Acknowledgements

Writing this book has been a challenging but hugely enjoyable undertaking and my wife has been there all the way to discuss ideas and concepts and encourage me. Thank you, Lisa.

I would like to thank the following people for their inspiration, input and support. Thank you first to John Thompson, the founder Chairman of JTP, the energy and inspiration behind so many community planning Charrette processes that I have been privileged to be a part of. And to Harry “the Pencil” Harrison, whose special talent to interpret and illustrate placemaking concepts and Visions is displayed through a number of the case studies. I would like to thank managing partner Marcus Adams and all the partners at JTP for supporting the venture and encouraging me along the way.

Thank you to Debbie Radcliffe for sharing much of my community planning journey over the last 20 years and for her invaluable input into the book as a whole, and certain case studies in particular. Thank you to Bob Young for your insight and humour during many of the processes - I learnt a lot. Thank you to colleagues Adam Bowie, Dan Daley, Jenn Johnson and Leigh Yeats for their help researching, obtaining permissions and cataloguing the variety of images in the book.

Thank you to Robert Ivy from the American Institute of Architects for taking time to write such an elegant Foreword. Thank you to Angela Brady, past President of the RIBA for inviting me to contribute to her “British Papers” in 2015, which led to me submitting a proposal to RIBA Publishing for 20/20 Visions. Thank you to my colleagues at RIBA Publishing, in particular, my first Commissioning Editor Fay Gibbons and her successor Alexander White for their help and advice along the way.

Thank you to Joel Mills and Erin Simmons from the American Institute of Architects for their invaluable research and input into the history chapter, for introducing me to the communities and places of East Nashville and Santa Fe and for organising the Foreword from Robert Ivy. Thank you to Kobus Mentz and Susannah Goble from Urbanismplus. for supplying background material and input on Charrettes in Dunedin and Auckland. Thank you to Chip Kaufman and Wendy Morris from Ecologically Sustainable Design for their support and help with the Midland, Perth case study. Thank you to Professor Brian Evans and Graeme Pert who were so helpful with pulling together the Dumfries case study. Thank you to Fred London and Andreas von Zadow for their support and input to the Lübeck case study. Thank you to Chris Jones and Howard Bowcott for their support and input and for spending the day with me in Blaenau Ffestiniog

Thank you to many others who helped with the case study research in particular Suby Bowden and Gayla Bechtor for Santa Fe; Jonathan Davis, Roisin McDonough and Tony McCauley for Crumlin Road; Kieran Kinsella and Brian Hunt for Midland, Perth; Hunter Gee and Carol Pedigo for East Nashville; Nick Taylor and David Kelly for Scarborough; Halldora Hreggvisdottir and Ari Geirsson for Urridaholt; Marina Khoury and Xavier Iglesias and Matt Shillito for River District; Ben Bolgar, Ben Zucchi, Jim Chapman, David Houghton, Dr Jane Ratcliffe and Eleanor Brogan for Alder Hey; Ruth Cadbury MP, Judith Salomon and Malcolm Wood for Kew Bridge; Evelyn Hanlon and Ali Grehan for The Liberties; Veronica Eastell for Dunedin; Scott Dalgarno and David Cowie for Thurso and Wick; Kevin Collins, Richard Stay, Edward Irving and Alison Tero for Caddington; Steven Mindel and Emma Robinson from Barnes; Shujie Chen for Hangzhou; and Nicholas Boys Smith for Paddington Place.

Thank you to those who took time to meet with me and share their thoughts, experience and resources including, Andrés Duany, Bill Lennertz, Nick Wates, Paul Murrain, David Taylor, Nabeel Hamdi, Lynne Ceeney and Biljana Savic.

Like so many others, I am indebted to those who established the R/UDAT process in the United States 50 years ago and those who have spread the word and practice worldwide. And to clients from the public, private and community/third sectors who have commissioned Charrettes and given communities the opportunity to express their creativity.