Reflections from the other side

At the beginning of the year, the Public Practice team invited Associates who started their placements in Spring 2024 to write postcards addressed to our future selves.

At the time, we were uncertain about what lay ahead in our placements, and we were questioning our own abilities as we stepped into new roles working within the public sector. Nearly a year later, we now respond to our past selves with a moment of reflection on our placements.

There are 22 of us, each from different parts of the world and with different professional backgrounds. Joining the Public Practice programme marked a pivotal moment for us—a departure into unknown territories, new careers, roles, boroughs and cities. Our cohort has been the most geographically diverse to date, with placements spanning six regions across England, including breaking new ground in the Southwest of England.

We first convened at our Learning and Development Days and then continued to meet at field trips throughout the year. From North Somerset to York to Norwich to Dorset, the programme has introduced us to unfamiliar places and revealed the realities of working within the public sector. We have gained insights into how different councils operate, from their day-to-day processes to the challenges they face—such as addressing resource constraints, adapting to environmental change and responding to the evolving needs of their communities.

The programme has been invaluable to our transitions into the public sector, providing a solid support network and a reliable space to turn to whenever challenges have arisen. We have worked against a backdrop of a national election and a change in government, seeing new Members of Parliament, councillors and systems of governance take hold. These changes have brought uncertainty and we are still learning what they might mean for the public sector. Faced with political changes, the climate crisis, austerity, housing shortages, inequality and the cost-of-living crisis, much of our work this year has been focused on finding ways to centre community, care and placemaking in all that we do.

A postcard is at once public and private. Unlike letters, which conceal the sender’s message, what is written on a postcard is on display, opening a new communication space between the private and the public. Some of our postcards are personal, others more general; some focus on specific places, while others offer broader reflections. But mostly, our reflections are meditations on the everyday life of a council officer, with images reflecting seemingly ordinary places.

The postcards carry themes of the everyday. The postcards we ‘sent’ on our first day on the programme were written with uncertainty, a sharp contrast to where we are now. To our past selves, we say: ‘Wish you were here!’

Spring 2024 Associates:

• Alice Hardy
• Alice Tsoi
• Beatrice Munby
• Chukwumaobi Ibe
• Cristina Preciado
• Eleanor Brough
• Emma Twine
• Jānis Vilciņš
• Jason Tsang
• Joanna Sawkins
• Karan Pancholi
• Khalif Koleoso
• Kirsten Williams
• Laura Keay
• Nompsy Chigaru
• Quincy Haynes
• Sarah Harding
• Shade Abdul
• Sohanna Srinivasan
• Sophie McCombes
• Sophie Missen
• Suki Sehmbi
• Tahmineh Hooshyar Emami

Alice Hardy & Amy Wallace, Cornwall Council

Greetings from Cornwall!

Cornwall is known for its dramatic rural and coastal landscapes. However, our roles within the Strategic Housing Team have been a learning process in understanding the county's challenges. It faces heightened environmental conditions, an influx of second homes and an increasing need for affordable housing. There is a need for resilience, symbolised in the Cornish brutalism of our offices.

These challenges demand creative solutions, which drew Cornwall Council towards Public Practice. Our team works to enable housing delivery, spanning from 1-bed retrofits to new garden villages, striving to provide safe and secure places for every person to live. We are very proud to be working with Cornwall and look forward to getting more resilient housing delivered on this unique peninsula.

Amy & Alice

Sophie Missen, Lewes District Council

Reflections from Newhaven…

Working in Lewes District Council, I have been involved in delivering government-funded capital projects to the town of Newhaven. In doing so, I have enjoyed getting to know this town with its rich cultural and industrial history, nestled in a dramatic landscape with a unique natural habitat.

Sadly, Newhaven has often been overlooked and not gotten the attention it deserves, but with recent investment, it is a place where many new things are just beginning. Progress has sometimes felt slow, but priorities have always remained steadfast:delivering environmentally sustainable change for the people of Newhaven and building community wealth.

Joanna Sawkins, Peterborough City Council

Wish you were here in Peterborough! The photo is of the lido, one of the older buildings in this (mostly) New Town.

