I am a global advocate for children's outdoor play and mobility, and an independent scholar, writer and consultant.

My Churchill Fellowship was on child-friendly urban planning and design, gathering insights from municipalities in Europe and North America that have invested significant time, money and energy in making their public realm more child-friendly. I have long been interested in children's relationship with their neighbourhoods, and in the way that the built environment influences their lives, going back to my time as the Director of the Children's Play Council (now Play England).

My book Urban Playground: How Child-Friendly Planning and Design Can Save Cities (RIBA Publishing, 2021) – which has been reprinted – draws heavily on my Churchill Fellowship travels, and on subsequent visits to cities in Albania, Brazil and Israel (supported by the Bernard van Leer Foundation through its Urban95 initiative).

Since my Fellowship, my work has largely focused on disseminating and putting into practice its findings. I have also been appointed as a Design Council Ambassador. I believe I have contributed to significant growth in interest in my topic in the UK and beyond.