Public Practice

ABOUT

Public Practice is a not-for-profit social enterprise with a mission to build the public sector’s capacity to improve the quality and equality of everyday places for now and for the future. Read more about our mission, values, and who we are.

Mission

Public Practice is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to build the public sector’s capacity to improve the quality and equality of everyday places, for now and the future.

OUR VISION

PUBLIC SECTOR: We believe that in its best form, the public sector is representative of all communities and serves the public; has the tools, systems and frameworks to be innovative and take leadership; and has the power to take a longer-term view.
CHANGEMAKERS FROM WITHIN: We believe in working within the system to make change. By understanding the complexity of rules, systems and processes, we can take ownership and make positive change from within rather than starting from scratch.
PLACES FOR ALL: We believe that societal inequality plays out in places, be it the lack of housing, access to clean air or the feeling of belonging in public spaces. By improving places in the short and long term, we believe we can have a positive impact on people's lives.
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH: We believe that places are complex and that an interdisciplinary approach with a diversity of thought, experience and skills are required to tackle critical spatial issues of our time from housing inequality to climate justice.

OUR APPROACH

DIVERSIFYING PEOPLE: We run a leading non-bias recruitment service, known as our Associate Programme. We place mid-career level built environment practitioners (Associates) looking for a career change, into public sector organisations (Authorities) looking for new skills and expertise.
BUILDING SKILLS: We provide an accessible and bespoke course to support our Associate's transition into their public sector place-shaping careers.
DEVELOPING PRACTICE: We support the sharing and development of practice through our Working Groups made up of public sector place-shaping officers.
SUPPORTING KNOWLEDGE: We produce Insight Reports for the wider-industry and publish open-source Resources for public sector officers.

Values

Public Practice is a value-led organisation. Our values form the basis for how we approach delivering our vision and mission, how we create the culture of our organisation and how we design and deliver our services. They are:

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION

Equality because everyone should have an equal opportunity and the freedom to make the most of their needs, ambitions and talents.
Diversity because different lived experiences bring a diversity of thought and are critical to solving societal inequality.
Inclusion because everyone should have the ability to access experiences, knowledge and opportunities fairly.

EXCELLENCE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, PRAGMATISM

Excellence because it is important to aim to do the best we can do, in whatever we do.
Entrepreneurship because there are always new ideas and solutions to existing problems and new problems to solve.
Pragmatism because by being realistic and practical you get things done in practice and that doesn’t dampen ambition.

OPENNESS, TRUST, RESPECT

Openness because being transparent about what, how and why we do what we do enables trust and learning.
Trust because human relationships are important and by sharing power and supporting each other we make the best decisions.
Respect because no one person knows best or can make a change in a complex system as an individual.

People

Public Practice currently has nine company Directors and two Board Observers, one from the GLA and the other an Alumni of our professional placement programme. The Board delegate the day-to-day running of the organisation to a team of staff.

BEN HOCKMAN

Professional Practice Manager

CLAIRE JAMIESON

R&D Manager

FIONA LIN

Communications Officer

LILLI HOIKKA

Operations Manager

NIKKI LINSELL

COO

PAGAN-LILLEY PHILLIPS

Programme Manager

POOJA AGRAWAL

CEO

ANNA ROSE

Director

ARANVIR GAWERA

Director

DANNA WALKER

Director

JULES PIPE

Chair

LUCINDA TURNER

Board Observer

LUCY MUSGRAVE

Director

MEETA KAUR

Director

RAFE BERTRAM

Alumni Observer

SARAH CARY

Director

TARA GBOLADE

Alumni Observer

VINCENT LACOVARA

Director

BEN HOCKMAN

Ben is a planner with substantial public sector experience in local and central government. This includes policy development in supporting the publication of the new National Planning Policy Framework and associated guidance in 2018 and Secretary of State decision making, most notably as part of the team responsible for delivering development consent for the Thames Tideway Tunnel in 2014. Coming to a career in the built environment after having lived and worked in many neighbourhoods in cities around the world, he brings a breadth of skills and experience from roles at all levels in public, private and third sector organisations.

CLAIRE JAMIESON

Claire is an architecturally trained academic and researcher, with over seven years experience as a lecturer, most recently running the Critical and Contextual Studies programme for the school of architecture at the University of Hertfordshire. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has held editorial positions on peer-reviewed journals. Her doctoral research on the radical architectural group NATØ, funded by the AHRC, was published as a monograph by Routledge in 2017. Prior to entering academia, she led the RIBA’s think-tank Building Futures, most notably authoring ‘The Future for Architects?’ – challenging the profession to consider its changing roles.

FIONA LIN

Fiona has worked across video production, creative marketing, and branding for a wide range of industries in the UK and Japan. Her skills in graphic design, illustration, and motion graphics have helped her contribute to the communications strategies for various brands and to the production of visually impactful research reports. Her focus now is on creating informative content across Public Practice’s channels in a way that is accessible to all.

