THE City of Edinburgh Council has appointed an urbanism expert to lead the capital’s sustainable placemaking future.
Daisy Narayanan, current director of urbanism for Sustrans, will take up the new mobility and placemaking senior management role at the local authority.
The position will see Daisy focus on several strategies for the sustainable development of Edinburgh as it looks to work towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 – including the city mobility plan and the 20-minute neighbourhood programme.
She holds a wealth of experience in policy and public realm design, gained through work as an architect and urban designer in India, Singapore, England and Scotland. She is also a member of the Edinburgh climate commission and Scotland’s climate assembly’s evidence group.
In 2018 and 2019, Daisy was seconded to the local authority to lead on the development of the Edinburgh city centre transformation – a pioneering ten-year plan to create a vibrant, people-friendly city centre.
Daisy Narayanan said, “I am delighted to be joining the City of Edinburgh Council, as the city recovers from the pandemic, and as it gets ready to tackle the climate emergency.
“This is a really wonderful role which brings together various strands of what make great places. I’m passionate about working with people to shape how their streets and places should look, and to learn from and build on the work done to date in Edinburgh.
“I am under no illusions that this will be an easy job, but I am excited by the challenge.
“When I came here in 2004 as a student, I never dreamed that I would one day have the privilege to work with people in making this beautiful city even more wonderful. I am determined to ensure that everyone living here gets to benefit from the city’s development as a greener, healthier place – and that these benefits extend to the outer edges of the city.”
Council leader Adam McVey added,“We are delighted to welcome Daisy back to work with us in this role, which is crucial to the sustainable and inclusive development of the Capital, as well as our net zero carbon goals. As we work toward a green recovery from the pandemic, we will be focusing our efforts on delivering transport and placemaking projects that truly place people at the heart of the city, and we know that Daisy will bring exactly the kind of experience and passion we need to drive this forward.”
John Lauder, deputy CEO of Sustrans, and national director at Sustrans Scotland, said, “Although Daisy will be missed at Sustrans, we are delighted to hear about the City of Edinburgh Council’s decision to appoint her to this role. It demonstrates the Council’s commitment to making Edinburgh a world-leading liveable city that allows everyone here to live and to travel in greener, healthier ways.
“Daisy has played a huge role in shaping Sustrans’ thinking on liveable cities and towns for everyone, and on highlighting the importance of inclusive design and placemaking as a central tenet of urban design. We wish her well in her new role.”
