In conversation with Natalya Palit MRTPI

Grab yourself a cuppa and dive into the fascinating career of Natalya Palit. Dabbling her toes into architecture, planning and community engagement, Natalya is a project team in one! Her education and career spans across borders, from India where her heritage is from, to the UK, in both the private sector and local authority.

Here Natalya shares her story, who and what has inspired her and what her next steps are, after a fabulous five years at HTA Design, where she established her specialism in the interface between design and planning.

What inspired you to enter into planning?

My journey into the planning profession has been somewhat convoluted, but all my previous experience and education hugely adds to my ability to advise and add value to projects as a planning consultant. I originally started training to become an architect, and undertook an undergraduate degree (Part 1) in Sheffield. I graduated in the 2009 recession and did two ‘years out’ in architecture, the first in New Delhi in India and the second in the UK. I had always wanted to do a year abroad, though had originally anticipated that I would do that in an EU country – slightly closer to home! But the recession made this really difficult, so I changed track, and took advantage of my Indian (BAME) heritage, and went to work in India, where my family are originally from.

India was pretty much unaffected by the recession. There I got the experience of working in a large award winning multi-disciplinary practice with a focus on sustainability. And as luck would have it the project I got placed on was ‘The British School’ for British expats, which taught people under the British curriculum. As a completely inexperienced architectural assistant I ended up taking on a lot of responsibility and working very closely with the directors there. This was by virtue of the fact that I had first hand experience of studying in a UK school, and could explain to them how things like a food technology lesson worked here – which was a totally alien concept to them! And I’m sure it must have helped them to seem more knowledgeable to the client too!

“After my experience in India, I came back to the UK and worked in a very small architecture practice, working primarily on high-end housing extensions and alterations for private individuals. Whilst I learnt a lot here, and it was a valuable experience, my struggle to get a job in the larger type of practice I aspired to work in made me question whether I was cut out to be an architect."

Nevertheless, with the impending increase of tuition fees on the horizon, I went back to university to complete the second part of my architectural studies at Sheffield. This was a unique university in that it also offered a dual course where you could combine planning and architecture that was both RIBA Part 2 architecture and RTPI accredited. Knowing I wanted to change, but not sure what else I wanted to do, I gave the combined course a shot! Planning seemed to satisfy my desire to consider the bigger picture, things like housing affordability and sustainability, in a way that purely designing buildings didn’t. In the summer between the two years, I used contacts at the Local Planning Authority that the small architecture practice I worked at had, to secure myself some unpaid planning work experience to get a taste for the job.

“I met a really enthusiastic and supportive senior female planner there who really pushed for the Authority to take me on, and I am really grateful to her for this. My experience there was invaluable in that it gave me an introduction into the world of planning.”

As I approached graduation from the second year, I decided I wanted to become a planner, and I wanted to work in the public sector. As luck would have it, I found that the same authority I did work experience at was hiring for an assistant policy planner, so I applied and got the job! I learnt a lot here, but in my policy role I felt a little too far removed from the actual building of new elements of towns or cities. I questioned whether moving into planning was the right move.

“I then tried out a short stint in a community engagement practice, thinking I could combine what I had learnt in both the architecture and planning professions, whilst retaining a bit of creativity in my day job. But I quickly realised that was not right for me either.”

After that I landed up at my most recent practice – HTA Design – as a planning consultant. It ended up being a perfect place for me. Being embedded within a design practice meant I could put my background in architecture to good use, and it helped me to communicate with the designers I had to work closely with day to day. When I first started I labelled myself as a ‘built environment professional’ in an attempt to cover all things architecture, community engagement and planning. But nowadays I firmly consider myself a Planner!

I'm now heading to a new role, back in local government - as Area Plans Manager at Enfield Council - where I will continue my specialism operating at the overlap of design and planning.

Was it a different career choice given your ethnicity or did everyone embrace it?

“My parents were very supportive of my decision to study architecture. Both my parents are doctors, but I had long said that I wanted to become an architect – so no one really questioned it when I was making subject and career choices. As doctors, my parents understood a vocational degree like architecture, with a clearly defined profession at the end.”

Part way though my studies, when I came to them and told them I had been questioning my choice to study architecture, and was thinking about doing the combined planning course, they were understandably worried for me. They didn’t really know what the implications of this would be as they were less familiar with what a town planner does. Studying the dual course was great, as it meant I could still always return to architecture if I wanted. I think this definitely helped put my parents’ minds at ease! I definitely could not have asked for more supportive parents in so many ways. Academic success is highly emphasised by Indian parents, and it’s taken as a given in Indian families that they will support you as much as they can through university. Having this support definitely set me up well.

