Laura Alvarez

Senior Principal Urban Design and Conservation Officer, Nottingham City Council, alkiki healthy, happy, places Co-founding Director, Urban Design Group East Midlands Convenor

Laura is the East Midlands Convenor for the Urban Design Group and was amongst the first recognised urban design practitioners in the UK. She is currently a Senior Principal Urban Design and Conservation Officer at Nottingham City Council, where she is developing the Design Quality Framework for the City. She has an active role in co-running the Urban Room.

Laura completed a PhD at the University of Nottingham, researching applicable theory on socially sustainable urban design in neighbourhoods. She looked at issues such as urban morphology, social networks and place psychologies as contributors to healthier, happier lifestyles. After four years working in higher education, she is now a guest lecturer at Universities of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent and Manchester.

Her 25 years of work in practice include consultancy for the award winning Trent Basin scheme in Nottingham. She also assisted local and regional authorities reviewing the design of residential developments and provided urban design and master planning training to house builders, recently supporting Redrow Homes in the development of their Placemaking Guide.

Laura is an external expert advisor to the North East Derbyshire District Council Urban Design Academy and a local host for the Place Alliance. She sits at the Design Midlands and South West design review panels and she is a published critic, and radio and TV commentator. Her work includes contributions towards the Design Companion for Planning and Placemaking.

Laura is also a qualified Community Organiser and has worked closely with local groups and residents designing innovative ways of bottom up engagement and co-design. She co-runs alkiki, a CIC dedicated to help communities and authorities in need of built environment resources and skills.