Work With Me

Participatory development has been a buzz word during the last few years and especially at the HABITAT III Conference of the United Nations in 2016. However, participation in urban planning and design is often flawed and superficial.

On top of that, communication about urban planning initiatives is not sufficient. Most of the time, locals do not even know what is being planned in their neighbourhood, and even less what options they have for opposing or supporting certain plans.

In order to help with this, you can hire parCitypatory! I have two specialisations:

Laura-Copywriter-Blogger-Urban-typing

Writing

As a blogger and urban journalist, I enjoy writing solutions stories presenting ways of participatory urban planning from all over the world.

Consulting

Based on my experience living and working in cities on four different continents, I support international development agencies in their work.

A cable car moving above a city

Teaching

I give workshops and lectures on participatory methods, SDG 11 and its implementation, urban planning and urban journalism.

Mentoring

Are you a student or young professional looking to go freelance in the urban development field? I’m happy to mentor you!

Writing

Apart from consulting and blogging on parCitypatory, I also write about cities, communities and urban initiatives for other platforms.

As a blogger and urban journalist, I focus on methods of participation in urban planning as well as solutions journalism.

I attended the Urban Journalism Academy at the Habitat III Conference in Quito and related journalism workshops at the World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi in 2020. I also have experience in visual communication and copywriting.

Get in touch with me at www.textsandthecity.org to hire me as a journalist or writer!

Communication Strategies

Based on my practical experience in urban development and my writing skills, I offer support with communication strategies. I have worked with international organisations such as the German Development Agency, GIZ, the development bank KfW, and UCLG in developing communication material and strategies. As your freelance consultant, I will develop and implement a communication strategy together with you, citizens, NGOs and any other relevant actors. 

I can work in English, Spanish and German and am available for freelancing jobs. Currently, I am based in London, UK, and happy to travel to your city or work together remotely. The consultancy can also include a thorough social media strategy and further project communication.

I offer these skills:

  • Organisation and implementation of communication workshops
  • Development and implementation of a communciation strategy
  • Coaching on innovative, participatory communication methods
  • Monitoring & evaluation of communication strategies

In my work, I place great importance on listening first before coming up with tailor-made solutions for your organisation. My approach is investigative, solutions-oriented and culturally sensitive. Read more about my experience as a communications consultant on LinkedIn.

Speaking

I enjoy public speaking and am happy to provide a tailor-made workshop or lecture for your organisation, university, or NGO. My methods are participatory, case-study-oriented and fun to ensure that the event motivates and inspires. I will give hands-on advice on how to contribute to creating better cities and how to implement SDG 11. 

Mentoring

Are you a student or young professional looking to go freelance in the urban development field? I’m happy to mentor you and share my knowledge! Get in touch via laura@parcitypatory.org and we can schedule a free Zoom call. 

Testimonials

“Laura v. Puttkamer has been very proactive and dedicated. (…) She familiarized herself quickly with the topics and open questions, assumed a lot of responsibility and always addressed the needs of PROJECT-E. (…) Especially to be emphasised is her great creativity and ability to adapt to sometimes challenging circumstances. Despite the high and complex workload, Laura v. Puttkamer never lost the overview and constantly did an outstanding job. She is characterized by her friendly and competent communication with third parties, supervisors and within the team. Her very positive attitude and her professionalism complete the picture.”

Project-E, consulting on the education concept for a hospitality school in Addis Ababa

“Laura participó como consultora para ENSAMBLE durante el verano de 2019. Nos ha aconsejado sobre el uso de métodos participativos, fue de ayuda en la communicación internacional del proyecto y contribuyó con varias ideas para mejorar nuestro trabajo como ONG. El equipo y la comunidad con la que trabajamos estamos muy contentos con el invaluable trabajo de Laura.”

ENSAMBLE, working to empower communities in Mexico City’s “Forgotten East”

“Seit vielen Jahren gestaltet Laura Puttkamer für das Bildungsformat der SchülerUni Nachhaltigkeit + Klimaschutz die Website und schreibt für Print und Online Medien-Texte. Zudem hat sie selbst einen Workshop zum Thema “Urbane Utopien” gegeben. Wir schätzen ihre engagierte, zuverlässige Arbeit und ihren wertvollen inhaltlichen und konzeptionellen Impuls.”

SchülerUni Klimaschutz + Nachhaltigkeit, project management and PR for a sustainability format at Freie Universität Berlin

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