“From my experience I have learnt to always look for the positives of my supposed ‘disadvantage’ of being from a BAME background, and turning this into an advantage where I could! I think it’s a lesson that’s served me well so far.”

What makes working at HTA great?

HTA Design has to be the best place I’ve worked at so far. I think this was evidenced by the fact it’s the longest I worked for the same organisation in my career to date! For me personally, I really valued working in an organisation with a great bunch of people who had shared values and a shared ambition. It’s a practice built on a foundation of community architecture, and they work for a lot of affordable housing providers (Local Authorities and Housing Associations). For me, equality, be it BAME, gender, or economic, is something I care deeply about, so this combination of working with people with shared values, and on many socially motivated projects made it somewhere great for me to work.

“Of course, the culture of an organisation also has a huge role to play in how much you enjoy going into work on a day-to-day basis, and HTA has a very positive atmosphere. Plus the daily free breakfast and lunch (outside of Covid-19 lockdown) can’t go without a mention!”

Tell us about your RTPI research project on gender

Last year I was awarded the 2018/19 Biannual George Pepler International Award by the RTPI. The George Pepler Award is a bursary granted to a person in their first 10 years post qualification experience wishing to undertake a short period of study on a particular aspect of planning. I won for my research proposal entitled: 'What can the UK learn from Vienna with regards to adopting a gender mainstreaming approach to shape built outcomes?'

‘Gender mainstreaming’ is adopting a gender perspective into the whole planning policy process with a view to promoting equality between women and men.

I chose the example of Vienna, as it is a global capital leading the way in this field, having begun integrating the approach into their planning processes since the early 1990s. The city even has a whole municipal department dedicated to “Women’s Affairs,” which has had the most impact within urban planning.

I visited the city in Autumn last year, and the RTPI have recently published my final report here. I also published a series of blog posts about my visit whilst I was there using #rtpigeorgepepler.

A fantastic interview, thank you Natalya for sharing your career to date and your research with us. If you'd like to share your story with BAME in Property, please email info@bameinproperty.com and someone will be in touch.

The legacy of Apartheid on the built environment in South Africa

Thoughts from a recent visit to a country I love, by Priya Shah

I begin my duo of blogs on South Africa by sharing an overview of the impact of Apartheid on the black population and the built environment. A significant chunk of this was enforced in the Group Areas Act (GAA) 1950, making South Africa perhaps the only country in the world to have had a built environment and society developed entirely on race, entrenched by law. It was this aspect that has fascinated my interest in South Africa and the legacy of Apartheid on the built environment post-1994.

Some of the information is from an intense visit to the Apartheid museum in Johannesburg, whilst other conclusions have been drawn from conversations with Black South Africans, general observations in Black Townships and additional archive research.

Housing during Apartheid

The purpose of Apartheid was to allow the white population to accumulate wealth at the expense of non-white populations, predominantly Black people. As such, they embarked on a process of segregation, whereby different races had different (or in most cases, very little) rights. In addition, the process of segregation ensured different races did not integrate with each other and when they did, they would be faced with severe punishments.

The Group Areas Act displaced hundreds of thousands of people, breaking up families, destroying friendships and splinterting communities.

The Group Areas Act came into force in 1950 and was a significant hindrance for all non-white racial groups (Blacks, Indians and Coloureds). The GAA created the legal framework for varying levels of government to establish particular neighbourhoods as 'group areas', where only people of a particular race were able to reside. The GAA displaced hundreds of thousands of people, breaking up families, destroying friendships and splintering communities. This was due in large part to the retroactive application of the law, meaning that once an area was declared a group area, the GAA had the power to demolish all the houses there and displace everyone who was not of the designated group.

Following the Group Areas Act, dozens more laws and regulations were put in place to ensure different races lived apart, worked apart, did not cross marry or breed, all while ensuring the White population accumulated wealth and left other races in subservient positions.

The Black man was always the White man's servant.

Naturally, the result of this was chaotic. Economic deprivation, poverty and inequality rose. The biggest irony was that the Black man was always the White man’s servant (never the other way), and though work would be undertaken within the same home, there was no human interaction.

