About the Urban Design Group
Contact us:
- By phone: 020 7250 0892
- By email: admin@udg.org.uk
- By post: 70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ.
Working together to make life better in our cities, towns and villages
The Urban Design Group (UDG) is a campaigning membership organisation open to all who care about the quality of life in our cities, towns and villages and believe that raising standards of urban design is central to its improvement. The UDG believesthat good urban design depends upon successful collaboration between all those who shape the built environment, whatever their professional background.
Since our foundation in 1978, we have played a major role in putting urban design on professional and political agendas. There have been some major successes and a transformation in the quality of existing and new development.
However a great deal of development is still badly designed. More than three quarters of all planning applications in the UK are prepared by someone with no design training. Much development is designed or planned by people with little idea of how to work in an urban context. Our mission is to gear up the urban design movement to meet the challenge of overcoming these shortcomings.
The Urban Design Group is committed to:
- Improving the professional status of urban design and urban designers.
- Giving urban design an effective voice in government and the professions.
- Promoting collaboration within the urban design process and between the professions.
- Raising standards in urban design practice.
- Developing a network of urban designers both nationally and internationally
- Showing decision-makers the value of good urban design.
We work to support urban designers and foster an increased appreciation of the value of quality in the public realm through our events programme, newsletter and our acclaimed journal Urban Design - widely acknowledged as the leader in its field.
The UDG believes that urban design is not the job of any single profession so we welcome members from a broad range of backgrounds who share our principles. There are a number of different categories of membership - if you are interested in joining please click here.
In 2009 the UDG launched a new initiative, Recognised Practitioner in Urban Design, demonstarting its commitment to the best of urban design skills. This new category of membership gives professionals working in urban design the opportunity to attain greater recognition for their skills and experience as well as a stronger sense of common purpose and identity.
How is the Urban Design Group run?
The Urban Design Group is run by an Executive Committee, led by a chairperson with the support two vice chairs. The Executive Committee meet regularly throughout the year and are responsible for all major decisions relating to policy, new initiatives and the management of the Group. For a full list of current Executive Committee members, please see below.
There are also a number of smaller sub-committees including members of the Executive Committee and others; these committees deal with specifc areas of the Group's activity such as events, education, links with other organisations and the editorial board of Urban Design. We're always looking for new recruits for these committees; please contact admin@udg.org.uk if you are interested in becoming more involved.
The day to day management and administration of the UDG is carried out by its Director Robert Huxford and Development Manager Louise Ingledow based in London.
The UDG has an active board of patrons who help to promote the Group's goals to a wide audience nationally and internationally. Our current patrons are:
Alan Baxter
Irena Bauman
Sir Richard MacCromac
Dickon Robinson
Helle Soholt
Lindsey Whitelaw
John Worthington
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Amanda Reynolds BArch, MAUD (Dist), RIBA, FNZIA
Chair
Amanda is an Architect and Urban Designer with more than 25 years experience in master planning, urban design and a broad range of architectural projects in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. She is currently director of her own consultancy, Amanda Reynolds Urbanism. Prior to setting up her own practice, Amanda was Practice Director at Llewelyn Davies Yeang for 5 years leading the Urban Design team.
Amanda’s most recent experience has focussed on master planning solutions for brownfield sites in London, the Thames Gateway and throughout the UK including Belfast, Newcastle and Glasgow. These projects include major housing and mixed-use regeneration schemes for both public and private sector clients and a number have involved an expert witness role on urban design matters in Public Inquiries.
Amanda’s first degree in Architecture is from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and her work in the southern hemisphere in the 1990s encompassed mixed-use commercial and retail as well as urban design and housing projects. She was the New Zealand Director of an Australasian practice (Hames Sharley) combining architecture, urban design and planning, as well as taking a leading role in the NZIA and founding a local urban design group.
Teaching architecture and urban design is an important interest and Amanda’s experience includes tutoring at various universities and courses around the world including the CABE Summer School for its first 3 years
John Billingham MArch(Penn) Dip TP RIBA MRTPI
John is an architect planner and a founder member of UDG. He has taught Architecture at Manchester University and worked for a number of organisations throughout his career: BDP, Manchester City Council, Sheffield City Council, Chief Architect Planner Irvine New Town, City Architect and Planning Officer Oxford City Council, Director of Design and Development at Milton Keynes Development Corporation.
John has had a central role in the UDG over the years, at times on UDG Executive, as a Trustee and Director of UDSL, editor of UDG’s journal and the Urban Design Sourcebook followed by the Directory.
