Jessica is Social Life's Engagement Lead (since June 2024), having worked with the team as an Associate since 2020.
Following a successful career in consumer magazines and city guides, Jessica redirected her career towards urban developent, using her journalistic skills to conduct inclusive and accessible community engagement.
As Engagement Lead at Social Life she embeds in-depth engagement into our projects to build strong and trusting relationships with the communities we work with.
As an Associate at engagement and urban design consultants Soundings (2021-23), she led teams to develop: a community vision for Beckton Riverside, Newham; a sustainable public realm strategy for Leytonstone; and a public realm framework for North Finchley. She uses in-person and digital engagement to ensure inclusivity, and builds stakeholder relationships to reach wide networks and underrepresented groups. Jessica is a Public Practice alumnus, through this she led community engagement on Waltham Forest’s local plan. She has also led accessible community engagement for Design Codes in Epping Forest and Uttlesford, Essex.
Her magazine career included seven years as features /deputy editor of Time Out London, editor of several London guides, and writing about cities and architecture for Wallpaper*, Building Design, Building, and the Eurostar's magazine.
She uses the editorial skills of curating, communications, project management and place-centric research to run engaging consultations and events on urban regeneration, neighbourhood planning and public space, and advise on strategies to bridge the gap between communities, developers and planners.
Jessica has an MSc (distinction) in Urban Studies from UCL and a BA in Anthropology from Durham University. Her 2018 masters dissertation explored everyday places and urban identities around the Old Kent Road and how they interact with the proposed Area Action Plan.
