WWA Studios are happy to welcome Zac Furst to our planning team.

Zac is currently completing his final year as an undergraduate urban designer at Oxford Brookes University. He will graduate in September 2023 with a 2:1 hons. In his spare time, he has learned a lot from part-time work in the customer service sector and has improved his teamwork and people management skills. Zac also volunteered at an NCS Summer programme and enjoyed participating in his local scout troop. During the lockdown, Zac participated in various online discussions about urban design, 15-minute cities, 8-80 cities, cities for women and LTNs.

As we caught up with Zac in his first week at our Oxford Studio, we tried to learn more about him by asking a few questions.

What aspects of planning interest you?

As part of Generation Z, I have seen the housing market grow, crash and rise again into a modern-day dilemma. Housing and the planning system have the potential to play a crucial role in solving this crisis by creating a faster, fairer and more affordable approach to housing development without repeating the mistakes of the past.

My interest in planning has come about through the formation and application of policy into a design and access statement for an urban design high-density London-based project I worked on at university.

What is your favourite project that you have worked on?

A personal favourite project I worked on was a critical analysis of the Oxfordshire Joint Statutory Spatial Plan (JSSP), its relationship with the five development plans for the region and the reason for its scrapping. The JSSP was part of the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal agreement with the Government. Its purpose was to help the region plan for more sustainable development. The Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, and West Oxfordshire District Council: ended up scrapping the plan because they couldn’t agree on a housing provision strategy. I enjoyed the project because of the intellectual stimulation; conducting a detailed analysis of a particular issue within a particular framework and reflecting on the examination was rewarding.

What are your Hobbies?

From time to time, I enjoy reading non-fiction planning/architecture books like “Great Planning Disasters” and comedy literature such as George Carlin’s “Brain Droppings” or “Popcorn” by Ben Elton. My biggest hobby, I’d argue, is my love of modern debate, whether it’s the expansion of the CEZ to housing provision.

What would you have studied if not planning?

Most likely architecture; during my degree, we touched briefly into the school of architecture and found an interest in studying buildings and their history, design and function. I left an architecture course because the planning and urban design path felt much more natural.

What inspired you to study planning?

Less about inspiration and more about curiosity. Before my degree, I wondered why housing and development take so long and cost so much. The urgency of the housing crisis and the infrastructure lag ultimately led me towards the regulation and planning process.

Where have you travelled, or where would you like to travel to?

Over the last five years, I have travelled to a few places beyond the UK, namely the South of France, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Carcassone. The furthest afield I’ve traveled to Israel, Tel Aviv-Yafo, and Jerusalem.

We hope Zac has settled in and is prepared to begin working on some great projects. We are looking forward to watching him develop alongside us.