Dr Caroline Brown, MRTPI
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drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Dr Caroline Brown, MRTPI
@drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
310 followers 520 following 72 posts
Town planner. RTPI Director for Scotland, Ireland & English Regions. Recovering academic. Likes green space, blue space and active travel. Sometimes knits.
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drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Another busy week:
- interviews for a new intern project officer to join the RTPI Scotland team
- an outing to Glasgow Uni to discuss metropolitan mayors and other regional-ish options for policy coordination
- a night in London for the @rtpiplanners.bsky.social Awards for Planning Excellence
Clare MacDonald, Caroline Brown and Elaine Campbell raise a toast An aerial performer is suspended by two scarlet silks hanging from the ceiling of a Big Top An aerial performer can be seen suspended from the ceiling of the Big Top. There are tables of diners looking up at the performer.
November 28, 2025 at 11:22 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Just picked up this, and cannot wait to get into the story and see where Lyra and Pan end up…
A hand is holding up a copy of Philip Pullman’s new book ‘the Rose Field’
October 25, 2025 at 8:39 AM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
A cosy fireside chat with three of the nation’s Chief Planners provides insights and commentary on planning reform, supporting and growing new planners and streamlining a complex system.
Chief planner for Wales, Scotland and England chat with RTPI chief executive Victoria Hills. Neil Hemingtaon (Wales), Fiona Simpson (Scotland) and Joanna Averley (England) are sitting on a stage with a purple backdrop
October 9, 2025 at 9:27 AM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
National Planning Conference gets underway…
RTPI president Helen Fadipe, Dan Williams from Planning Portal and Dr Victoria Hill’s, RTPI Chief Executive are on the conference stage.
October 9, 2025 at 8:14 AM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Did my bit for @rtpiplanners.bsky.social today, spending 2hrs at a high school careers fair talking about planning as a career. Many thanks to everyone who came along.

I forgot to take a photo of my stall & banner, so all I have to show is this almost empty box of chocolates!

#PlanningCareers
An almost empty box of quality street chocolates.
October 1, 2025 at 7:40 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
The focus of the afternoon is on net zero - here’s Husam AlWaer talking about density…
Shows Professor Husam Al Waer standing at a lectern
September 24, 2025 at 2:24 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
We had some fun playing with an ai visualisation tool brought to us my Alex MacLaren from Heriot Watt University and hearing from Aline Kirkland about using EPC data to help monitor housing policy in the digital planning session.
Alex MacLaren stands at a lectern in front of a large display screen.
September 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Session 3 is focussing on the wellbeing of planners - chaired by Maura McCormack and with Craig McLaren, Susan Rintoul, Elaine Campbell, Kevin Murray and Rim Chouaib.
Craig McLaren - national planning improvement champion starts session 3. He is standing at a lectern, with other panel contributors sitting on the stage
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Session 2 with speakers focussing on planning for health, chaired by Irene Beautyman including Rowena Statt, Margaret Douglas and Meadhbh Maguire
A panel of 4 women: Irene Beautyman, Rowena Statt, Margaret Douglas and Meadhbh Maguire sitting on the stage in Perth Theatre
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Keynote speaker @profjennyj.bsky.social prepares to open the RTPI Scotland Annual Conference 2025
Prof Jenny Roe prepares to speak - she is sitting in the front row of Perth Theatre studio. Her face is lit up by lights from the stage.
September 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Sunshine after the rain: dropping into the Planning Research Conference in Belfast today.
A rainbow in a grey blue sky, above the Belfast dockyards. The yellow Harlow & Wolff gantry crane can be seen in the centre of the photo
September 10, 2025 at 6:04 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Had a lovely jaunt out to see old colleagues and friends at #HeriotWatt University today - and to meet the class of 2025 as they start their journeys as #FuturePlanners!

Welcome to the planning family and best of luck with your studies.
A group of people in a classroom listening to Dr Sacha Hassan, welcoming them to Heriot Watt University A group of people in a University classroom - to the far left there is a person standing up and smiling. The person is Dr Caroline Brown…
September 4, 2025 at 12:23 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
2 weeks ago I noticed this: a shop unit in George Street - a prime retail street in Edinburgh city centre- which has been repurposed from a bank into a screwfix store.

Last week I noticed a branch had popped up on Nicolson St too. It seems like a good thing to me - but one to keep an eye on.
Shows a stone building on a street corner in central Edinburgh. The building has some lettering above the open doorway ‘Screwfix City Centre’
August 11, 2025 at 7:48 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
A day out of the office with Heads of Planning Scotland for the second day of their conference and AGM in Kilmarnock.

