Participatory Planning and Community Engagement

A strong advocate for inclusive planning practice, Sarah develops and delivers participatory engagement processes that empower communities to meaningfully influence change. She uses hands-on, creative tools—such as Lego® and craft materials—to demystify planning concepts and encourage genuine dialogue between residents, professionals, and policymakers. Her methods foreground accessibility, co-production, and trust-building as foundations for equitable planning outcomes.

 Blue-Green Infrastructure Integration

Through her doctoral research, Sarah explores how blue-green infrastructure (BGI) can function as a catalyst for local regeneration. She examines not only its environmental role in managing flood risk, but also its potential to deliver social, economic, and wellbeing benefits when understood as a community asset. Her work contributes to wider conversations on nature-based solutions, infrastructure equity, and the integration of environmental planning into everyday urban life.

Planning Policy and Practice

Informed by experience across local government, housing associations, and public sector agencies, Sarah investigates how planning policy is shaped, implemented, and experienced at different scales. Her work focuses on aligning statutory planning processes with local engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and place-based priorities. She is particularly interested in how policy frameworks can support more just and responsive approaches to regeneration.

Placemaking and Urban Regeneration

Drawing on her expertise in placemaking, urban design and regeneration, Sarah takes a place-based, community-oriented approach to shaping urban environments. Her work explores how collaborative and participatory methods—especially visual and creative techniques—can foster civic pride, reflect local identity, and support more inclusive and equitable forms of regeneration. She understands placemaking as a cultural and social process, grounded in lived experience and collective imagination, rather than solely a matter of physical design.

Professional Recognition 

• Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI)

• Recognised Practitioner in Urban Design (Urban Design Group)

• Chartered Manager (CMgr MCMI)

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

• Certified Lego® Serious Play® Facilitator 

Engagement and Leadership within the Planning Profession

Sarah provides valued leadership and sector expertise through her active participation in the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).  She has served on the Lifelong Learning and Education Committee, supporting the development of planning education and continuous professional development. She is currently a member of the Scottish Policy Sub-Committee, contributing to the development of planning policy in Scotland and sits on the Partnerships and Accreditation Panel, helping to maintain and enhance standards in accredited planning education programmes. These roles reflect her commitment to shaping both the academic and professional dimensions of the planning discipline.