About
ImaginePlaces was founded by Angela Koch in 2010. Angela’s background is in Planning, Regeneration, and Urban Design, trained and educated in the UK (The Bartlett, UCL) and Germany (University of Trier, 5+ years). She has 25 years of practice in the field.
​
We are interested in co-designed change at the scale of residential and mixed-use sites, streets, and neighbourhoods. Our work seeks to contribute to more resilient communities developing over time into nature-positive, socially and economically thriving, and inclusive places.
​
Creating spaces and platforms for meaningful dialogue and learning between design team members, landowners, developers, local residents, and businesses with tangible impacts on design work, planning applications, and the making of places, drive our practice. It is our design culture.
We have a track record of delivering on this ambition and we are innovating in the field.
ImaginePlaces’ 3D design workshops and co-production methodologies in contexts of planning applications, masterplanning, and coding processes are recognised as best practice, award-winning, and more importantly, tangible impacts in the design and construction of those places.
​
Affiliations
+ Design South East | Design Review Panel Chair and Member incl. (St Albans, Swale, Hemel, Brighton & Hove and wider south-east)
+ Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service |Design Review Panel Member
+ Co-founder of the NeighbourhoodPlanners.London Network
+ Fellow | Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)
+ Academician |Academy of Urbanism
+ Advisor WildStreets
+ Teaching | University of Westminster | School of Architecture and Cities | Royal Town Planning Institute | ETH-Raum Zürich | University College London, The Bartlett | Central Saint Martins, M Arch: Architecture|Politecnico Di Milano, Dipartimento Di Architettura E Studi Urbani London School of Economics | Cities Programme |
​
​
Selected Awards
2023 | Housing Design Awards | Winner | Arcus Road/ Chingley Close | Phoenix Community Housing
2023 | Housing Design Awards | Shortlist | Ordnance Lane | York Housing Delivery Programme
2022 | RTPI Planning Excellence | Winner | Silver Jubilee Cup | York Housing Delivery Programme
2022 | RTPI Planning Excellence | Winner | Plan Making Practice | York Housing Delivery Programme
2022 | RTPI Yorkshire Planning Excellence | Winner | Plan Making Practice | York Housing Delivery Programme
2022 | Planning Awards | Winner | Best Housing Scheme under 500 | York Housing Delivery Programme
2022 | Planning Awards | Winner | Best Planning Application | Love Wolverton Project by Developer TOWN.
2021 | York Housing Delivery Programme | UN International Centre of Excellence on High-Performing Buildings
2021 | National Urban Design Awards | Finalist | Shenley Neighbourhood Plan and Design Code
2017 | RTPI | Planning Awards | Finalist | Plan Making Practice| Masterplan | St Albans Old Museums Site |
St Albans City&District Council
2017 | RTPI East | Winner | Plan Making Practice | St Albans City Centre Masterplan |
St Albans City & District Council
2016 | The Planning and Placemaking Awards | St Albans Old Museums Site |
St Albans City & District Council