Jenny Elliott

Jenny tells us how studying Geography was a valuable decision which led to a freelance career in the built environment and design industry.

In your current position, what are your main responsibilities?

My work is varied but typically involves either the design, research, or visual communication of work to do with streets and public spaces. This might involve leading a team to conduct site surveys, user research, or analysing movement patterns within a public space or street to inform design recommendations for its improvement.

This involves better pedestrian priority, active travel infrastructure and ways to integrate green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage to improve its function as both a movement route and lively and vibrant place to spend time. I would typically summarise our research findings and design recommendations through a visual report for the client, or other photomontage, visualisations, or infographics as part of a report package.  

For other design clients, my work might focus more on providing visual communication and design input to an existing project or team. For example, previous clients and work include creating street visualisations, photography and film outputs for Living Streets, creating an infographic for the V&A Dundee, or the visual design of impact evaluation work for The Stove Network.  

It can also involve finding innovative ways to collaborate as part of interdisciplinary teams. For example, on one previous freelance urban design work, I won the Landscape Institute Award 2020 for my design work as part of the Edinburgh Living Lab's interdisciplinary project team combining service design, data-driven and participatory approaches. 

As such, my main responsibilities typically involve both securing new work - either through repeat work from existing clients, being recommended via word of mouth, or through more actively seeking new opportunities and putting proposals forward for work, as well as project managing and delivering the work commissioned for a client, whilst meeting their brief, budget, and timeline. As a freelancer, I run my own business and am responsible for all aspects of this, including financial and legal. 

Did you get into this role right after graduation?

Following the MA Hons in Geography I worked for an environmental consultancy, where my line manager was really supportive of combining my love of the natural world and focus on sustainable urban environments, with my passion for visual design and creativity and suggested I consider becoming a landscape architect. Realising how perfectly landscape architecture aligned with my interests, I went on to study a two-year conversion course at Leeds Beckett University, which included a year's ERASMUS at the University of Copenhagen.

I took a year out in-between the two master's years to work for City of London as a Project Officer in their Open Spaces department - gaining first-hand experience in landscape design, construction, management, and maintenance of urban green spaces, and being given responsibility to lead community engagement activities with local groups, schools, and other stakeholders.

My time in Leeds, London and Copenhagen was hugely important for me, I absolutely loved the landscape architecture course, exploring new cities and the experience gained in this time. I won the LDA-award for Excellence in Landscape Design in 2012 and went on to work in roles in landscape architecture and urban design in a mix of private design consultancies and public practice in London and subsequently, Australia.  

On moving back to Scotland in 2014, I co-founded a landscape architecture and design studio with two other landscape architects. We set this up as a not-for-profit and soon took on additional staff, working on a mix of landscape architecture, urban design, public art, user research and co-design projects, mostly in central Scotland. This was a fantastic experience, allowing me to also learn more about the business side of this work, and together we won several Scottish Design Awards. 

Since 2019, I have been self-employed as an Urban Designer working at the interface of urban design, co-design, research, placemaking, impact evaluation, graphic design, illustration, and photography, whilst also undertaking a PhD in Geography at The University of Edinburgh, focusing on how to realise better social and environmental outcomes for public spaces. 

What part of your role do you find the most satisfying?

Much of my work involves a mix of design work, talking to and understanding how people feel about a place, researching and assessing what changes would bring the most positive impact, and bringing people together to collaborate in a positive way that addresses the client brief and with the aim of ultimately improving the places we live in for both people and environment. I love that the work - particularly for public spaces - typically has ideas of social justice and environmental stewardship behind it, and the creative problem-solving that comes with design.

I see the projects I work on as an opportunity to make the world better in some small way. It's also true that the best results happen when people work together to try to change things for the better, and I find that focus on collaboration really positive. 

Often, I might be working on a project for a client that integrates data-driven, observational, and user-experience insights about the city to drive positive change through the design, analysis or visualisation of streets and other public spaces. This is also a really nice way to work - working closely with a client to meet their brief, by bringing in robust ways to gather qualitative and quantitative data around how a street, public space or other place is currently used, as well as more creative visual and design processes to help visualise, communicate, or realise this.  