During this time, the urban population of South African cities and towns multiplied, causing the development of illegal tin shacks and unhygienic settlements around the main city centres. Disease and death was rife, HIV spread like wildfire, and today South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world, a sour legacy of Apartheid and poor healthcare for the Black population.

Housing post-Apartheid

For nearly five decades, the policies under Apartheid shaped and created modern South Africa. When the Group Areas Act was abolished in 1990, planning and development policy was no longer guided by race because it was simply not allowed to. Rather, the new Government in 1994 was about reconciliation and peace; ensuring those who had been deprived for so long had rights, homes, access to education and healthcare. As such, housing became guided by socio-economic status. However, this is indirectly mirrored on race because:

• On the whole, the lowest socio-economic group across South Africa is the Blacks - many Black people are still living on the outskirts of major towns and cities, predominantly in tin shacks. Due to resource limitations, an Indian or Coloured family, for example, living in a crowded one-bedroom house becomes secondary to receiving home improvements when there are people living in tin shacks who simply need just a house to live in. These people happen to be Black and thus planning policy is regarded as favouring them, because they are receiving newly-built homes whereas improvements to dilapidated houses becomes less of a priority.

• There is the psychological attraction of living in areas with people of a similar background, history and culture because it is comfortable. Where there is a large population of a certain culture, funding can go towards relevant infrastructure and services for a particular community. This then attracts more people of the same culture and community to live in the area - it’s a chain effect. At the same time, this reinforces some of the problems that existed during Apartheid because the remnants of racism and hierarchies between different races are still apparent.

• It is evident that a divide between different races still exists. Many people were optimistic that post-Apartheid, the racial divisions would start to evaporate. However, it would be naïve to assume this would decimate overnight or in the case of South Africa, over 25 years. There is a generational gap, where older people continue to view the racial divides, whereas, younger people appear more open and mix with other races. However, the mixing of different races is dependent on a child’s education and whether they are exposed to different races from a young age. Many parents continue to socially engineer their children and keep that separation between their race and other races, thereby continuing that racial divide on a psychological level.

If you’ve always been considered a second-class citizen, how do you erase that from memory?

Today, democratic South Africa is a legacy of its Apartheid past. Though by law you can live anywhere, you will never have Blacks living beside Whites. If you’ve always been considered a second-class citizen, how do you erase that from memory? You can change the law overnight, but social attitudes take many generations to change.

This is just a snapshot of the impact of Apartheid on the built environment in South Africa. Watch this space for part two of my South Africa blog series, focusing on the Coloured population in District Six, Cape Town.

How can I make my workplace more inclusive and culturally aware?

Please note that this article was published prior to the new brand name of PREACH Inclusion® on 25 April 2024, so you will notice references to BAME in Property.

This week, we are delighted to have our first guest blog from Manchester, with a contribution from Moiza Butt, an employee of the General Medical Council. As co-Chair of the Muslim Network, Moiza shares some of the activities that she has encouraged in her workplace to create a more inclusive working environment.

Moiza Butt, General Medical Council

In April 2018, I received an email from a Muslim colleague to help run and organise a pre-Ramadan event at work. I started to think about my workload and how I didn’t know any of the people involved. Could I really afford to lose a day volunteering just to make awkward small talk with people I didn’t really know?

On the other hand, I felt honoured that a colleague recommended me to be part of this event, which they were passionate about making a success of. Pushing my anxieties aside, I ended up accepting the invitation to volunteer.

The event would consist of Muslim staff members collectively bringing in their traditional home-cooked food to do one of two things.

1. Sell the food to all staff members and donate the money to a selected Manchester charity
2. Create an open space for non-Muslim staff members to ask questions about Ramadan.

We had hundreds of staff members willing to buy food and ask questions, which resulted in a rewarding outcome. Over £1,400 was raised in total- which is the most that the company has ever raised for charity!

Nobody expected this and we knew we were onto something great! It seemed like a shame to stop at one event. So, over the course of 15 months, we formed a Muslim network, ran another successful Ramadan event in 2019 and started on our new project to educate others about the Islamic practice of completing Hajj.

Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage that Muslims are obligated to make at least once in their lifetime. It is the fifth pillar of Islam and one of the largest gatherings in the world.

