I moved to London over 13 years ago to pursue my career in architecture, after graduating from university in Italy. I’ve always believed in the transformative potential of design to improve people’s lives for the better, and I’ve tried to find my own route to this, working for different practices on a very diverse range of projects as well as teaching design units and workshops at architecture schools in the UK and abroad.

Like many others, I went through a professional crisis during COVID-19, witnessing first-hand the impact that poorly designed spaces had on people and their communities. I found myself unhappy and unsatisfied. Instead of working on high-end projects in other countries, I felt I wanted to find ways to have a positive and direct impact on the lives of people living around me.

This uneasiness gave me the courage to begin exploring different opportunities, and I enrolled in a part-time master’s course on Central Saint Martins’ MA Cities course, which explored urban development and regeneration processes via forms of participatory practice. The master’s gave me exposure to the work of local authorities in London and departments at the GLA, and by the end of it, I knew I needed a career change.

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