Design has the power to protect, enhance and restore communities and environments - a principle that drives Catherine Ramsden's work as both Founding Director of Useful Studio and member of the National Highways’ Strategic Design Panel. Through this influential role, she champions a rigour for road infrastructure design that is climate resilient and regenerative for users, the natural environment, and the place.
Challenging conventions through collective expertise
Relaunched in November 2024, the Strategic Design Panel assembles specialists from architecture, engineering, landscape design, and social sustainability to challenge established practices and elevate design standards across the Strategic Road Network. This independent advisory body convenes quarterly, ensuring infrastructure projects demonstrate excellence while addressing complex environmental and social considerations.
The panel's methodology prioritises transformative outcomes through:
- Context-responsive development – designing infrastructure that enhances rather than diminishes local environments and communities,
- Inclusive engagement – ensuring diverse voices shape transport infrastructure decisions,
- Environmental stewardship – embedding sustainability principles throughout design processes,
- Community-centered value – making infrastructure benefits tangible and meaningful to end users.
This approach transcends traditional mitigation strategies, positioning design as a catalyst for genuine value creation and positive societal impact.
Guided by ten principles of exemplary road design, the panel champions infrastructure that is inherently safe, inclusive, environmentally responsible and collaborative. By synthesising expertise across multiple disciplines, the initiative ensures England’s motorways and major A roads serve as a framework for community enhancement while protecting and enriching natural landscapes.
Explore the Strategic Design Panel's methodology and design principles.
