Staff Profiles

An architect by initial training and work, over several decades I came to specialise professionally in urban development in the rapidly urbanising world. I have undertaken extensive practice, teaching and research activities in Sub-Saharan Africa and more recently Brazil. Key books published in this regard are: Carley, Jenkins & Smith (2001) "Urban Development and Civil Society: the Role of Communities in Sustainable Cities", Earthscan; and Jenkins, Smith & Wang (2007) "Planning and Housing in Developing Countries", Routledge.

Since re-locating to Edinburgh in 1996 I have widened these activities to include research into aspects of European urban development with a focus on urban design, planning, participation, and architecture. I have undertaken a number of research projects in this area for local government near Edinburgh, the Scottish Government, the European Commission and the Arts & Humanities Research Council. Key books published here are Hague & Jenkins (2004) "Place identity, Participation and Planning", and Jenkins & Forsyth (2009) "Architecture, Society & Participation", both published by Routledge.

This area of interest also extends to urban history, focussing on the development of a number of cities internationally and locally. A key book published here is Edwards & Jenkins (2005) "Edinburgh: the Making of a Capital City", Edinburgh University Press.

My research involvement in Edinburgh College of Art has also included setting up the Graduate Research School and directing this for its first three years (2001-4), subsequently developing architectural research as a seconded Senior Associate Research Fellow and Coordinator of ScotMARK, before taking up my current position in May 2009.

ScotMARK was set up in 2005 as a pan-Scottish network to promote research of relevance to architecture across relevant higher education institutions, evolving in 2008 to promote collaboration in research across eca School of Architecture, Architecture at Edinburgh University and the Heriot-Watt School of the Built Environment (see separate database entry for details of extensive research and knowledge transfer undertaken). More recently ScotMARK is being re-launched as the Scottish Centre for International Research in Architecture.

My evolving research work in eca in architecture and related disciplines focuses on research themes 'The Global City' and 'Social Dimensions of Design', including social engagement in architecture and urban development; the links between vernacular, popular and modern architectures; and developing new inter-disciplinary approaches to engaging with urban form. Key to this is seeing architecture as a cultural medium.

ScotMARK

Architecture