Ian Bentley has a background in architecture, property development and urban design, with practice experience in the Middle East, Netherlands and UK. He was Professor of Urban Design at Oxford Brookes University until 2010, when he left to set up the International Network for Settlement Design, running training courses for practitioners and students in Brazil, Canada, China, Iran, Mexico, Russia and Vietnam. He has a particular interest in working with community groups; winning the Times/ RIBA award for partnership with the Angell Town Community Project in 1992. He has written widely on architectural and urban design topics, and was awarded the UK Urban Design Group’s lifetime achievement award in 2011 for his role as lead author of the design manual Responsive Environments. Currently semi-retired, he enjoys offering strategic design advice to EcoResponsive Environments Ltd.