Our Partners

The International Garden Cities Institute is the realisation of a long-term ambition by founder Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation to bring together expertise to showcase Garden Cities from around the world as a solid model for new development, in recognition of their global influence.

Homed in Letchworth, the Institute will benefit from the diverse knowledge and experience of our Academic and Founding Partners and President.

Who we are 

  • Founding President: Marquess of Salisbury
  • Founder: Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, represented by David Ames, Head of Heritage and Strategic Planning
  • Academic Director: Susan Parham, Head of Urbanism, University of Hertfordshire 

Founding Partners

  • Janet Askew, University of the West of England & Past President of the Royal Town Planning Institute
  • Sir Nicholas Bacon Bt, President, Royal Horticultural Society, and Chairman, Prince’s Council, Duchy of Cornwall
  • Keith Boyfield, Research Fellow, Centre for Policy Studies
  • Guy Butler, Glenbrook Property Limited
  • Andrew Cameron, Director of Urban Design, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff
  • Peter Clegg, Chief Executive, Gascoyne Cecil Estates
  • Anthony Downs, Director of Planning and Development at Gascoyne Cecil Estates
  • Jane Duncan, Jane Duncan Architects & President Elect of Royal Institute of British Architects
  • Peter Freeman, Founder of Argent (Property Development) Services LLP
  • Catherine Harrington, Director of the National Community Land Trust Network;
  • Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the Town and Country Planning Association
  • Gillian Hobbs, Director, Building Research Establishment
  • Neil Jefferson, Business Development Director, National House Building Council Federation
  • Dr Mervyn Miller, Independent Architect and Town Planner & Parker Scholar
  • Chris Pattison, Director of Planning, Turnberry
  • Trevor Saunders, Independent Planning Adviser
  • Kim Slowe, Zero C Holdings Limited
  • Kerry Thompson, Executive Director, Inventa Partners Limited
  • Ursula Howard, Great Grand-daughter of Ebenezer Howard
  • David Waterhouse, Head of Strategic Development, Design Council Cabe
  • International Federation of Housing and Planning
  • The Prince’s Foundation for Building Communities

Academic partners

The Institute has a very strong focus on learning and understanding of Garden Cities and the wider context of planned settlements which is being pursued through our partnership with our lead academic partner, the University of Hertfordshire as well as through our other academic partners.

As lead academic partner, the University of Hertfordshire is governing its partnership through a management group led by Professor Jonathan Morris and is being represented by Dr Susan Parham who is the Institute’s first Academic Director.

We also have academic partnerships with Sichuan University, China, Centre of Excellence in Architecture, Environment & Building Cultures (LabEx AE&CC) at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble in France and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.