The team

Living Space Project has a team of associates from the social, private, and public sectors, with cross-cutting expertise and experience in placemaking, cities, green spaces, environment, planning, well-being, funding, local economies, regeneration, and community inclusion, design, and architecture.

Maria Adebowale-Schwarte

Maria is the founding Director of The Living Space Project. Her background is in inclusive urban placemaking, collaborative participation, place led philanthropy and funding, research, and urban development.

She is also an Inaugural Fellow at the Centre for Knowledge Equity, Skoll Centre, University of Oxford an advisor, patron, or board member of place and space focused organisations including the Heritage Lottery Fund, and, as a commissioner on the Mayor of London’s Sustainable Development Commission where she Co-Chairs, the Social Value Regeneration Committee.

Maria is the first recipient of the Environment Fellowship from the Clore Social Leadership Programme She has a BA Degree in Organisation Studies, a Master’s in Public International and Environment Law as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Architecture, Sustainability, and Design.

She is regularly invited to speak at national and international events including TedxLondon, Placemaking Week, the UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR), Women of the World, Inclusive Cities, Invisible Dust’s summit Under Her Eye and Eco City 2023. She was presented with a Mayor of London, London Leaders Award (jobs & training), is a ‘Thought Leader’ member of the global Placemaking X Collective, and a co-founder of the Place Making Collective UK.

Her client portfolio includes the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Big Lottery Fund, Battersea Power Station Foundation, Trees for Cities, the British Council, and New Cities Foundation, and communities from around the world.

Maria is the author of The Placemaking Factor and champion of inclusive urban placemaking, heritage, and culture. In her spare time, you will find her collecting ‘knackered old Penguin paperbacks’ or out with her camera.

Associates

Chris Church

Chris advises, trains and project manages local sustainable development and climate change projects, with a strong focus on community engagement.

His work has a strong focus on social and environmental justice. He co-wrote ‘Hard to reach?’ with Maria Adebowale-Schwarte – a review of UK activity on community action within black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, older groups, younger groups, and disabled communities. Chris has also worked with Maria on projects supporting third sector organisations’ design and delivery of urban placemaking strategies.

Outside work, he loves hill walking and is the author of ‘A traveller’s guide to Ullapool and the North-West of Scotland’.

derek hooper

Derek has worked for more than 20 years on equality, inclusion, and placemaking. 

He is an experienced manager and this gives his work a practical edge and understanding of how organisations work. He was the inclusive design advisor at the Commission for Architecture and the Design Council), and has worked with the Town and Country Planning Association on the ‘Love, Life and Liberty’ performance programme about the history of land rights and planning in England. In addition, Derek has facilitated international meetings for the World Health Organisation.

He brings a wide portfolio of good quality practice, a practical toolkit for managers and front-line staff, experience, and creativity in supporting managers to projects.  His analysis covers all strands of equality and inequality - poverty and well-being, safety in public spaces, and environmental issues. 

Apart from his work, Derek enjoys cinema, reading, walking, and cream teas. 

Helen Lynn

Helen works with occupational and environmental health specialists in relation to the environment and places. She works on numerous projects linking health to the environment – buildings and spaces.

She previously worked at the Women’s Environmental Network, where she was a health coordinator for 12 years before becoming a freelance consultant. She has worked internationally and at EU level with the non-governmental organisation Women in Europe for a Common Future (now Women Engage for a Common Future) and is on its International Advisory Board.

Away from work, Helen enjoys walking her dog, watching films, reading and cooking

Tayo Adebowale

Tayo is a chartered environmentalist and chartered water and environmental manager. She has a Doctorate in wastewater treatment.  

Her portfolio includes environment projects relating to strategy, policy on sustainable business management, energy and resource efficiency, land management, regeneration and environmental impact assessment, and environmental auditing. She previously worked for Environmental Resources Management (ERM) and Jacobs Engineering and has been on a number of boards within the public sector. Tayo is also a built environment expert and a member of the Design Council’s Cabe ‘Built Environment Expert (BEE)’ Panel.

In her spare time, you will find her on a house retrofit and design, or on her much loved allotment.