Can you help Freya with her dissertation on gender equality in the planning profession?

We have been delighted to welcome Freya Cunningham, an Urban Regeneration Masters student from UCL, to Build Studios for a 6 week work placement. Freya has helped us with managing the co-working space, event production and developing our communications systems. She has also conducted research that will inform our future events programme.

We caught up with Freya about her Masters dissertation on gender equality in the planning profession. This is an important topic that complements our own work to improve access and diversity in the built environment sector.

“The aim of my dissertation is to examine the institutional frameworks that exist to support the promotion of women in planning in the UK, and to investigate whether these are effective in creating gender equality within the planning profession.

One of the most straightforward ways to ensure that our built environment serves everyone is to ensure that the planning sector is representative of wider society and that equal opportunities are offered to all planners at each stage of their career.

I plan on conducting interviews with female planners to gain an understanding of their opinions on gender equality within the planning profession. I am looking for planners who are willing to discuss their professional experiences and their thoughts on what institutional action (if any) is needed to ensure that equal opportunities are open to all planners.”

If you are willing to conduct a brief interview with Freya (until mid July 2019) either in person or over the phone, please contact [email protected]

Any built environment students wishing to undertake a work placement at Build Studios should also contact [email protected]