Rachael Unsworth is an urban geographer with experience of both commercial and academic research. She read geography at Cambridge and then held a research studentship in the Department of Land Economy. After completing her PhD, she spent several years in property research working for Cluttons in London. During that time she helped to set up and run the Society of Property Researchers.
A part-time lecturer at the University of Leeds from 1994-2013, Rachael taught and researched a range of topics on sustainable development, urban regeneration, planning and natural resources. Her overarching interest is in the evolution of cities in the long term. Research on Leeds has included the historic and contemporary office market and the city living market as well as many strands of work on the future of the city. Publications include a co-edited book ‘21st century Leeds: geographies of a regional city’ (2004), a co–authored guidebook to Leeds city centre (2008) and also a chapter on Leeds for a book assessing the urban renaissance in the main cities of the UK. In 2010, she joined with other professionals to form Leeds Sustainable Development Group with the aim of promoting the potential for Leeds South Bank to become a sustainable neighbourhood for the long term.
Now 'a geographer at large', she is engaged in freelance consultancy and writing, aiming to integrate thinking about global, national and regional trends into local development and planning for a sustainable future.