Kate Riggs

Kate Riggs is a Senior Research Fellow at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP), part of The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment at University College London. She is an urban designer with a particular interest in advocating for the public value of good architecture and design, and demystifying the governance of our shared built environments. With five years of experience working in London local government, she currently co-leads a multidisciplinary team of architects, urban designers, community engagement specialists, and landscape architects.

Her research interests center on public space governance, civic agency in planning processes, and gender-inclusive urban design. Riggs has developed innovative approaches to public participation through projects like the Croydon Urban Room, a high street shopfront that improves access to planning decision-making processes. She explores the intersection of architecture and literature through her collaborative practice Guest, Riggs, examining how urban environments shape and are shaped by social experiences, particularly around parenthood and caregiving.

Riggs' work demonstrates consistent thematic focus on making urban design processes more accessible and inclusive. Her publications reveal a trajectory from architectural theory toward practical applications of participatory design, with increasing attention to gender and care infrastructure in public spaces. The evolution from theoretical explorations like 'Scenes of (Not) Reading' to practical interventions like the Croydon Urban Room shows her commitment to translating academic insights into tangible urban improvements.

• The Lifted Brow & RMIT non/fiction Lab Prize for Experimental Nonfiction (2017)

As a Senior Research Fellow at IIPP, Riggs contributes to policy research and development while providing design advice for masterplans and planning applications. Her work bridges academic research and practical urban design implementation, with particular focus on public engagement programs and the delivery of public realm projects. She has tutored in the Central Saint Martin's MA Cities programme, exploring commissioning and governance structures, and served as a Design Council Specialist from 2021-2024.

Through her collaboration Guest, Riggs with Stephanie Guest, Riggs has developed a distinctive architecture-literature exchange practice. Their work has been exhibited at NGV Melbourne Design Week, RMIT Design Hub, and Counihan Gallery, and they've collaborated with MPavilion on innovative projects that transform public spaces to accommodate diverse user needs, particularly around parenthood and caregiving.