Katy Rodger is one of PAS’ TAYPlan Young Placemakers, and a young planner. In this, the next in the Planning for Legacy blog series, Katy reflects on the opportunities that a theme of legacy can have for young planners starting their planning career.
I was really excited when I was invited by TAYPlan to attend the RTPI Centenary Conference. As I am just starting out on my planning career, this was a great opportunity to network and gain a better understanding of how different areas of the profession work.
From the start I was really inspired by the theme of ‘Legacy’. The idea of building a better world for our future generations is a huge part of why I decided on a career in planning. During my recent role as a TAYPlan Young Placemaker, it became very apparent to me that young people, in particular, are hugely concerned about ensuring we are working towards providing a healthy and sustainable environment for the future. From this perspective I found the launch of the RTPI Planning Horizons paper ‘Promoting Healthy Cities’ a particular highlight. My undergraduate studies in social policy have made me very aware of how critical planning is in ensuring we establish and maintain a healthy and equal society.
Throughout the day I also noticed the full extent of how welcoming and engaging the planning profession can be. From the speakers, who were ready and willing to answer any questions thrown at them, to the number of participants who took the time to give me some much appreciated words of advice and even the level of engagement that took place on twitter, both during and after the event, it became apparent that planning is a hugely approachable and social discipline. I was greatly inspired by the messages of positivity, hope and innovation that were a key theme throughout the day
RTPI SCOTLAND 