Thinking about applying to the Associate Programme? Our first online Information Session is one week from today.
Join us to learn more about the programme, the application process, and what it’s like to move into public sector placemaking with Public Practice. You’ll hear from programme Alums working in planning, urban design and landscape architecture, alongside the Public Practice team, with time to ask your questions before you apply.
We’ll cover:
— How to apply
— What it’s like to be an Associate
— How the programme supports your move into local government
— How your placemaking skills could apply in the public sector
Thursday 21 May, 12–1pm.
Second session: Tuesday 2 June, 5:30–6:30pm
Sign up via the Info Session link in our bio.
Applications to the Associate Programme are now open.
Use your built environment skills where they can shape places, decisions and communities.
You don’t need public sector experience. We support your transition into local government.
Applications close 10am, Tuesday 16 June 2026.
Apply now via the link in bio.
At our recent Placement Stories day, Associates celebrated their stories of delivering lasting change after the challenges of role and sector change.
Their stories reflected both the ambition and the day-to-day of public sector work, the challenge of stepping into new teams and new ways of working, as well as what can happen when experienced placemakers are supported to make that transition.
Across the cohort, Associates have helped unlock capacity, bring fresh thinking into teams, and make a lasting contribution in their roles across planning policy, development management, regeneration, retrofit, and conservation.
We’re proud to celebrate this cohort and everything they’ve achieved.
Applications to the Associate Programme are now open. Link in bio.
Placemaking today isn’t shaped by a single decision-maker.
It happens through networks of people working across institutions and sectors.
Last week we joined the @SuffolkDesign Collective to explore what this means in practice. Our CEO Pooja Agrawal Pooja reflected on how placemaking has evolved from post-war hierarchical planning to a much more networked landscape of actors: local authorities, communities, developers, investors and civic institutions.
That shift raises important questions:
— What does placemaking look like in a truly networked society?
— How do we build trust and empathy across networks in an age of public debate and social media amplification?
— And how do we move beyond transactional collaboration towards shared, mission-led partnerships for the long term?
At Public Practice, these questions shape our work. Through our Associate Programme and community of practice, we connect placemaking professionals across local government and the built environment by strengthening capability and collaboration across institutions.
Thanks to and Suffolk Design Collective and to Chris King for the invitation and the thoughtful discussion.
#placemaking #localgovernment #builtenvironment #urbanplanning #publicsector
Good design has an impact when it’s embedded in public decision-making.
Last month’s launch of the 2026 Good Growth by Design programme signals a wider shift — design and placemaking are back at the centre of how places are shaped.
We’re proud to continue as an Advocate Organisation, supporting design as a practical tool for better public outcomes.
It’s been brilliant to see our co-founder Finn Williams recognised as a Design Advocate, alongside so many Public Practice alumni working inside local government and public bodies.
Our focus is to continue building capacity within local government across various regions and contexts—because effective design only works when incorporated into decision-making processes.
Good design in the public sector really matters.
@mayorofldn #GoodGrowthByDesign #DesignMatters #PlaceMaking #PublicSectorDesign PlanningForPeople CivicDesign BuiltEnvironment FutureCities DesignLeadership LocalGovernment
Behind Cornwall’s postcard image lies sustained housing pressure, shaped by land constraints, infrastructure capacity and affordability.
Our latest Public Notice article looks at how Cornwall Council @cornwallcouncil is responding through West Carclaze Garden Village: a long-term housing scheme on former industrial land near St Austell. Delivered over 15 years, it offers insight into how early infrastructure decisions, local housing evidence and cross-team coordination support delivery at scale.
As housing pressures continue to shape priorities across the UK, how are councils resourcing themselves for long-term delivery?
Read the full article via the link in bio.
Contributors: Alice Hardy, Amy Wallace, YAA Projects
#LocalGovernment #Housing #Placemaking #Planning #PublicSectorLeadership #Regeneration #Skills
We welcome Jordan Rolfe, our new Head of Operations, to our team.
Jordan brings over 10 years of experience in operations, organisational strategy, and people development with a strong track record in leadership training, social enterprise growth and values-led teams.
He’ll be leading our operations and helping strengthen how we work together as we grow our impact.
Learn more about Jordan via the About Us page via the link in bio.
“If any of the planners had an issue on design terms, they ask, ‘What does Suki think?’ straight away.”
– Paul Clarke, Head of Planning @derbycc
At Derby City Council, embedding in-house design expertise has transformed the way planning decisions are made. Rather than introducing additional layers of process, Suki Sehmbi embedded design judgment directly within day-to-day decision-making. Drawing-led workshops replaced extended correspondence, enabling officers and members to assess proposals visually and in context, at an earlier stage and collectively.
The shift has been both practical and cultural: officers now share a common design language, and decisions are faster, clearer and more confident.
Read the full story via the link in our bio.
By @epeirson | Photography by @_wesfoster_
#UrbanDesign #LocalGovernment #Placemaking #PublicSectorJobs #DesignLeadership #BuiltEnvironment #Planning
Leeds City Council @leedscouncil is investing in the systems that shape the city and the people who lead them.
Two senior leadership roles are now open, at a moment of major regeneration and opportunity rarely seen in local government. From managing a complex city-wide estate to turning flagship regeneration projects into delivery, these roles sit right at the heart of how Leeds works now and for the long term.
Now hiring:
— Head of Asset Management
— Head of Place and Regeneration Programmes
Full-time, permanent roles based in Leeds.
Find out more and apply via the Public Practice Jobs Board via the link in bio.
Deadline: Tuesday 13 January
#PublicSectorJobs #LeadershipRoles #Regeneration #PlaceMaking #LocalGovernment #BuiltEnvironment #UKJobs #Leeds
There are just a few days left to apply for the Associate Programme and find an impactful job in the public sector.
From right-to-work visas to previous experience, if you still have questions about your application, check the FAQs on our website for support and apply by Monday, January 5.
Links in bio.
#Placemaking #JobOpportunity #PublicSector
From Nigeria to Cornwall, Chukwumaobi Ibe shares what climate-led placemaking looks like in the public sector.
As Senior Project Lead for Sustainable Energy and Construction at Cornwall Council, Chukwumaobi works on low-carbon buildings and housing decarbonisation, helping shape healthier, warmer and more affordable homes.
Thinking about your next step in the built environment? Explore the Associate Programme via our bio.
#ClimateAction #SustainableDesign #PublicSectorRoles #BuiltEnvironment #Decarbonisation #Placemaking #CareerChange
What we saw in Stroud reflects a broader question for local government: how can we build the skills and capacity needed to support more places in community-led innovation?
This is the work Public Practice exists to support, strengthening local government so models like these can take root and endure.
Applications to the Associate Programme are now open. Apply by Monday, 5 January 2026.
Learn more and apply via the link in our bio.
Thank you to everyone in Stroud for welcoming and sharing your work with our team.
#Placemaking #LocalGovernment #CommunityLedDevelopment #PublicSectorCareers #BuiltEnvironment #DesignForPublicGood #UrbanInnovation #SocialInfrastructure #PlanningProfession #PurposeDrivenWork
