Walking with Pride
Professor Samer Bagaeen is RTPI Vice President
On Saturday 4 July, I was proud to walk in Pride in London for the first time as the RTPI’s Vice President, alongside members, colleagues, friends and leaders from across the planning, built and natural environment professions.
It was a thoughtful and deeply human reminder of what our professions are ultimately about: people, places and belonging. Walking together with partners from across the built environment, including CIOB, RIBA, RICS, LI, and the CIHT, felt like a visible expression of solidarity across disciplines. We may each bring different expertise, but we share a responsibility to help create communities, workplaces and public spaces where everyone can feel safe, valued and welcome. To walk alongside colleagues from the RTPI and leaders from across other professional bodies was both moving and energising.
Pride is rightly a celebration, but it is also a reminder that inclusion cannot be taken for granted. For many LGBTQ+ people, the world can still feel lonely, isolating or unsafe. The strength of Pride is that it brings people together, not only to celebrate identity and progress, but to stand up for dignity, respect and equality at a time when that commitment matters more than ever.
The atmosphere on the route from Park Lane to Whitehall was extraordinary. The crowds felt louder, deeper and more determined the further into the route we went, perhaps reflecting the importance people place on showing support for the LGBTQ+ community and for each other in uncertain times.
I was especially pleased to see the RTPI represented with such warmth and confidence, complete with our banner, new branded T-shirts and a strong sense of shared purpose. My thanks go to the RTPI team, and to everyone who helped coordinate, march, support and celebrate. It was also a pleasure to walk with old friends and new, and to see so many colleagues from across the public and private sectors standing together.
For me, this was more than a march. It was a statement about the kind of professions we want to be, and the kind of places we want to help shape. Everyone belongs. Everyone is welcome. The built environment must be a home for everyone.