For the Hajj project, we organised workshops for staff (mainly managers) to educate them on the importance and meaning of Hajj for Muslims and how managers can support them. We had group discussions, props and virtual reality experiences to make it engaging and give staff a deeper understanding of Hajj. A significant number of non-Muslim members attended – when asked why, almost everyone replied with “we just want to learn more”. I received so many questions from people, which also made me realise how many have misconceptions of Islam. The sessions allowed us to break barriers and have open conversations without fear of judgement.

According to a report by the Muslim British Council (MBC), there are approximately 1.6 million Muslims in Britain, which emphasises how understanding the Islamic practices of a Muslim employee can actually improve their performance by allowing them to practice their beliefs in the workplace.

One of the non-Muslim members told us how he had only recently joined the organisation and a few days later, he noticed a poster for staff to join this network. He didn’t know anyone in the company so he thought it would be a good way to network. He came out of the first meeting making friends, which he didn’t expect to happen and now, he is an active member of the network! I can see how having a support group has made a difference to members’ overall wellbeing!

I realised how my own journey was quite similar. Through building the network, I have made a diverse group of friends from different backgrounds, gotten to know people in other departments and I was recently elected as the co-chair of the network.

After sharing the news of my election win on social media, I received so many messages from people applauding my workplace for encouraging diversity. This made me realise how lucky I am to be part of an organisation that promotes opportunities like this, as it is one of few that do so.

“Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.” - Verna Myers, Diversity and Inclusion specialist.”

I encourage others to do the same as I did – if your company doesn’t have a group to represent what’s important to you, you can be the first person to start one. If you’re the only Muslim staff member in your company, ask your colleagues if they would be happy to help run a small bake sale or produce a newsletter. There are always measures we can take to understand one another better and make a more inclusive workplace.

So, for everyone thinking, ‘how can I make my workplace more inclusive and culturally aware?’ Take it from me – having an inclusive workplace not only attracts better quality of employees, but it also creates a harmonious working environment where you get to engage with people from all backgrounds. You have everything to gain!

Diversity and Inclusion, an Apprentice's viewpoint

Please note that this article was published prior to the new brand name of PREACH Inclusion® on 25 April 2024, so you will notice references to BAME in Property.

On Wednesday 19 June, BAME in Property held its first Parliamentary Summer Reception in partnership with Cushman & Wakefield to celebrate the progress of black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) professionals within the industry. The event also highlighted the work that needs to be done to promote ethnic diversity in the property and planning sectors.

Following the event, one of our attendees, Sadaqat Hussain, an Apprentice Surveyor at Cushman & Wakefield, shared his thoughts on the event and about young people entering the property industry more generally.

Sadaqat Hussain, Apprentice Surveyor, Cushman & Wakefield

For the first time at a networking event, I didn’t feel like a minority but instead, part of the majority. A mix of professionals from across the sector attended the event and I really felt part of the conversations and the buzz.

There were some insightful contributions from our speakers. Founder of BAME in Property, Priya Shah, referenced the organisation’s recent formal Partnerships and cited the Bisnow survey about what it is like to be a BAME professional in real estate in 2019. Our Parliamentary sponsor, Helen Hayes, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, discussed why it is important to make Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting mandatory for businesses. Finally, George Roberts, Head of UK and Ireland at Cushman & Wakefield, emphasised that “Our clients, our people and our future colleagues want to work with or in organisations where they feel inspired by the breadth and depth of talent around them.” Aside from the speeches, there were also delicious canapes to nibble on.

“Our clients, our people and our future colleagues want to work with or in organisations where they feel inspired by the breadth and depth of talent around them.”

The event had me thinking about diversity and inclusion in regard to young people and those entering the industry. The Latham report, ‘Constructing the Team’ (1994) commented on ‘The Image of the Industry’, explained that there is a huge problem attracting and attaining a high calibre of talent amongst young people. Recruitment in schools, colleges and even those at university-level has been slow, largely as a consequence of an old-fashioned ideal; that it’s an industry that is not enticing for young people.

A recent report from the RICS, the professional body for the surveying profession, highlighted that BAME individuals account for less than 3% (1,172) whilst our white counterparts make up 97% (36,350). In addition, research shows that those with ethnic names were 29% less likely to get a positive response to job applications. At entry-level, young people from BAME backgrounds without the social and financial capital to secure a graduate scheme begin to fall behind their peers from more privileged backgrounds in the race to establish themselves in the job market.

