Sylvia Law

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(29 March 1931 – 1 April 2004) was a British town planner who was the first woman to be elected as President of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Life and career

She was born in Southport,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, the daughter of a cotton waste merchant. She grew up in

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

, and attended Bury Grammar School for Girls and

Lowther College Lowther College was a public school for girls in the United Kingdom in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The school was originally formed in 1896 at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, by Mrs. Florence Morris (later Lindley). In 1920 the school mov ...

, Bodelwyddan Castle,

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

, before studying

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

at Girton College, Cambridge. She began work as a teacher at

Benenden School Benenden School is an independent boarding school for girls in Kent, England, in Hemsted Park at Benenden, between Cranbrook and Tenterden. Benenden has a boarding population of over 550 girls aged 11 to 18, as well as a limited number of da ...

before leaving to join

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

as a researcher. However, she became increasingly interested in

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, particularly the work of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

, and decided to become a planner.George McDonic, ''Sylvia Law - first woman president and dedicated planner - dies'', RTPI News, 21 May 2004
Retrieved 18 January 2013 In 1959 she started work as a planning researcher with

Kent County Council Kent County Council is a county council that governs most of the county of Kent in England. It is the upper tier of elected local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council h ...

, and studied for her planning qualification at Regent Street Polytechnic in central London. Influenced by the work of planning pioneer Patrick Geddes, she developed strong socialist beliefs. Her work in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

highlighted the damaging effects of

suburban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

on the countryside, and led to firmer policies of control on the development of the area. In 1964 she began working for the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

, primarily working on public open space provision and outdoor recreation issues, and remaining there until she retired in 1986. She was actively involved in the Countryside Recreation Research Advisory Group (CRRAG), which created a framework for planning for the recreational and open space needs of communities. She was elected as a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute's Council in 1965, remaining a member until 1978. She was elected as the RTPI President for 1974, RTPI: Past Presidents
Retrieved 19 January 2013 becoming the first woman ever to hold the office, in the organisation's sixtieth anniversary year. She also chaired the Institute's education committee, responsible for the institute's examination processes, and led working groups on the Community Land Bill and on the future of planning. She was appointed OBE in 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Law, Sylvia 1931 births 2004 deaths British urban planners Women urban planners Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Southport People educated at Bury Grammar School (Girls) People educated at Lowther College Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Presidents of the Royal Town Planning Institute