Women in Planning West Midlands

Took part in a fab Net Walking with Women in Planning West Midlands and the wonderful Dr Silvia Gullino around Birmingham. Conversations were based around accessing the city, navigation, who is included, who is excluded. Right up my street. Plus I got to meet some lovely allies today. Thanks for the invite and good conversations. One of a number of events celebrating #internationalwomensday2025

Today we hosted our first NetWalk of 2025. We all know the importance of getting away from your desk and stretching your legs throughout the day, but sometimes we need an organised event helps to get us away from the screens. It was great to collaborate with Birmingham City University’s School of Built Environment and Dr Silvia Gullino as we took a stroll. An opportunity to get to know one another, whilst assessing just how easy (or not!) Birmingham City Centre is to navigate by foot. Thank you to all attendee's contributions, we had some really interesting thoughts given with many shared experiences. But it also highlighted how we all interact with spaces differently due to our own experiences, physical needs, local knowledge and also the time of day that we are there. Some interesting observations for next time you’re in any city centre: 💭 increasing green spaces but ensuring safety 💭 retrospective urban design 💭 aiding navigation and sense of place 💭 inclusive design to support a diverse community We'll look to the sunnier weather (fingers crossed) to host our next NetWalk, hope to see you there!

To celebrate Women's History Month—and following the great participation last year—the Planning team is co-organising an informal Net Walk in Central Birmingham in collaboration with Women in Planning West Midlands. 💡 Goal: encourage a diverse group of participants (not just women) to join us on a walk around the city and network to discuss what matters most to us, envisioning alternatives that promote enjoyable living, working, and a sense of belonging and safety. 📅 Date: 13 March 2025 ⏱️ Time: 2-4 pm 📍 Meeting point: Birmingham City University, Parkside Building, Cardigan Street The event is open to all members of the #planning and #builtenvironment profession, but booking is essential! Tickets: https://lnkd.in/ewagpdBZ If you work/study at BCU, use the link below: https://lnkd.in/eD33t43D #WHM #birmingham #westmidlands #rtpi #rics #networking Emily Benstead Miguel Hincapié Claudia Carter Simeon Shtebunaev Huafeng Lu Débora Picorelli Zukeran Zeinab Hashem Bori Oluwole-Ojo

Tomorrow, Saturday 8 March 2025, is #internationalwomensday - a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, but also marks a call to action to all for accelerating women's equality. The Day is powered by the collective efforts of all, with this year's theme being "Accelerate Action." We ask all our Members and community to consider how you can #accelerateaction to speed up the rate of progress at all scales for positive impact/s. This year, we are collaborating with Birmingham City University with a NetWalk on 13 March 2025 - tickets available below. We hope to see you there! #womeninplanning #empowering #netwalk West Midlands Committee: Georgina Kean (C), Phoebe Farrell (VC), Jess Allsopp, Emily Benstead, Emily Hill, Martha Jennings, Alice Jennison, Sarah Jones, Ellie Liggins-Hughes, Rebecca Mushing, Laura Swindells, Olivia Thomas

NEW BLOG Read our latest blog from Harriet Shone from Cratus Group: Breaking Barriers: Insights from Cratus Group & Land, Planning and Development Federation International Women's Day Survey https://lnkd.in/eAT5TBPj

To celebrate #InternationalWomensDay2025, join us as we collaborate with Birmingham City University on our first NetWalk of the year, bringing together planning academics, industrial professionals and students. Our NetWalk will be led by Dr Silvia Gullino as we consider inclusive design practices and processes within Central Birmingham. Event Details: Thursday 13 March 2025 2 pm - Meeting in the foyer of Parkside Building, Cardigan Street, Birmingham 2:10 - 3:10 pm - NetWalk 3:10 - 4pm - Return to the venue for further thoughts and networking All are welcome to attend - our events are open to all members of the planning and built environment profession. Tickets - https://lnkd.in/evZ7PRas #womeninplanning #westmidlands #empowering #internationalwomensday #accelerateaction #netwalk

Yesterday morning, we hosted our second event of the year, where our panel discussed the role of strategic planning in supporting housing and infrastructure delivery across the UK. Thank you very much to Samantha Tarling for introducing the event with a summary of recent and emerging reforms and implications, including what devolution may mean; and our panel of Maria Dunn, Steven Keeley and Sarah Gregory, expertly led by Jo Farrar, for their thought-provoking contributions and insights. Certainly a lot for us to consider! We kindly thank our event sponsors, AtkinsRéalis, particularly the organisation of the event by Rebecca Flisher, for hosting on a lovely sunny February morning in Birmingham! Please keep a lookout for upcoming Women in Planning West Midlands communications! #womeninplanning #westmidlands #empowering #strategicplanning #devolution #housingandinfrastructure

Reflections on devolution and the strategic planning renaissance - It is a truth universally acknowledged that the current system is impeding the ability to plan strategically ... It was a pleasure to chair the Women in Planning event held at the AtkinsRéalis Birmingham office today, thank you to our panelists Maria Dunn, Steven Keeley and Sarah Gregory for making my job easy, to Samantha Tarling for giving us an insightful summary of the new and emerging reforms, to Rebecca Flisher for organising and to everyone who attended, I hope you enjoyed the discussion as much as I did. If the new system is implemented effectively and adequately resourced the new Spatial Development Strategies could be a powerful tool for housing and infrastructure delivery. #strategicplanning #devolution #planning #planningrenaissance #infrastructuredelivery #viability #collaboration #chamberlainsquare #birmingham #combinedauthorities #mayoralstrategicauthorities #MHCLG #planningreform

Join Women in Planning West Midlands, our sponsors, AtkinsRéalis, and key speakers on Tuesday 25 February for an exciting and topical panel discussion as we consider "The Future Landscape of Planning - The Role of Strategic Planning for Housing and Infrastructure." Our Panel: Jo Farrar - Head of Planning, AtkinsRéalis Samantha Tarling- Birmingham Town Planning Lead, AtkinsRéalis Steven Keeley - Senior Local Transport Consultant, AtkinsRéalis  Maria Dunn - Head of Development Policy, Birmingham City Council and WM RTPI Chair  Sarah Gregory - Director, Savills Birmingham Development Team Event Details: The event will be held on Tuesday 25 February at AtkinsRealis' Office (Two Chamberlain Square, Paradise Birmingham, B3 3AX). Agenda:  8:30-9:00 - Networking and Welcome  9:00-9:15 - Welcome and Presentation 9:15-10:00 - Panel Discussion 10:00 - 10:30 - Audience Questions, Close and Networking All are welcome to attend – our events are open to all members of the planning and built environment profession. Tickets: https://lnkd.in/e64rgVbe #womeninplanning #westmidlands #empowering #strategicplanning #housingandinfrastructure

Your Industry Needs Your Voice! In the lead-up to International Women’s Day 2025, Women in Planning is pleased to share an important industry-wide survey jointly conducted by Cratus Group, a leading communications consultancy in the built environment, and the Land, Planning and Development Federation. This research explores the experiences, challenges, and aspirations of women in the planning and development industry. We invite you to take part in this survey and share your perspective. Your insights can help shape initiatives to attract, retain, and empower women across the sector. The findings will be published by Cratus Group and the LPDF on 8th March 2025 to mark International Women’s Day. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. If you would like to participate in their research, please click the following link: https://lnkd.in/eRnsv7iP.