011 - Co-Design in Action — from Town Centres to Industrial Masterplans

3 Jul

In this episode of Talking Place, host Tanisha Raffiuddin is joined by not one, but two incredible guests, Rumi Bose, urban designer and place shaping consultant , and Palak Jhunjhunwala, architect and co-founder of Beyond Design. Together they unpack what it means to move beyond “tick-box consultation” and deliver authentic, meaningful co-design.

From transforming Peveril Gardens in southeast London to a community hub, to creating a sustainable action plan for the Neasden Town Centre in northwest London, to developing a culturally rooted masterplan for a tyre manufacturing plant in India, Tanisha, Rumi, and Palak explore what it takes to build trust, create shared ownership, and tell richer stories of place. They share powerful reflections on centering local knowledge, respecting history, and working with “enlightened clients” to embed equity, empathy and sustainability into every layer of a project.

The conversation also touches on the challenges and opportunities of co-design, including what happens when there’s not enough time or budget, and how to manage expectations while still aiming for impact. Whether you’re a planner, designer, developer, policymaker or community leader, this episode will leave you inspired to reimagine engagement and see co-design as a mindset, not just a methodology.

Join us as we Talk Place.

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To learn more about Rumi – visit here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rumi-bose-0386a41a/

To learn more about Palak – visit here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/palakj/

To learn more about Tanisha – visit here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanishaa

Website: https://www.conceptculture.co

X: @tanisha.rr

Instagram: @tanisha.rr