I have come here to design local policies on issues that matter to the communities who live and work here. The process involves people, and I have found the practice to be relational. You will be pleased to know my previous career prepared me well for navigating the processes and politics of work in the Peterborough Planning team.

Something I have learnt is that my local authority could do with a few more people who can follow the life of ideas and journey through relational processes joyfully and with care. When are you arriving?

Kirsten Williams, Dorset Council

One year on, I see the nuance and complexity of the challenge the public sector faces.

In Dorset, this means tackling the climate crisis whilst delivering high-quality, affordable housing and infrastructure in an area with low-wage sectors, a lack of connectivity and an ageing population.

My architectural background gives me a valuable understanding of the process of designing and delivering projects, which has empowered me to approach my role with pragmatism and creativity.

The crumbling cliffs of West Bay reflect the challenge we face from the erosion of public services towering over an ever-building force requiring us to act.

Sarah Harding, Bristol City Council

Dear Sarah,

A year ago, you left a prestigious London architecture firm where you worked on high-profile international projects. Now, as a planning officer in the public sector, you make decisions that shape our ordinary spaces—spaces that may not be glamorous but are profoundly impactful.

Bristol reminds you of your hometown, Johannesburg. It has a complex history. It is rebellious, culturally rich, politically engaged and unpretentious. Yet, it faces significant challenges: housing shortages, widening inequality and a need for spaces that serve everyone.

This role has allowed you to focus on creating public value—prioritising raising the bar for the everyday spaces where people live, gather, and work. The work may not make headlines, but it feels meaningful and rooted in the communities it serves.

Love,

Sarah

Sohanna Srinivasan, North Hertfordshire District Council

North Hertfordshire, home of the world’s first Garden City at Letchworth, was once famous for its visionary design and spatial planning. Over a hundred years later, the district is on the cusp of considerable change and growth. With a recently adopted Local Plan that releases strategic sites far larger than anything the council has delivered in the recent past, it is now our responsibility to ensure growth happens in a way that creates equitable and desirable places for new and existing residents to thrive.

As a council, we must challenge the status quo, think big and take risks. As Principal Urban Designer with 13,000 homes under my care, I feel privileged to be part of the team shaping the district's future.

Laura Keay, London Borough of Merton Council

‘It’s okay not to see an immediate impact.’ This is a lesson I have embraced working at Merton.

Coming from a traditional architectural practice where results are visible and quick, I have learned that public sector work often operates on longer timelines. Some actions today may only yield results in 10 to 25 years.

Projects like the Local Area Energy Plan and Whole-Life Carbon Assessment will guide Merton towards net zero by 2050, while the Community Climate Action Fund fosters immediate community engagement. Together, they mix short and long-term goals, each advancing us towards a sustainable future. True impact takes time but it builds a lasting legacy.

Nompsy Chigaru, London Borough of Bexley Council

This place, Bexley, is still relatively new to me.

Sandwiched between inner London and Kent—the river Thames to the north and green fields to the south—the challenges and opportunities I am uncovering are myriad and unique.

The biggest opportunity I see?

The ferocity with which people advocate for their borough.

The passion of my colleagues and the residents I have encountered and our collective desire to shape spaces that celebrate this place and its people is palpable.

As I navigate policy and placemaking, I apply the skills learnt in my previous role as an architect to this new context. Eight months on, I am beginning to see how small, everyday actions are shaping a bigger picture, as policies are adopted, and major projects consented.

I am grateful to bring my perspective to shaping this place, which is simultaneously shaping my perspective.

Eleanor Brough, Reading Borough Council

As our young daughter learns to read and write, communicating her understanding of the world through language, I am navigating a new way of working. It is challenging but fundamentally rewarding. I find I am often ‘drawing outside the lines’.

Our aim is to deliver an exemplary regeneration project with a private sector partner. It is a complex and collaborative brief, weaving together new and existing uses to transform a town centre site of great importance to Reading—a place full of potential that deserves a vibrant and prosperous future.

The shift from my previous role has been significant, especially given the time spent deeply committed to a single architectural practice. However, I have always seen architects as communicators with the power to facilitate and deliver social benefit. This belief remains unchanged and has new relevance. I am reassured by the value my knowledge and approach hold in this new place.