Riccardo Bobisse
Riccardo joined the UDG's Executive Committee in 2011. He is a practicing Urban Designer at JMP Consultants Ltd, where he leads the Urban Design team, specialising in streetscape and solutions. Before JMP, he worked for a local authority in London and a large multinational company in Ireland and Italy. He moved to London in 2004 where he gained a Masters in Urban Design from the University of Westminster and a Masters in Urban Regeneration from the Bartlett (University College London). In recent years, he has been involved in a number of high profile public realm schemes and collaborated with a wide range of professionals including some of the most innovative architects and designers. Riccardo has published a number of papers for professional and academic reviews on urban design and regeneration in the UK and Italy. His current interests include both hands-on topics such as the use of lighting in urban design as well as more theoretical issues such as policy analysis in regional planning.
Ben van Bruggen BA(Hons), MAUD
Ben provides advice to private and public sector clients on urban design and architectural aspects of projects. As well as undertaking a broad range of design work, Ben also assists clients in the selection of architects and masterplanners for projects. One of Ben’s particular areas of specialisation is in negotiating design through the planning process, including liaising with CABE, EH and local planning authorities. Ben also prepares evidence for and appears at planning inquiries to give expert evidence relating to urban design and planning.
Prior to joining Savills Hepher Dixon, Ben was Senior Design Review Advisor to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) where he was responsible for leading CABE’s Design Review work on major projects such as the Olympics bid, new hospital buildings and regeneration projects such as the Kings Cross Masterplan.
Ben is Chair of the Inspire East Design Review and Enabling Panel for the East of England Development Agency. He has been a member of the Urban Design Group Executive Committee for a number of years, including as Chair from 2006-08, and he played a central role in the development of the Recognise Practitioner in Urban Design.
Ben was involved in establishing, and now sits on, the Home Office Design Panel and is involved in reviewing new projects such as police headquarters building.
Ben joined Savills Hepher Dixon in 2006 from CABE and Greenwich Council with over 11 years built environment experience. Since joining, Ben has established a successful urban design function that complements the planning offer. He is now involved in Savills’ major projects giving expert advice on the design approach, the quality of the scheme and how the planning and design aspects of any application need to be communicated.
Philip Cave BSc, MA(LD), MLI
Philip has been a member of the UDG for about 25 years and a committee member for almost as long.
He has been principal of Philip Cave Associates, Landscape Architects and Urban Designers, for the last 20 years and is now based in Cowcross St, EC1. Before that he worked for an architectural practice, city and county councils.
Philip’s main interest is in designing inspirational public realm schemes both for private developers and local authorities. Currently he is working on inner city mixed use projects with public squares, strategic masterplanning, high density housing with public and semi-private spaces, roof gardens, green roofs and walls, waterside schemes, sustainable settlements, gateway projects and wayfinding. Most of his current projects are in the UK but past schemes have been in Dubai, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. As a small practice, he often teams up with other designers and artists.
Philip has tutored at various universities and for the previous two years he was on the Southwark Design Review Panel. Now he is a member of the LB of Newham Review Panel.
Andrew Dakin MPhil, Dip EM, MRICS, MRTPI, FRSA
Andrew has been a member of the Urban Design Group since 1996. This is his second year on the Executive Committee where he acts as an advisor on policy and governance, as well as representing the interests of Wales and the South West region.
An urban regeneration practitioner and previously a property developer with a total of 34 years experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors as well as within academia. Roles undertaken in the public sector in Wales since 1991 include the posts of Project Director for regeneration initiatives in the Cynon Valley and in Barry, and from 2006 to 2010 as the Director of Regeneration at the Newport Urban Regeneration Company. In addition to this Andrew has held a teaching position at the Cardiff University School of City and Regional Planning since 2005 and has been a Board Member of the Welsh Valleys based at Cynon Taff Community Housing Association since 1993.
Andrew’s current position is Deputy Chief Executive of the recently created Centre for Regeneration Excellence in Wales (CREW) which has been established to promote integrated regeneration throughout Wales.
Duncan Ecob MLI, MAUD, Dip LA, BA (Hons) LD
Duncan has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2006 and is its immediate past Chair overseeing the launch of the Urban Design Group’s Recognised Practitioner initiative.
Duncan is the Urban Design Project Director at Devereux Architects based in Putney, London. Since graduating as a Landscape Architect he has worked in the private and public sector in Manchester, Liverpool and London. He gained an MA in Urban Design from Westminster University in 1999.
