Sylvia Law (planner)

Sylvia Law

She was born in Southport, Lancashire, the daughter of a cotton waste merchant. She grew up in Rochdale, and attended Bury Grammar School for Girls and Lowther College, Bodelwyddan Castle, North Wales, before studying geography at Girton College, Cambridge. She began work as a teacher at Benenden School before leaving to join Unilever as a researcher. However, she became increasingly interested in urban planning and architecture, particularly the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and decided to become a planner.^[1][2]

In 1959 she started work as a planning researcher with

She was elected as a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute's Council in 1965, remaining a member until 1978. She was elected as the RTPI President for 1974,[3] becoming the first woman ever to hold the office, in the organisation's sixtieth anniversary year. She also chaired the Institute's education committee, responsible for the institute's examination processes, and led working groups on the Community Land Bill and on the future of planning. She was appointed OBE in 1975.^[1]

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