Tina Lawton is a planner whose journey into the planning field has been self-described as “winding”. Lawton’s experience with planning all began with a gap year working alongside a faith-based community that reiterated the importance of community. This inspired her to pursue a Masters’ Degree in International Community Development and move to the United Kingdom, where she got a position supporting young homeless people. Tina’s interest in planning only increased while working alongside them as she acquired a second job working as a community builder, reinforcing the importance of diversity to facilitate strong communities. From there, she became keenly aware of the importance planning can have on peoples’ lives, inspiring her to achieve an administrative role at the Exeter City Council Planning Team.
Tina says, “I am proud to be a planner/learning to be a planner because it lets me investigate the story of a place and identify the strength in those stories to build better, thriving places that include the most vulnerable and underrepresented people.”
Tina’s pride and passion for planning and community building focuses on underrepresented peoples, particularly young women and girls. This includes Green/Eco Housing, Feminine Town Planning, and Micro/Tiny Homes, however she has been part of projects that further her impact on the planning world. She has worked in uplifting the voices of women in planning, promoting innovative practices in urban regeneration, and is actively working to support collaborative efforts within the Exeter City Council. With Tina’s background, her motivations remain clear: she desires to supplement the growth of diverse communities and collaborate with other professionals in the field to ensure a better tomorrow.
While Tina Lawton’s winding journey into the planning profession has been marked by her own curiosity and determination, it was not without its challenges. Tina remarked that she faced pressures as a woman and a mother to put her career on hold to focus on her family first. She had a long road getting her foot in the door of the planning world, receiving a lot of “no’s” before finally hearing a “yes.” Tina credits her passion for work and the support of her husband as the catalysts for her eventual seat at the planning table.
“Planning is such a wonderfully full and diverse career,” Tina states, when asked about what advice she would give to future planners, “There are so many different aspects to planning, so get to know the people around you- not only the planners, but also the people working close to planning.” Tina remarks that she was thirty-four years old when she heard about planning and thirty-five when she decided she wanted to be a planner. People often express their disbelief when she shares her workload with them- both from her professional life as a planner and her personal life as a wife and mother. Tina shared that she feels the key to success is making sure that you are passionate about the work you do.
Education: Northern Illinois University- B.S. Clinical Laboratory Science (2006); Northwest University M.A. International Community Development (2011); M.A. Plymouth University, Chartered Town Planning Apprenticeship (In Progress).
APA Divisions: City Planning and Management Division, Planning with Underserved Populations
States Worked: n/a International Work: United Kingdom