Public Consultation - Climbing the Ladder to Participatory Planning

Timothy Crawshaw MA MRTPI FRSA is an International Planning and Development Consultant in the areas of urban design, planning, green infrastructure, energy efficiency and sustainable transport. With experience in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, alongside an expanding UK practice, he has a specific interest in the role of the nature based approaches to addressing the climate emergency, alongside improving health and wellbeing outcomes and tackling inequality.

Timothy is an experienced lecturer, trainer and facilitator with a passion for community development, and he continues to champion the role of planning as a key part of the solution to the challenges of our times. Timothy is currently the Chair of the Tees Valley Nature Partnership and Chair of the Historic Towns and Villages Forum.

I am a chartered town planner with experience of policy making and a commitment to promoting a critical understanding of development processes in the UK. However, my research interests lie primarily in the spaces that lie beyond the scope of statutory planning processes and I am particularly interested in alternative or marginal ways of perceiving and responding to urban problems. 

I have an ongoing interest in complexity theory, and actor-network theory in particular, and am interested in the role of objects in governing behaviour and in the potential of non-human actors to re-orientate established forms of government. I have a related interest in the politics of technology and in the relationship between research and societal change. 

Seb Weise is a founding director at PlaceChangers, a software startup based in Newcastle that specialises in tools designed to enhance early planning and design phases. Users included Karbon Homes, believe housing, Bellway, North Tyneside Council, City of London, Systra, Hedley Planning, Tibbalds, JDDK, and many more. He earned both an MRes and a PhD in Digital Innovation from Lancaster University. Before his involvement with PlaceChangers, Seb was a lecturer in Digital Civics at the Planning School at Newcastle University, where he taught the user-centered design of digital planning tools through design sprint methodologies. At PlaceChangers, he is frequently collaborating with architects and town planners to facilitate planning consultations. Recently, the PlaceChangers platform was awarded the 'Most Innovative New Product of 2023' by HousingDigital. The startup has been at the forefront of innovation consistently. Between 2019 and 2023, PlaceChangers sponsored a PhD position dedicated to exploring broader uses of BIM models in pre-planning online engagement, which demonstrated that 3D models increase participants' confidence in their viewpoints. Drawing from his experience with housing associations and house builders, he has a deep understanding of alternatives in the market place, the limits often encountered in engagement, and best practice.

Dr Alexander Wilson is a lecturer in urban planning within Newcastle University's School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape. Alexander is recognised for his research in designing, deploying, and evaluating alternative forms of engagement through digital technology.

Dr Alexander Wilson is a lecturer in urban planning within Newcastle University's School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape. Alexander is recognised for his research in designing, deploying, and evaluating alternative forms of engagement through digital technology.