Alison Lugsden, Principal Planner (Planning team)
What do you think built environment organisations should focus on to improve diversity? I’ve always been convinced that high quality development can fundamentally affect how people live. Planning matters, and design matters. Given that a good percentage of the people we’re planning and designing for are women, ensuring gender diversity in the profession is crucial. While women make up 50% of the planning team here at Nash, I think it’s important for the sector in general to focus more on reflecting the needs of the ‘end user’ at both ends of a project, from planning through to construction.
How can more women be encouraged to pursue a career in planning? These days, there are roughly the same number of men and women entering the planning profession (source – RTPI). However, this equal split isn’t apparent in the more senior planning roles, which are still mainly male dominated. So, for the planning profession, the question to ask may be ‘How can women be encouraged to progress in their chosen careers?’ Ensuring women are well-supported with the right policies, structures and professional development (both training and opportunities) can go a long way.
Why do you feel it’s important to mark International Women’s Day? Whether we’re talking about ethnicity, age, gender, or something else, diversity and equality can be complicated topics. Any opportunity that helps us to start conversations, share ideas and make commitments to better our society has to be a good one!