Kathryn Firth

Kathryn Firth is an architect and urban designer whose passion for creating thriving places spans some 30 years. She leads master planning and urban design projects across the UK, US, Europe, and the Middle East, ranging from public realm improvements to large-scale regeneration projects.

Most recently Kathryn was a Director at Arup, where she continues to consult, and prior to that Urban Design Director at several practices in the UK and the US. She was the Chief of Design at the London Legacy Development Corporation, where she directed teams of architects, landscape architects, planners, and engineers to realize the Olympic Legacy. Kathryn sits on and chairs several Design Review Panels, is the co-chair for the UK Infrastructure & Urban Development Council for the Urban Land Institute and a trustee of The London Society. She is also active with Architects Declare, served on the BusinessLDN Place Commission, and is a Mayor’s Design Advocate alum.

Kathryn  holds a Master's in Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where she has been teaching over the past five years. She currently teaches at the Bartlett, UCL and Central Saint Martin's UAL. Kathryn is committed to the exchange between practice and academia and, as Global Skills Network Leader at Arup, she led research focusing on the spatial implications of socio-economic and environmental resiliency.