Duncan’s urban design work has included Housing Market Renewal studies, town centre regeneration and new large-scale sustainable communities. His current workload includes a number of strategic plans for health care campuses and mixed-use regeneration frameworks.
His previous employers include GVA Grimley; John Thompson and Partners, Allen Pyke Associates, London Borough of Brent and Manchester City Council.
Duncan is also currently a member of the Landscape Institute’s course accreditation group for Kingston University’s Landscape BA (Hons) and post -graduate courses.
Sebastian Loew MRTPI PhD
Sebastian Loew qualified as an architect in Buenos Aires, Argentina and obtained a Masters’ Degree in Town Planning from the AA. Later he got a PhD from Reading University.
In London he worked for the GLC and for the London Borough of Islington before joining South Bank Polytechnic (now London South Bank University) where he taught planning and urban design. Since 1996 he has been a part-time lecturer in urban design at the University of Westminster. At the same time he runs workshops in urban design for a number of organisations: local authorities, consultants and government bodies. Together with Bill Erickson he ran the CABE Urban Design Summer School for the first three years and he has a substantial portfolio of clients.
He was a member of the Ministerial Urban Design Skills Working Group and for three years chaired UDAL’s education committee.
Sebastian has been visiting professor at various institutions in France and in Italy, and has collaborated in research projects with colleagues in both countries.
He has been a member of the Urban Design Group for some twenty years, has served on the Executive and been co-editor of the group’s magazine for the past ten. He has also organised a number of study tours for the UDG.
Colin Munsie M.Phil (UCL), TP, BArch (Uni W.A.), RIBA, ARAIA
Colin is an award winning architect, urban designer and planner who has worked and lectured all over the world. His expertise is in education, accommodation for elderly people and town centre regeneration.
In recent years he has worked as a senior member of the Urban Design team at Essex County Council where he was involved in the Essex Design Initiatives Exemplar Projects, BSF schools, design review and master planning guidance. He has also been a CABE enabler.
After gaining a scholarship and then graduating from the University of Western Australia, he worked with the Government of Western Australia in public works. He was also a founding partner in the successful Perth practice Architekton Architects, which was then Loughton Munsie Jeffery and Jodrell. In London Colin joined NIA Architects as a partner and at that time he gained an MPhil in Town Planning and Urban Design at The Bartlett School, University College London under Sir Peter Hall.
In the UK, such groups as the Welsh Development Agency (WDA), Newport Unlimited and Workspace Plc have sought his expertise particularly in urban design, regeneration and property development. This multi-dimensional approach was particularly valued by the WDA who commissioned him to carry out development analysis work for their premier site part of the regeneration of Barry the birthplace of Australia's current Prime Minister.
Katy Neaves BA (Hons); Dip LA; MAUED; CMLI
Katy is a dual qualified urban design and landscape architect and has been working within the private sector for over ten years. She is currently working as an urban designer for Turley Associates and has previously worked for Allen Pyke Associates, DLA Design Group, Corus Rail Consultancy and Babtie, before it became Babtie Jacobs. She has been a member of the Urban Design Group since 2005 and this is her second year on the Executive Committee.
Her urban design experience to date has included working in a range of sectors from large scale masterplanning and townscape analysis through to the detailed resolution of development parcels using design coding. She has also been involved in a number of character and visual impact assessments.
As well as being a chartered landscape architect Katy is also a Recognised Practitioner of the Urban Design Group. She gained an MA in Urban Environmental Design from Leeds Metropolitan University in 2003.
Katy is actively involved in the management of STREETLondon, the young urban designers’ network, which encourages young urban designers to meet and participate in the UDG. She has also lectured at Kingston University London.
Colin Pullan
Colin joined the UDG's Executive Committee in 2011 and has been a member of the UDG for over ten years. He is a qualified Urban Designer and Planner, heading up the Urban Design team at Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners.
Since graduating from the Oxford Polytechnic JCUD in 1987, Colin has worked in the private sector for some 24 years, undertaking a broad range of design work including: Regeneration, Master Planning, Development Briefing and Design Coding for both private and public sector clients throughout the country. In addition, he has extensive experience of presenting urban design evidence at Public Inquiry working with some of the Country's leading chambers.
As part of the Executive Committee, Colin sees his role as helping to ensure that the UDG continues to thrive and is seen as 'the voice' for promoting high quality urban design.
Paul Reynolds MLI,MAUD, DIP, LA, BA (Hons)
Paul has been a member of the UDG for 10 years and on the Executive Committee since 2006.