I am proud to work for an organisation (Cushman & Wakefield), where they have taken steps to make the profession more accessible. This has been through outreach into schools, continuously growing the apprenticeship scheme and broadening the pool of talent in their recruitment strategy. I have been fortunate to work on the company’s Diversity & Inclusion initiative ‘Inspire’. Through this, I have been involved in schools talk and organised office workshops to show the opportunities available to young people. I have also celebrated a number of cultural events in multiple regional offices to bring colleagues together and educate them about different cultures. This has led to increased awareness amongst colleagues, created an inclusive environment and established positive relationships.

It is also crucial that we showcase a variety of role models from different backgrounds in our industry. This gives young people the motivation to try and emulate their success and think, ‘If they can do it, so can I’. A workforce that mirrors the rich diversity of the people it serves is not only a celebration of our differences, but evidence overwhelmingly shows that it makes us more productive, creative and successful.

"If they can do it, so can I."

So how can we create an inclusive environment for a BAME individual?

• Create a safe space where people from a BAME background can freely talk
• Understand that if you are in the majority you have an advantage
• Accept that if you are a senior leader who is non-BAME, you have a responsibility to use your influence to make things better for people who are in an ethnic minority
• Expand your network, reach out to people who are different to you, expose yourself to different views
• Find a reverse mentor to help you understand what it’s like to be in the minority
• Above all else, truly listen and be aware.

There is a long road to achieving equality in our industry but it requires the efforts and support from employers and individuals, where views and opinions are heard. Organisations like BAME in Property are great in providing that forum where BAME and non-BAME people can network comfortably, discuss challenges and opportunities and ultimately, push the industry to make some important changes.

In conversation with Amandeep Gill

Please note that this article was published prior to the new brand name of PREACH Inclusion® on 25 April 2024, so you will notice references to BAME in Property.

Meet Amandeep Gill, Founder of a new Public Affairs and Strategic Communications recruitment company, Melbury Wood.

As one of a handful of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) recruitment consultants in the Public Affairs and Strategic Communications industry, BAME in Property was keen to discover how diversity guided (or did not in some instances) the recruitment process for built environment communications.

“BAME is a complex issue in the built environment space and beyond. There isn’t a quick fix, as it has a lot to do with economic status and social mobility too. Often low socio-economic and BAME backgrounds come hand-in-hand,”

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) latest census (2016) of the industry showed that just 9 per cent of practitioners classified as BAME. This is despite 58 per cent of Public Relations businesses being based in London, where nearly 45 per cent of Londoners classifies as BAME.

On the other end of the spectrum was the solution of positive discrimination in a bid to improve diversity in the industry.

“Some clients may actually ask for women or BAME candidates on shortlists. However, I am not an advocate of positive discrimination, as we want to encourage candidates being judged on their skills and merit alone for the job and not their background. Therefore I’m not sure that positive discrimination is a solution to the diversity problem. I’m in favour of ‘positive action’ to help remove those barriers instead.” said Amandeep.

Within the Public Affairs and Communications sector, although progress has been made we can see it doesn’t appear to necessarily reflect diversity in wider society. Companies may have an unconscious bias around candidate’s hobbies, interests and educational background. “Employers have occasionally hinted an ‘Oxbridge’ graduate/profile and often, such individuals may be drawn from a narrow demographic in society,” said Amandeep.

Born and bred in Southall, Ealing in West London, Amandeep is no stranger to diversity. Southall is home to one of the largest South Asian communities in the UK, the majority of whom are Sikh.

The entrepreneurial spirit and having one’s own business has always been there since day one. Like many children of immigrant families, Amandeep was brought up with an extremely hardworking ethic, instilled from a young age.

"My parents were fairly typical for a first generation Asian family in London and ran a newsagent for a while… [In addition,] dad was a cab driver, while mum worked at Heathrow airport. My parents worked hard and ensured that I did too. They struggled and felt they didn’t have many prospects, so naturally they wanted to ensure I had the best platform to succeed."

“From the age of 7 - 11, I went to a private school in Ealing. My parents weren’t educated to a high level, so sending me to private school in their eyes was one way of ensuring I had the best prospects I could," he added.

Amandeep was encouraged to opt for a more ‘traditional’ subject at university rather than business. He enjoyed the social sciences and decided Law would provide him with a good foundation for whatever he decided to pursue afterwards.

He studied Law at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). In his third year, he won a scholarship to study at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, set up by the Drapers Fund.

With such successes in law, I was keen to discover how Amandeep ended up in Recruitment.

