I am a Planning Officer (Development Management) at the City of York Council, England. I am passionate about improving the quality of life by shaping sustainable cities and to ensure good long-term outcomes for communities. My interests cover geography, urban planning, political science and the role technology can play in cities and public service provision.I graduated with a first class honours degree in Geography BA from the University of Leicester, where I also developed experience as a Research Assistant, working on the 'Mapping Multiculture' project. In this role I assisted academic staff in seeking to map participants' everyday experiences in Leicester using Virtual Reality and mixed research methods. In October 2023, I joined the Development Management team at the City of York Council, with responsibilities of deciding on planning applications within the York local authority. In this role, I have acquired a strong foundation of planning knowledge across a variety of planning applications, such as householder and minor planning applications, listed building consents, permitted development rights and appeals through developing knowledge in policy and legislation at the national and local levels.