning, regeneration, placemaking and urban conservation. Across the University of the West of Scotland and the University of Dundee, I have designed and delivered teaching spanning planning policy and practice, urban regeneration and placemaking, blue and green space design, governance, work-based learning and urban conservation. My work connects the intellectual and policy foundations of planning with the practical challenges of shaping places, communities and their futures.
Planning in practice: learning from places and their communities.
Work-Based Learning Design & Leadership
I also design and deliver work-based learning in planning and regeneration, developing learning and assessment frameworks that integrate academic study with professional practice. My approach positions the workplace as a site of learning, enabling students to critically evaluate their experience, apply theoretical concepts to real-world challenges and translate professional practice into academic insight.