We build human connections
bringing people and places together
Our Focus
More than half the world’s population now lives in urban places. At the same time, our world is becoming increasingly fragile. Climate change is threatening the resilience of our communities and landscapes; globalisation presents challenges to local economic development, cultural identity, and urban sustainability; and processes of political change produce a complex and ever-changing context for people across the world. Understanding what makes a place work and how it can best support those who live, work and play there has never been so important.
Values
Steve Kemp, our Executive Director, is a spatial planner with over 30 years professional experience who specializes in strategic, integrated and creative planning. His public and private sector work has enabled him to refine his approach, believing that, at its core, planning is about managing change to achieve the best for people now and in the future – a value that he places at the heart of OpenPlan.
Working with the late Nathaniel Lichfield, a leading light in the post-war planning era, inspired him to make integration, engagement and evaluation key elements of his professional practice. Projects he undertook as a Partner of Dalia and Nathaniel Lichfield at Lichfield Planning and later as a Director of Globe Consultants enabled him to develop these methodologies and apply them in a changing global landscape.
Steve’s international experience has been built on projects in the UK, North America, Central and Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. He believes it is essential for consultants working internationally to understand the particular cultural contexts of the places in which they are working. This is a key characteristic of OpenPlan’s approach to work and is central to the company’s ethos. In OpenPlan, Steve has established a team of consultants who are committed to working with professionals and communities to evaluate the places in which they live and work; celebrate local cultures and distinctiveness; and feel empowered to use planning as a tool to shape their futures.