Dr Sarah Crowe

Sarah Crowe is a Recognised Practitioner in Urban Design, Chartered Town Planner, Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is currently a Lecturer in Town Planning at the University of the West of Scotland where she teaches modules including urban regeneration and placemaking, planning policy and practice, blue and green space design, governance, work-based learning and dissertation supervision. A certified Lego® Serious Play® facilitator, Sarah develops participatory engagement processes that foreground creativity, accessibility, co-production and trust-building.

In November 2025 Sarah completed her PhD Blue Green Placemaking: Enhancing Liveability and Flood Resilience in Urban Environments, funded by the Scottish Government’s Hydro Nation Scholars Programme. Her research focuses on integrating blue green infrastructure, placemaking and participatory design to create liveable, inclusive and climate-resilient urban environments. She is particularly interested in combining environmental, social and economic benefits and exploring creative methods that enable communities to shape their surroundings.

Before joining academia Sarah gained extensive experience across local government, housing providers and public agencies in Scotland and England working in regeneration, spatial and environmental planning, economic development and community engagement. She has led place-based projects that integrate environmental improvement with community priorities and economic growth, experience she brings into her teaching to prepare students for real-world urban planning challenges. Sarah employs hands-on creative methods including Lego® Serious Play and craft-based tools to help students and communities co-design context-specific solutions.

Sarah is active in shaping the planning profession through the Royal Town Planning Institute, serving on the Scottish Executive Committe, the Scottish Policy Sub Committee and the Partnerships and Accreditation Panel. She also serves as the external examiner for the University of Plymouth’s BSc in Environmental Resource Management. Recently she was appointed to the Technical Panel for the AIPH World Green City Awards 2026, joining an international multi-disciplinary team of experts in urban greening, nature-based solutions and sustainable city design.

Sarah is keen to collaborate with private consultancies, local authorities, NGOs and research institutes on projects that deliver creative, inclusive and climate-resilient urban spaces. Her focus is on integrating blue-green infrastructure, participatory design and co-creation methods to enhance community wellbeing, liveability and sense of place. Her aim is to bridge research, teaching and professional practice to create tangible, design-led solutions addressing social and environmental challenges.