Paul is a practicing Urban Designer and Chartered Landscape Architect. Working for Atkins, he currently heads up the London urban design team. Having joined the company six years ago, and following a spell in their Cambridge office, he moved to London where he is now responsible for leading the company’s regeneration and masterplanning work in London and the Thames Gateway. He gained an MA in Urban Design from Westminster University in 2004.
His experience includes working with both public and private sector clients and on schemes of all scales and complexities. His current workload includes a number of transport interchange led masterplans, public realm strategies, and mixed-use regeneration frameworks. Paul is also currently a member of the London Borough of Hackney Design Review Panel, and a regular contributor to industry publications.
Barry Sellers BA (HONS) ARCH, BA (HONS) TP, DIP UD, MAUD, MRTPI, IHBC
Barry has been a member of the UDG since 1982 and was Chair of the Urban Design Group 2004-06. He has been a member of the UDG Executive Committee for around 10 years and has been involved in the formative stages of the UDG’s Recognised Practitioner status for Urban Designers.
Barry currently works as a Senior Planner in the urban design and conservation section at Wandsworth Borough Council. Since graduating in town planning and architecture he has worked in the public sector in Farnborough, Southampton and London. He gained a Diploma in Urban Design from Oxford Brookes University in 1984 and later completed an MA in Urban Design there.
His current workload includes a number of strategic sites for mixed-use development at Clapham Junction, Nine Elms and Springfield Village as well as input to the Local Development Framework and Conservation Area Appraisals. He is also involved in a scheme to improve the public realm in Clapham Junction Town Centre.
His previous employees include Rushmoor Borough Council, City of Southampton and London Borough of Lewisham.
Barry is currently a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, a member of the Institute for Historic Building Conservation and an affiliate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He has been a UDG representative on the Urban Design Alliance Management Committee, and Steering Groups (notably ‘Designing Streets for People’). Barry also gave evidence to House of Commons Select Committee on Transport on ‘Walking’ and has been involved with promoting Urban Design Week.
Alan Stones AADip, TPDip, RIBA, MRTPI, IHBC
Alan is a glass-half-full man! An architect-planner, he runs his own urban design consultancy. Currently involved in housing design quality assessment for Essex County Council, he also carries out master plan and design brief work, conservation area appraisals and architectural design, and acts as appeal witness.
Formerly a regional convenor, he has been on the Executive Committee since 2000 and was UDG chair from 2002 to 2004. He has been running week-long tours for the UDG since 1983.
Before forming his own consultancy, Alan was Head of Historic Buildings and Design at Essex County Council, where he co-authored the 1997 Essex Design Guide. From 2000 to 2003 he was principal director at Melville Dunbar Associates.
Niltay Tosun-Erdem, BScLA
Niltay has been a member of Urban Design Group since 2009 and joined the UDG's Executive Committee in 2011. She is an Urban Designer and a Landscape architect with over 5 years of experience in the private sector in the UK and Turkey. She is currently working as a senior urban designer for Broadway Malyan and has previously worked for Urban Initiatives.
Through her urban design experience Niltay has been involved in range of projects in the UK including master planning, concept and detail design, range of urban design frameworks, design and access statements, town centre regeneration, townscape and character analysis, and public realm and landscape works. She has been also involved in a number of round-table consultations with stakeholders and the general public.
Niltay is actively takes managing role within the STREETLondon, the young urban designers’ network, which encourages young urban designers to meet at walks and events, and participate in the UDG.
Jack Warshaw BArch, Dip TP, AADip, Cons RIBA, MRTPI, IHBC, FRSA
UDG Member since 1978. Founder/Director (1991) Conservation Architecture & Planning (CAP) Ltd. Previously Head of Conservation and Design, Wandsworth Borough Council. Over 40 years experience. Town Centre Plans, Conservation Plans, historic building and area appraisals, public realm, World Heritage sites, Riverside guidance, historic building rescue and repair, new buildings, Buildings at Risk, nationally authoritative policy and guidance, publications, expert witness, lecturing and broadcasting. Direction and co-ordination of several hundred historic environment projects.
Jack’s work has won a number of awards. He has held a large and varied number of positions, including, consultant, lecturer, course presenter, University examiner, BSI panelist, publication editor, UDG Trustee, IHBC Committee member, Community activist and advisor. He is also a professional folksinger and songwriter. Other interests include family, travel, art, the Arts and Crafts Movement, music, local planning, environment, gardening, food; wine, cinema, walks, cycling.
.
