Ruth Gow McLenachan

Areas of work: Healthy urban planning in theory and practice, facilitating multidisciplinary work, developing the Healthy Cities Generator tool

Office: Barcelona

Languages spoken: English, Spanish, French, Catalan

Education: Master’s (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) + Undergradute (Universidad de Sevilla) in Architecture; Postgrad in Urbanism & Health (UPC)

Previous work experience: Urban Planner in a Local Authority (Ajuntament Sant Feliu de Llobregat, 2021-22), leveraging large-scale urban transformation projects to achieve a more active, accessible and healthy city. Actively involved in citizen participation strategies, to grow awareness amongst the community and communicate the cities’ vision in a clear way.

At the weekend: I’m cycling in and around Barcelona.

An idea that powers me: Exploring the potential of urban planning as a tool to generate health. Supporting planning authorities to build healthier cities across Europe and beyond, by placing health at the centre of stakeholder engagement and decision-making. Applying practical tools and frameworks to support practitioners in considering the health impacts of urban interventions. Bringing new ideas to the field, advancing the state of the art in healthy urban planning tools.