LILLI HOIKKA

Lilli has over 15 years’ experience working in support roles at architectural and engineering practices across London. She is an Associate member at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), an Affiliate member at the RTPI and a keen volunteer for Fluid Mentoring, Isokon Gallery, London Cycling Campaign and Open House. She has lived-in experience from seven Local Authorities in the Greater London region but is originally from the garden city of Tapiola, in Finland. Growing up in such beautiful surroundings got her interested in buildings and landscape from an early age and taught her appreciation of great planning.

NIKKI LINSELL

Nikki is an architecturally trained operations and management consultant specialising in social impact startups. She has co-founded and help set-up a number of built environment charities, managed complex build projects and research across Europe, Asia and Africa in often challenging contexts. Following this, she moved into consultancy, overseeing a major university restructure and more recently, helping raise £750,000 in angel investment for a workplace wellbeing tech start-up. Nikki has also held senior lecturer positions in Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Nottingham and Brighton and is currently writing up an EPSRC funded doctorate on the ethics and economics of the Architecture profession and its 'humanitarian capitalism'.

PAGAN-LILLEY PHILLIPS

Pagan-Lilley is a specialist Programme Manager and Designer with several years' experience working within Local Authority, private and third sector organisations. Her experience creating and delivering training and employment initiatives has helped her develop training programmes within the Tech and Digital sector, to increase diversity and representation. Throughout her career, Pagan-Lilley has supported over five-hundred professionals and graduates into training and employment. Whilst working for Local Authority, she was the lead officer in creating a counter-restructure proposal saving over £400,000. This experience has made her dedicated to supporting Local Authorities to develop workforces that represent the communities they serve.

POOJA AGRAWAL

Pooja Agrawal is an architect and planner who worked as a public servant at Homes England and the Greater London Authority. It was at the GLA in the Regeneration and Economic Development Team where she co-founded Public Practice in 2017. Prior to this, she worked at private architecture and urban design practices including Publica, We Made That and G-Tects (New York) and taught at Central Saint Martins and was a Trustee for the Museum of Architecture.

Alongside Public Practice Pooja co-hosts diversity platform Sound Advice and co-published Now You Know, a compendium of fifty essays exploring spatial and racial inequality. In 2018 and 2019 she was nominated for the Planner’s Woman of Influence.

ANNA ROSE

Anna Rose is currently the Head of the Planning Advisory Service, delivering improvement in planning services across the country. Anna started her planning career advising NFU members on planning, transport and environmental law before moving to Rugby Borough Council and becoming their Head of Planning and Culture at Rugby. In 2014 she became Milton Keynes Council’s Director of Growth, Economy and Culture. Anna is a past President of the Planning Officers Society; a trustee of the TCPA and sits as the practitioner on the RTPI accreditation boards for the planning courses at UCL and Birmingham City University. She is an active peer reviewer for the LGA and a regular speaker on strategic planning issues, growth focussed planning and improving the customer experience.

ARANVIR GAWERA

Aran is an urban planner at Leicester City Council. He helps write policies which will shape his home city in the interest of the diverse communities he grew up with. Aran’s specialist areas include climate change, the natural environment, open space and sports provision, and creating healthy and sustainable new homes. He was a task force member of the Raynsford Review and is now a Trustee of the Town and Country Planning Association. More widely, he continues to encourage young people to engage with the planning system and consider working in the public sector, as well as finding other opportunities to make the profession more inclusive and diverse.

DANNA WALKER

Danna Walker is the founder and director of Built By Us - a social enterprise and an elected board member of the Architects Registration Board. Her career spans over 25 years in the construction and built environment sector and has encompassed a variety of roles from an electrician to Architect and strategic projects lead at the Construction Industry Council. She is a diversity and mentoring champion who chaired the RIBA’s Architects for Change Advisory Group for 6 years and founded the innovative FLUID Diversity Mentoring Programme, designed to provide support for practitioners seeking career progression. A finalist in the Precious Awards 2015, which celebrates the achievements of women of colour, Danna champions a more inclusive built environment and construction industry.

JULES PIPE

As Deputy Mayor of London for Planning, Regeneration & Skills Jules is working on key priorities for the city, including: revision of the London Plan, major regeneration projects across the capital, ensuring London’s infrastructure needs are delivered to benefit all Londoners, and building a skills system that properly addresses the needs of young people and the economy. Jules has an unrivalled knowledge of London government, becoming the first directly elected mayor of Hackney in 2002 and serving as Chair of London Councils from 2010 until he joined the Mayor’s team in 2016.

LUCINDA TURNER

Lucinda Turner has a dual role as both Assistant Director of Planning at the Greater London Authority and Director of Spatial Planning at Transport for London. She commenced this joint role in 2020. She joined TfL in 2006 as Policy Manager for Congestion Charging, leading policy development and stakeholder management for the scheme, having previously been Head of Infrastructure (covering planning, property, transport and regional policy) at the CBI. She moved into TfL Planning developing Crossrail S106 / CIL funding policy, leading work on the Mayor's Transport Strategy, and being the environmental champion for TfL, working with the GLA to develop the Mayor's Air Quality Strategy.

