Leadership in Planning Since 2017

PhD, MRTPI, RTP, MNITP, MBCS
Founder | Director | Principal Planning Consultant

Dr Hillary Ugochukwu Ugwuoke is a Chartered Town Planner, planning consultant, researcher and former university lecturer with more than 14 years of professional experience across town planning, development management, planning enforcement, masterplanning, urban and regional research, higher education and digital quality assurance.

As Founder and Director of Ugohills and Associates Limited, he provides strategic leadership across the company’s planning, development and research activities. His professional approach combines practical planning judgement, academic research, policy understanding, stakeholder engagement and evidence-led decision-making to support sustainable and deliverable development.

His career spans consultancy, public-sector planning, academia, research and technology, giving him a broad perspective on how planning decisions are shaped by policy, place, evidence, development viability, infrastructure, community interests and long-term spatial objectives.

Planning & Development Experience

Dr Ugwuoke has extensive experience in development management, site appraisal, masterplanning and spatial planning.

Through his previous planning consultancy practice, he led and contributed to a wide range of development and planning assignments involving residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and mixed-use projects.

His professional portfolio includes experience associated with:

39 neighbourhood layouts

One major new-town masterplan and associated planning schemes

Approximately 88 town-planning site appraisals

Development and site feasibility assessments

Planning and development strategy

Masterplanning and land-use planning

Regeneration and settlement planning

Stakeholder engagement

Multidisciplinary project coordination

His work has involved collaboration with land surveyors, architects, engineers, estate surveyors and valuers, builders, environmental specialists, public authorities, developers and communities.

Earlier in his career, Dr Ugwuoke worked as a Development Management and Planning Enforcement Officer within a local planning authority environment in Enugu, Nigeria. His monthly caseload typically involved approximately 25–40 planning applications at different stages of assessment.

His responsibilities included planning application assessment, site inspections, pre-application advice, preparation of planning reports and recommendations, compliance investigations, planning enforcement support and implementation of development-control policies.

This experience provided a strong foundation in regulatory planning and continues to influence his practical, evidence-led approach to development management.

Research & Evidence

Research is an important part of Dr Ugwuoke’s professional work.

In 2026, he contributed as a Researcher to the Happy City Index Project in London, participating in an international assessment of urban quality of life.

Working within the project’s structured research methodology, he was responsible for researching and assessing a designated city, collecting and validating urban and socio-economic evidence and contributing to the consistency and reliability of the final assessment.

Research themes included:

• Governance
• Environment
• Mobility
• Economy
• Innovation
• Public health
• Safety
• Accessibility
• Public space
• Urban quality of life

His wider research interests include regional development, spatial planning, housing, sustainable urban development, urban governance, infrastructure, planning policy, development management, comparative planning systems and African urbanisation.

Academic Background

Dr Ugwuoke holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from Enugu State University of Science and Technology.

His doctoral research, titled:

“Regional Development Potentials of Towns Along Major Inland Waterways of Nigeria,”

examined the relationship between settlements, infrastructure, inland waterways and regional development opportunities.

He also holds an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning with Distinction from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he achieved a GPA of 4.62/5.00 and received recognition for the best postgraduate result in his department.

His master's research focused on household solid-waste disposal, sustainable urban environmental management and service delivery within Enugu Metropolis.

He previously obtained a BSc in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Academic & Teaching Experience

Alongside professional practice, Dr Ugwuoke has substantial experience in higher education.

He served as a Lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning at the Federal University of Technology Owerri, where he taught planning-related subjects, supported research methodology and design studios, supervised undergraduate research and contributed to departmental administration and accreditation activities.

He previously lectured at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, where his responsibilities extended beyond teaching to include:

Departmental Examination Coordinator

Academic Adviser for Higher National Diploma students

Curriculum Development Committee membership

Student research supervision

Academic mentoring

Assessment and examination management

His teaching philosophy emphasised linking planning theory with professional practice and real urban-development challenges.

Digital & Technology Experience

Dr Ugwuoke also brings professional experience from the technology sector.

As a Software Test Engineer with SmarthubIT Limited in Southampton, he worked on web-based and Windows applications using Agile and Waterfall methodologies.

His experience included:

• Functional testing
• Regression testing
• System testing
• Test-case development
• Defect reporting
• Quality assurance
• User Acceptance Testing support
• Digital-platform usability assessment

He also worked with Blackboard learning-management environments used within UK higher education.

This experience complements his planning background and supports his growing interest in digital planning, planning-data quality, technology-enabled public services and digital transformation within the built environment.

Professional Memberships & Engagement

Dr Ugwuoke is actively involved in the planning profession in the UK and internationally.

His professional memberships and engagements include:

Chartered Member, Royal Town Planning Institute — MRTPI

Registered Town Planner, Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria — RTP

Full Member, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners — MNITP

Professional Member, British Computer Society — MBCS

Member, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria

ISTQB-Certified Software Test Analyst

Certified Project Manager

Volunteer Member, Planning Aid England (PAE)

Within the Royal Town Planning Institute, his professional engagement includes:

Member, RTPI General Assembly

Member, RTPI International Committee

Focal Person supporting professional collaboration between the RTPI International Committee and the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners

Member, RTPI Independent Consultants Network

RTPI Membership Mentor, supporting planning professionals progressing through professional membership and ethics requirements

His involvement with Planning Aid England complements this commitment to public-interest planning and professional service by supporting the principle that communities and individuals should have access to clear, informed and inclusive planning guidance.

Professional Leadership & Knowledge Exchange

Dr Ugwuoke has maintained a strong commitment to professional mentoring, planning advocacy and knowledge exchange throughout his career.

As a former State Coordinator of the Young Planners Forum, Enugu State Chapter, he supported professional outreach, planning advocacy and engagement with planning schools and professional groups.

His other contributions have included CPD activities, mentoring of early-career planners and participation in policy and research initiatives.

In December 2022, he prepared and presented a policy memorandum titled:

“Proposals for Reviving Town Planning Practice in Enugu State.”

He was also part of a research team involved in the study:

“Slum Identification in Enugu City,”

which was presented to Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Housing in 2019.

Professional Approach

Dr Ugwuoke’s approach to planning is built around five interconnected principles:

Evidence • Policy • Place • People • Delivery

He believes effective planning should go beyond regulatory compliance. It should understand the character and potential of places, balance competing interests, respond to communities, identify realistic development opportunities and establish a clear route toward implementation.

His multidisciplinary background enables him to connect professional planning practice, research, education and digital innovation.

Through Ugohills and Associates Limited, his aim is to provide clients with professional advice that is:

• Evidence-led
• Policy-informed
• Context-sensitive
• Sustainable
• Commercially aware
• Collaborative
• Deliverable
• Focused on long-term value

Leading Ugohills and Associates Limited

As Director and Principal Planning Consultant, Dr Ugwuoke leads Ugohills with the objective of developing a respected professional consultancy that combines planning expertise, development insight, research capability and digital thinking.

The practice supports clients in understanding development potential, navigating planning processes, managing planning risks, strengthening evidence and creating sustainable, resilient and successful places.

Areas of Professional Focus

Town Planning | Development Management | Planning Appraisals | Planning Applications | Masterplanning | Spatial Planning | Planning Policy | Regional Development | Urban Regeneration | Housing | Sustainable Development | Local Authority Planning Support | Urban Research | Statistical Analysis | Digital Planning | Knowledge Exchange

Professional Philosophy

“Planning should not simply regulate development; it should provide the evidence, vision and framework needed to create places that people can value, invest in and be proud of.”

This philosophy sits at the heart of Ugohills and Associates Limited and its enduring motto:

Pride of the City