Charlotte Morphet joined the school in February 2020 as a doctoral researcher and has since become a senior lecturer for planning, housing, and geography. She has over ten years of experience as a chartered town planner and her doctoral research focuses on women’s experiences working in leadership roles in the planning profession in England. She is also the Centre Manager for the Joint Distance Learning Consortium (JDLC), which comprises London South Bank University and the Open University and runs the MSc in Urban and Rural Planning.

Tell us a bit about you and what led you to working with the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing

I am passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion in the planning profession and planning practice, which led me to work at the school. Senior Lecturer Dr Karen Horwood got in contact about a network I co-founded called Women in Planning, as she was organising an academic conference called Women and Planning. I presented two papers at the inaugural Conference in 2019, one on some research I undertook called 'Who’s Leading Planning'.

After the Conference, there was an opportunity to apply for a professional doctorate bursary at the school to develop this research further. I applied and became a doctoral researcher in 2020. In my first year, I gave guest lectures on my research and planning practice, and later led a module on Urban Planning. I loved it. When a vacancy for a senior lecturer arose in the team, I jumped at the opportunity. I am now a year into the role and really enjoying being part of the school and university.

What makes you passionate about your work around planning, and why is it important? 

I am passionate about planning because it can make a difference for the better. From the location of jobs, homes, infrastructure, place-making, and regeneration to protecting natural and historical environments, it impacts everyone and involves working with communities.

There can be a lot of challenges in the planning system, many of which need investigation. I find understanding and researching these issues interesting - whether that is trying to understand why local authorities are slow to update and adopt local plans, or why there’s not been a take-up of gender-sensitive planning.

How is collaboration integral to your work, and what are one or two collaborations that have been most meaningful to you?

Collaboration is part of the day-to-day role and can vary from working on a joint academic paper with colleagues on different modules to delivering the MSc in Urban and Rural Planning.

One of the collaborations that has been most meaningful to me is working on a collaborative academic paper led by Dr Karen Horwood. It brought together some of the papers presented at the Women and Planning Conference in 2019 and is my first peer-reviewed academic paper, so it is a significant collaboration.

Another collaboration that has been meaningful to me is the work I undertake as the Centre Manager for the Joint Distance Learning Consortium. The course is a collaboration between three universities: Leeds Beckett, London South Bank and the Open University. Working together across different institutions, we provide a unique offering to students, and we all bring our specialism to the course, which is a real strength.

What achievements in this area have you been most proud of while working in the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing? 

In my first year, the achievement I am most proud of is maintaining the Royal Town Planning Institute accreditation for the MSC in Urban and Rural Planning with our Joint Distance Learning Partners. It is the hallmark of the profession, and it attracts students and enables them to become chartered planners.