She was the Secretariat to the Mayor’s Road Task Force establishing a strategic framework for the management, design and development of London’s streets and road network ensuring that ‘place’ was considered fully alongside ‘link’ functions. For the past 5 years, she has been leading TfL’s work on Spatial Planning, working to integrate land use and transport planning and promote more sustainable transport outcomes.

LUCY MUSGRAVE

Lucy Musgrave is the founding director of Publica, a London-based practice that specialises in strategies and design for public space, urban design and masterplanning. Over a 25-year career, Lucy has played a key advisory role in policy recommendations, strategic planning and the advocacy of design quality. She is currently a Mayor’s Design Advocate and sits on the Mayor’s Night Time Commission and the Sounding Board for the Mayor’s Public London Charter. Lucy is a member of the Barbican Centre  Board and the National Infrastructure Commission's Shadow Design Group and Expert Advisory Group. Lucy is regularly invited to sit on the jury for International Design Competitions, including for the new Centre for Music, the Museum of London West Smithfield and the Illuminated River. Lucy is a co-author Design and Landscape for People: New Approaches to Renewal. She was previously Director of the Architecture Foundation.

MEETA KAUR

Meeta Kaur is a chartered town planner and a UK qualified planning solicitor. She is a founding partner of Town Legal LLP, a specialist planning law firm. Before joining Town, Meeta was a planning solicitor at city law firm King and Wood Mallesons (formerly SJ Berwin) and prior to that a planning officer at Westminster Council. She has many years’ experience in advising on a wide range of development schemes of all types and scale, including urban extensions. However, her specialism is large scale mixed-use redevelopment and regeneration schemes, both in London and across the country. Meeta has been involved with the Royal Town Planning Institute at both a regional and national level for over 20 years and is currently on the board of trustees of the RTPI and chair of the Membership and Ethics Committee.

RAFE BERTRAM

Rafe Bertram is a sustainability expert and founding contributor of InnerPlanet, a data-led initiative to enable a collaborative and sustainable lifestyle. He joined the third cohort of Public Practice as Sustainability Lead for Meridian Water, Enfield’s flagship £7bn regeneration programme of an 85-hectare site. Rafe worked with Directors, Heads of Service, the community and partners to drive Enfield’s vision for Meridian Water as the greenest development in London. Prior to Public Practice, Rafe worked for Foster+Partners for 18 years, running projects ranging from tents for the Red Cross to retail venues for Apple and eco smart cities. He now continues his work at Enfield as Sustainability Facilitator, helping to embed climate action and sustainable strategies into all projects, workstreams and activities.

SARAH CARY

Sarah Cary is the Executive Director for Regeneration and Environment at Enfield Council. Sarah leads services that are central to Enfield residents’ quality of life, such as waste collection, recycling, street cleaning, building control and planning. She is also responsible for Enfield’s longer-term development plans, including ambitious plans for Meridian Water, which aims to bring 10,000 new homes and thousands of jobs to the borough. Sarah has a PhD in town planning and was previously at British Land, where she worked in the development team on major projects such as Regents Place, The Leadenhall Building and Canada Water before becoming Head of Sustainable Places with responsibility for environmental and social matters across the company.

TARA GBOLADE

Tara Gbolade is co-director of award-winning Gbolade Design Studio that specialises in residential and mixed-use developments for public and private sector clients through insight-led place-making. She sits on a few Design Review Panels including RBKC, Merton, and Lambeth where she advises the council on major planning applications. Tara joined Public Practice as an Associate in our second cohort where she was placed in Epping Forest District Council. She remains working on the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town development and supporting their Sustainability Guidance; setting the ambition and standards for Environmental & Socio-Economic sustainability; ensuring that high-quality sustainable design is embedded within new developments, and, in the regeneration of existing communities.

VINCENT LACOVARA

Vincent Lacovara is an architect, urban designer and planner. He joined Enfield Council as Head of Planning in 2018 where he is responsible for planning policy, urban design and heritage, CIL and S106, development management, planning enforcement and building control. Prior to Enfield Council, Vincent worked in the planning department at Croydon Council for 15 years and as Placemaking Team Leader led on masterplans, public realm projects, the design and heritage aspects of planning and Croydon Place Review Panel. Vincent co-founded AOC architects where he was a director from 2003 until 2014. He is one of the Mayor of London’s Design Advocates and member of several design review panels. He has taught widely and was Louis I. Khan Visiting Professor at Yale School of Architecture. He was a winner of the 2017 Alan Cherry Award for Placemaking.

JOBS

Our team is changing and growing. For the last four years, we have been curating a placement programme for built environment practitioners to enter the public sector and partnering with local authorities to identify the skills they need to create better places. As we evolve with new leadership and new ambitions to expand nationally, we are looking for team members to help us work towards our mission and vision. Please regularly check back on this page to find out if we are looking for new team members.

We are currently not looking to hire any new team members at this time.