I have also led numerous creative placemaking projects - using film, photography, visual arts, and participation to catalyse change and collaboration or reimagine overlooked urban places on a much more lo-fi and 'bottom-up' basis, which have also been hugely rewarding. From outdoor cinema showcasing local filmmakers work whilst cleaning up and activating derelict or vacant land, to community photography exhibitions in public spaces that make visible the talents and presence of those that know and care about a place. 

What part of your role do you find the most challenging?

This is actually the focus of my PhD! Alongside my freelance work I am also doing a PhD in Geography at The University of Edinburgh - funded by SGSAH - titled "Principles and policy, processes and practice: Practitioner-reported barriers and opportunities for realising greener, healthier UK public spaces at greater speed, scale and quality."  

The research explores - through surveys, interviews, and workshops with UK built environment practitioners - the challenges professionals experience in the reality of trying to deliver streets and public spaces more in line with their aspirations for best practice. There are a whole host of reasons it is not always possible to design, deliver, or implement a public space that meets what we know to be 'best practice'. Particularly in terms of things like providing high-quality green infrastructure, active travel infrastructure, or being as contextual or fully collaborative in its design.

The research will make recommendations for those changes to policy, processes, or practice that the industry or government may be able to make to enable the delivery of better public space outcomes.

Do you have any advice for students looking for a career in your field?

I came to Landscape Architecture and Urban Design through a slightly unconventional route - via a Masters conversion course following experience working in industry in a variety of related roles. This gave me experience in a range of other related fields and different work roles before honing in on landscape architecture and urban design as the 'niche' that combines these interdisciplinary fields.

I would say to look at the things you really enjoy doing - even if these don't seem related at first or are through your academic work or interests outside of formal education - and then try to find ways to combine the things you love in your work. In particular, I think a lot of people studying Geography will have a huge amount to offer in terms of bringing together different ideas and concepts as part of a really valuable interdisciplinary approach that sees the connections between things. This can be a real strength. 

Why did you choose The University of Edinburgh and what did you discover while studying here?

I graduated with a 1st Class MA Hons in Geography from The University of Edinburgh in 2008. I was drawn to Geography - having also considered studying architecture, design, or geology - because of its interdisciplinary approach - it brought together many of the different subjects and other topics I was interested in.

I absolutely loved studying Geography at Edinburgh, and still draw on things I learned then in my current work as a Chartered Landscape Architect and Urban Designer. In particular, the degree helped me develop my interests in the ways people, the built environment and the natural world combine and influence each other, and the ways that politics and other cultural factors impact the places we live in today.

In particular, I loved learning about topics such as sustainable cities, social justice, environmental ethics, and the ways our individual experiences and social and cultural perspectives impact, and are impacted by, the world around us. It is also where I developed a passion for the topic of public spaces, as places whose intention is around principles of equality and with the potential - when designed and realised well - to support social and environmental benefits that can benefit all those in society as well as the natural world.  

I wrote my final year Geography dissertation on the role of public art and graffiti on our individual perceptions of public space, and loved speaking with a range of graffiti artists, public artists, residents, and organisations to better understand how different, and sometimes competing, interests and opinions collided or collaborated in public spaces.

Whilst studying Geography I also worked part-time in a range of creative jobs alongside the degree, and by the end of the four years was freelancing as a self-taught photographer and graphic designer.  

What was the highlight of your studies?

I really enjoyed getting to learn such a wide diversity of topics as part of the degree and being able to choose those that interested me most. 

Do you have any advice for current students?

When I look back, I am so pleased that it was Geography I chose to study. There are so many things that I learned during Geography modules that I still find helpful and relevant to my work today - even in other fields and industries. It has given me such a good foundation from which to specialise in the areas I feel passionate about.

So, even if you aren't yet sure what you want to do when you finish your Geography degree (I wasn't!), know that what you have learned already will come in handy no matter what you choose to do going forward, and if you keep following the things you are passionate about, you will end up in a career you love.