Sem Lee

Honoured to have been included in @_zetteler_ ’s 26 for 2026 list of changemakers. Grateful for all our friends and family supporting and following our journey. Thank you @_zetteler_ @sabinezetteler @hardeep.earth and team for being magic in all you do 🌸 x Photo credit: Bella Keery (@bellakeery ) at @pokyopokyo ’s studio ✨

❤️💙 📍Jeonju, South Korea Some serious shots from a seriously amazing day

Work update 💥 In the last year I’ve been working closely with academics, local authorities and community organisations to understand how we can take a systems approach to planning (urban planning) for health in England. Taking a systems approach means that everyone can reap the benefits of trying to understand what is the root cause of any one thing - poor quality housing, lack of green space, access/ lack of access to hot food takeaways just to name a few things we’ve been looking at. The work continues but pretty stoked (literally cannot believe it) to have had the opportunity to contribute and co-author a paper on what taking a systems approach to planning for health looks like for England with Michael Chang for Planning Practice and Research Journal and now on the UK Health Security Agency site! Michael thank you for your trust and collaboration. 🌞 #healthyplaces #healthandwellbeing #policydesign #servicedesign #systemsdesign

Beautiful evening down Doughty Mews for @urbanistasldn hosted by the lovely team at @ashsakulaarchitects . We slowed down. Listening for the hum of the city behind the quiet mews. Pressed our hands against brick and leaves. We noticed the smell of damp stone, the pub food gently tickling our noses, the sweet smell of flowers spilling onto the pavement. We asked where the street invited us in and where it gently held us back. So much of our work at OURI Labs sits in the place between what we can measure and what we can only feel. Data and metrics matter, but how do we continue to capture whether a place welcomes us, whether it lets us breathe and whether it belongs to us? A joyfully, crafty evening (ps. We got the sparkly gel pens and pipecleaners out for this one!)🌿 Thank you to everyone who walked, paused, and shared with us. 📷 Beth Allen @ashsakulaarchitects #Urbanistas #placemaking #urbanhealth #feltplace #sensorycity @anviiaggarwal @valentina_riverso_ @a_t_00_s_a @stephpan728

Landing back from @urbanlandinstitute ‘s ULI Health Leaders’ Closing Forum which I had the privilege and honour of joining in Hong Kong for. Brilliant 4-day programme to end a 9 month learning journey with leading experts in urban planning, architecture, arts, academia, research and government agencies from across the world. On this trip we journeyed through Hong Kong’s history, people, place and changing urban fabric. Here traditional high streets are becoming obsolete as extreme density pushes retail above ground. Mall culture doesn’t just exist in standalone buildings but it weaves through the in-between spaces with the intention to get people moving through space in the most efficient way possible - and you can feel it! Thoughts are still percolating and am sure I will share more thoughts soon but for now - if you’re an urbanist working in urban design and health I’d strongly encourage you to apply to ULI’s Cohort 9 of Health Leaders. 💛

It was such a privilege to be invited to speak alongside experts in industry earlier this year about how we authentically collaborate with communities in housing development and regeneration. Thorny topics thrown which was great because we need to talk about how it’s still more common than not that this process is done without the people it serves. I got to speak about the work at @forestclt and emerging insights from our work at @ouri_labs on how we might begin to integrate participation in all elements of housing development. Surreal and humbling ❤️. 📷 @fionafinchett Thank you @tateandco_ and Jerry for hosting a great discussion. #CommunityintheCity #TateandCo #housingdesign #housingdevelopment #participation #participatorydesign

And just like that it's the end of a 6 month accelerator programme at @nef.plus Last Friday, we all pitched our businesses and celebrated our journey and achievements from the programme. Congratulations to the finalists and all the Fellows. It was humbling to receive the MVP (most valuable player) award from the Fellows - thank you so much !! The programme has been truly transformational for @ouri_labs as we take it into the second year. Focusing more on our research, evaluation and workshop services to help deliver impactful outcomes in the built environment.  Follow us to keep updated on all things @ouri_labs Thank you to the team at NEF+ for their support and guidance throughout the process. An even bigger thank you to all the Fellows on the cohort - it has been a huge privilege to be on this journey with you and can't wait to see what the future holds for you all. In the words of @maxxturing NEFer give up. Onto the next part of our founder journey... #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #NEF #newentrepreneursfoundation #urbanresearch #urbandesign #participatoryresearch #consultancy #sustainability #regeneration #equity #publichealth #builtenvironment

Reflecting back on Saturday's Citizens Assembly with @wemakecamden . This week was all about setting the #vision and #principles of the Evening and Nighttime Economy Strategy. There were themes emerging with regards to #health, #inclusivity and #heritage. Great to be involved in this process to evaluate the effectiveness of this deliberative process in shaping Camden's first Evening and Nighttime Economy. And hear all the perspectives from diverse communities within Camden. #participation #participatorydesign #inclusivity #healthycities #deliberativeprocesses #24hourLondon

A school of architects

A few on site shots from trips with @forestclt the past few months.