Public Practice: How working in the public sector helped me build the self-belief to explore a new path

Like many of you reading this article, I trained as an architect via a traditional pathway as it was the only available route at the time.

As a third culture kid, I took opportunities wherever possible to study, work, and travel abroad, building a diverse and interdisciplinary professional network - which I am still in touch with today. I recognise this is a privilege and it was a combination of these experiences which has helped me reconcile with my inner guilt of being the first generation in my family to access a high-quality education.

Whilst working in studios across Europe and Asia, I learned my strength was bringing international teams and local communities together. This included private and pro-bono practice on commercial and healthcare projects in Southeast Asia, the Netherlands, and more locally in the UK.

It has included working in the heritage and higher education sectors, and community engagement on regeneration schemes. My UK experience includes working with small private clients, large public bodies, and small emerging practices, as well as high-profile large practices in the North West and London.

I was often conflicted when working in developing places - asking myself what legacy I would leave my colleagues and the communities who would use the spaces I co-created. Did I enable local people to reimagine their own design practices, or did I reinforce the bias for European design ideals?

I had friends who worked in non-profit organisations and sustainable development for government or intergovernmental-funded organisations. The more we talked, the more I thought about how borders do not necessarily limit the global and local challenges we face. This applied to the projects I co-shaped, too; despite being lead consultants, the architectural practices were limited in the impact they could deliver by best practice design alone.

A key pillar includes working closely with citizens and building trust through incremental engagement and action

It seemed appropriate to see if there were opportunities to try a different perspective to tackle these challenges with a more strategic approach by being in a client role. One of these routes was joining the public sector, where I could leverage funding and commissioning to deliver impactful change with a design-focused mindset.

I was deeply afraid and had imposter syndrome. I am still considered a young architect in comparison to other, more established architects. Do I really have the skills to be considered ‘an expert’ in a local authority role? What would happen if I wanted to go back into practice? I still wanted to gain more site and delivery experience.

The role I took on at the London Borough of Barnet was a Town Centre Senior Project Officer in the Economic Development team. This role included delivering short-term activations, community and business engagement, medium-term interventions and coordinating long-term strategic regeneration. 

My position in my first year at Barnet Council directly followed on from another Public Practice associate who left a wonderful legacy and set the foundations for me to continue - thank you, Azul.

Apart from being a lesson in resilience and adaptability in strategically navigating one of London’s largest boroughs, I was tasked with aligning various work streams with numerous cross-department stakeholders and external partners, including TfL, developers and consultant teams. A key pillar includes working closely with citizens and building trust through incremental engagement and action.

I respect the fields within the typical built environment disciplines, but working in the public sector has given me invaluable insight into how instrumental other disciplines outside of this bubble can be. For example, the important role family services, community safety, and economic development have in placemaking and gaining buy-in from marginalised groups of users.

The experience with Public Practice and working in a local authority has given me the self-belief and confidence to explore a different trajectory

You would be surprised how far you can get by simply listening and demonstrating you have understood the agenda of stakeholders, partners and developers as a baseline to finding a way forward - don’t underestimate the value of negotiation and being an ally.

A key project which has the potential to be impactful on the place I oversee is a multi-million investment into public realm improvements; including a temporary six-hour community ‘play street’ to creatively pilot other uses by diverting through traffic. Organic community conversations were able to flourish, normalising vibrant pedestrianised space within the most disadvantaged ward in the borough. The short-term intervention has since gained wider stakeholder support and secured further external investment.

Apart from the common challenges of navigating political environments, there is great joy in the small wins. Whether that is gaining a citizen’s belief that their input has a tangible outcome or changing a key decision-maker’s perception, I’ve realised that these small effects all lead to long-term impact and investment in a place. The environment has a splash of changeability, and there is a lesson in problem-solving competing priorities.

As part of Public Practice’s associate programme, I felt supported by a like-minded collective from a diverse range of stages in their careers and disciplines across England, which is important in moving away from a London-centric narrative of best practice in delivering places. The programme’s progressive approach and networks have been the most valuable - listening to other associates’ experiences in different contexts makes you think outside the microcosm of your own placement. 

The experience with Public Practice and working in a local authority has given me the self-belief and confidence to explore a different trajectory and space to prioritise my well-being. If I returned to architectural practice, I would bring invaluable client-side knowledge with me.

At the moment, I will stay at Barnet Council as part of the new Placemaking Team, but I am excited to see how with strategic thinking, creativity and leveraging of funding, we can envision neighbourhoods where marginalised communities are supported and enabled to carry on shaping places long after our programmes have ended.