“I worked in law for a couple of years after graduating. It was a high street law firm and I enjoyed applying my legal knowledge to real life client problems, I thought I was good at it,” said Amandeep.

No doubt his aspirations went beyond working as a paralegal. “I tried to secure pupillage for two years, but needed to have a steady income and career path to follow and it was an incredibly competitive and oversubscribed profession,” he added.

At the age of 26, although the option was available, Amandeep decided that he did not want to become a trainee solicitor. This was when his transition into the world of Recruitment began.

He began his recruitment career at a global recruitment firm. Law had “[taught me] many soft skills, such as advocacy, communications and writing… all very transferable skills,” explained Amandeep. Although law was interesting, “I preferred policy and public affairs recruitment, as I could relate to it more,” he added.

Amandeep is involved in Ealing politics, hence his interest in the more policy side of recruitment. He was able to relate with his colleagues due to having the knowledge of the industry, coupled with his legal background.

Keen to revive that entrepreneurial streak in him, after nearly seven years of working for recruitment consultancies, Amandeep took the decision to set up his own recruitment company, Melbury Wood in May 2019.

“I’ve worked hard to get to this stage, where I am comfortable with my own skills and network to take on that challenge,” said Amandeep.

Though of course, no entrepreneur is free of support and guidance.

"I wouldn’t have got to where I am without training, support and investment from my former colleagues, clients and candidates. They chose to work with me."

Melbury Wood is a values-based company, conducting its business with four core principles running through it: knowledge, integrity, meritocracy and responsibility.

“I am always looking for something different, what do clients want and can I do that, if I can, how to monetise it in a commercial model,” said Amandeep.

Not short of ambitions, instilled in him all those years ago, Amandeep is serious about growth and expansion.

“I want to built my own little empire. I have ambitions having come from humble backgrounds… I think anyone can do it,” said Amandeep.

“In time, I would like to bring other people into my business, Partners and junior employees. I am keen to embark on training and development, much like what I had received myself early in my career,” he added.

Melbury Wood is not just about making money. Amandeep is passionate about corporate social responsibility and giving back to community projects, which share the same values as the company.

With some big clients under his belt already, there’s clearly an exciting journey ahead for Amandeep and Melbury Wood.

"My potential is only limited by my own vision."

I couldn’t agree more and wish all the best to Amandeep. If you would like to learn more about Melbury Wood, please visit: https://melburywood.com/

Priya Shah, Founder of BAME in Property

Meet The Woman Who Used A Racist Remark As A Spur To Create Her Own Property Network

Please note that this article was published prior to the new brand name of PREACH Inclusion® on 25 April 2024, so you will notice references to BAME in Property.

Get to know BAME in Property's Founder, Priya Shah in this Bisnow interview by Mike Philips. Learn more about how and why she set up the group and what she's learnt about the industry on ethnic diversity.

Priya Shah was in a meeting with a client of the built environment communications agency she worked for, making small talk, chatting about holiday plans. She mentioned she planned to go backpacking around South Africa and Zimbabwe.

“But you’re a bit of an Indian princess,” the client replied with surprise.

The comment took her aback, and made her feel undermined and typecast. It raised eyebrows in the room, but no one said anything.

“Because it was a client, I found it difficult to say anything, and didn’t want to be seen as creating a problem,” she said.

In 2017, after the incident, she set up BAME in Property, a networking organisation for BAME real estate professionals. It has grown to 400 people in the network, and 14 partner organisations, including the London Property Alliance and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Shah’s personal and professional experience gives her an insight into how the real estate industry can turn the current talk about diversity into real action. She said it will involve a real understanding of some of the economic and cultural factors holding ethnic diversity back, within BAME communities who don’t see property as a legitimate profession, as well as within the property industry itself.

Read the full interview here.

Racism, Bias And Self-Doubt: Being BAME In Real Estate In 2019

Please note that this article was published prior to the new brand name of PREACH Inclusion® on 25 April 2024, so you will notice references to BAME in Property.

In April 2019, Mike Phillips, UK Editor of Bisnow and BAME in Property asked our 400 members to take part in a survey to find out what it's really like to be a BAME professional in property in 2019.

The results are out and Mike has put together many of the responses in this fascinating piece.

We found that racism and discrimination were commonplace, and about 70% of those who responded said they had experienced racism or discrimination of some kind — sometimes subtle and insidious, sometimes open and vile. There is still very much a sense that the avenues to the top of the profession are closed off, something that even a cursory glance at UK property boardrooms would confirm.