Good to hear about the vision for town-centre cultural regeneration linked to the renewal of the Theatre.
A room of delegates sitting at round tables and watching a speaker at the front of the room A pedestrianised street in Kilmarnock looking towards the local Kirk and tower. The church has bright yellow render on the outside. The sky is pale blue and there are no clouds. Pamela Clifford is standing outside the theatre in Kilmarnock. She is explaining the plans for upgrading the building and changing the surrounding streetscape
June 20, 2025 at 3:02 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
It’s been quite the week, but very pleased to be at the HOPS AGM in Kilmarnock today. Timely conversations about digital planning led by Aline Kirkland from the Improvement Service.
A room of people sitting at tables and looking towards a big screen with a PowerPoint display. A woman is standing at the lecturn at the front of the room and speaking to the audience
June 20, 2025 at 9:53 AM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
An excellent start to the week, we had RTPI chief executive @victoriartpi.bsky.social in Edinburgh to help Convenor Laura Robertson open RTPI Scotland’s new office.

And, this evening we all celebrated the best of Scottish planning practice with our RTPI Scotland awards. Well done all!
A group of around 25 people arranged across a stage. About half of the group are holding framed certificates. The backdrop reads ‘Scotland Awards for Planning Excellence 2025’ RTPI chief executive Victoria Hills and Convenor Laura Robertson cut a ribbon across and office doorway
June 16, 2025 at 8:46 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Bringing the 2025 Scotland Young Planners Conference to a close with a keynote from John Alexander from SSEN Transmission solution. Focussed on ‘The purpose of planning’ the whole day has been a fabulous insight into the variety of career paths open to planners.
A man - John Alexander - giving a keynote. He is at the front of a lecture theatre, standing behind a wooden desk. there are screens on the wall behind him, showing photos of the Dundee waterfront.
May 1, 2025 at 3:19 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
A wonderful evening at the Edinburgh Science Festival listening to Dame Jo da Silva talking about climate, nature, hope and the work of Arup.
A screen at the front of a lecture theatre: there is a large image of a planet on the screen and some text which reads: Shaping A Better World.
April 17, 2025 at 6:42 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
Really delighted to announce THIRTY bursaries for study on a postgraduate planning degree in Scotland in 2025/26.

The pipeline of future planners is being well supported by the Scottish Government. Details 👇

www.rtpi.org.uk/plannerbursary
Shows a view across Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen. The gardens are terraced, with an oval lawn at the bottom of the slope and multiple paths and steps leading downwards. City buildings can be seen around the gardens on the right hand side and along the line of a railway cutting on the left hand side of the gardens. The sky has patches of blue with some white clouds.
March 31, 2025 at 12:14 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
@blondehistorian.bsky.social
Shows a door way with steps. The steps are grey stone, there is a large wooden door standing open. On the wall to the right is a brass plaque on the wall. The top of the plaque shows a disabled sign (wheelchair). The text below reads ‘please ring for assistance’ . There is a bell to press at the bottom of the plaque.
March 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
We’re running a pop-up stand at Glasgow University today, come and say hi… (we have chocolates)

#careers #planning #RTPI @rtpiplanners.bsky.social
Shows the corner of the James McCune Learning Hub at Glasgow University Shows the front of a leaflet about planning careers. It reads ‘want to #PlanTheWorldWeNeed?’
March 11, 2025 at 11:02 AM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
A fantastic weekend catching up with friends from university days, back where this whole planning thing began: the Dept of Civic Design at the University of Liverpool.
Shows Caroline standing in front of a university of Liverpool building at the corner of Abercrombie Square A dramatic city night scape, showing Albert dock lit up and reflected in the dock water. The top half of a big wheel lit up behind the dock buildings. A misty cityscape view of Liverpool at night. The metropolitan Cathedral can be seen in the distance, on the horizon A large office building decorated with a huge mural of Katarina Johnson Thompson hurdling.
February 10, 2025 at 7:31 AM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
This evening I’m delighted to be attending the Nature of Scotland Awards 2024. So inspiring to see so many projects and people working to safeguard Scotland’s extraordinary natural environment.
Shows a large conference centre filled with delegates sitting at round tables set for dinner. The walls of the room are dark with sparkly white lights.
November 28, 2024 at 7:40 PM
drcarolinebrown.bsky.social
RTPI Planning Awards 2024
Shows a stage with a large screen that reads ‘Planning Authority of the Year Finalists’. Two men in dinner jackets are standing at the side of the stage
November 26, 2024 at 10:19 PM