Reasons to be positive? UK property is changing. The conversations about diversity being held within companies and lobbying organisations and in the media are at least highlighting that a problem exists. And those who responded had some concrete ideas about how the industry can turn this talk into tangible change, change that for BAME professionals in property cannot come quickly enough.

Read the full feature here.

Why should the social housing sector embrace ethnic diversity?

Every month BAME in Property picks a theme, an area of housing to explore through the ethnic diversity lens.

This month, we’ve been sharing the importance of ethnic diversity in the social housing sector. From BME housing associations, to Asian Women’s Refuges and housing diverse tenants, ethnic diversity is crucial for this sector.

Our theme was timely, as one of BAME in Property’s first ten Partners was the Housing Diversity Network (HDN), announced on 14 May 2019.

I had a long discussion with HDN’s Chief Executive, Raj Patel, who shared his thoughts on how and why the sector could embrace diversity further, resulting in better outcomes for the very people it is trying to serve. Here are some of my thoughts following our conversation.

The majority of social housing’s leadership is white and male – and little has changed in recent years. For a sector that has more diverse customers than private housing, it is guilty of having some of the least diverse leaders. In an Inside Housing survey published in January 2018, only three out of 64 housing associations have a BME chief executive. And only one of those is a woman – Geeta Nanda, chief executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley.

Similar to the wider housing sector, there is much diversity at graduate and entry levels, with many housing associations offering credible Apprenticeship schemes. However, also apparent across the industry, is that stalling of diversity at the middle management sector, where many women and BAME professionals struggle to progress their careers. There could be many reasons for this, but lack of mentors and unconscious bias are the most commons factors for ethnic minorities leaving the industry.

Not only is this disappointing but it is also slightly concerning. The social housing sector deals with more complex needs within specific communities. Take a women’s refuge for example - women seeking refuge from domestic violence or escaping a forced marriage. These are sensitive cases, often intertwined in cultural nuances that require a different approach. How can the social housing sector respond appropriately to such incidents and be considerate of different gender, ethnic and cultural needs, when it isn’t representative of these? The sector needs to represent the various ethnicities it aims to provide for to truly respond in the most suitable manner, such as taking consideration of different languages and religions, which may impact the level of support required.

Or let’s consider housing estates in inner cities, which have significant ethnic minority populations. Research has shown that a decent roof over one’s head is the solid foundation that children need for a stable upbringing. Again, many housing associations operate within such communities, but often miss the link between crime, housing and education. This is not an isolated issue, but one that requires a more joined-up response. If you do not have diverse representatives outreaching to such communities, it is not creating a sense of mutual understanding. Rather, it alienates the very communities housing associations are set to help.

Social housing also provides for different demographics, including older residents. This type of housing is also known as sheltered housing, which many in the sector may be more familiar with. Traditionally, sheltered housing was adhered to a Western model of housing, lacking facilities for different ethnicities.

This was exactly why Raj set up Ashram Housing in 1991 and the Kalyan Ashram (Kalyan meaning ‘freedom’) shortly after. Aside from accommodating to BME resident needs better, Kalyan Ashram has separate vegetarian, Halal and Western kitchens, a small but meaningful factor in promoting inclusivity and respect for different faiths. Cultural awareness is the foundation for successful relationships between different communities.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. I was pleased to hear about the work HDN is doing to encourage greater diversity within organisations. From mentoring to staff development, the HDN is supporting housing associations in ensuring equality and inclusion underpin all of the work the sector does.

In May 2018, L&Q adopted the Rooney Rule in its recruitment process to boost diversity. Its policy ensures at least one candidate from a BME background and one female candidate are interviewed for “senior leadership positions” providing they meet the role criteria. L&Q was also the first housing association to report on the Ethnicity Pay Gap.

Inside Housing launched its Inclusive Futures campaign in January 2018 to help address the lack of diversity at senior leadership levels. The media can report on this and support any campaign, but ultimately, the sector is responsible for making that change.

Looking ahead, some of the biggest issues and opportunities impacting the built environment sector are lack off affordability with regards to home ownership, an ageing population and immigration. The social housing sector has a huge role to play in grasping and responding to these issues. But if it doesn’t consider these issues through a diversity lens, it really isn’t considering them at all.

Priya Shah, Founder of BAME in Property