Geoffrey Payne, has been training and teaching urban planners from around the world for more than 25 years, running courses in Belgium, Bolivia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Germany, Kenya, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand and the UK.

Geoff's first appointment was in 1973, when he was appointed a senior lecturer at Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University), where he taught urban design, and housing in developing countries. In 1985, he established, and became the first Chairman of, the Centre for Development and Environmental Planning (CENDEP) which was later relaunched as the Centre for Emergency Planning and Practice. Whilst at Oxford, Geoff also launched and directed a series of short courses held at Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford University on Housing in Development. The courses gained approval from the British Council and attracted participants from all over the world. Geoff went on to direct similar courses between 1990 and 1995 at University College London Development Planning Unit, where he also established the MSc in Building and Urban Design in Development (BUDD).

GPA has contributed to international training courses in Belgium, Kenya and Thailand (for the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), as well as Bolivia and Sweden (for Lund University) and Macedonia (for the European Commission). He has also been an External Associate Adviser to the British Council on architecture, town planning, urban design and related disciplines since 1997, which involves placing candidates for Chevening Awards at appropriate UK academic institutions and organizing programmes for distinguished visitors to the UK.

2008-09
UK - Governance and regularization of informal settlements
Commissioned to prepare papers on governance and regularization of informal settlements for use by UNDP staff and other professionals.

2007
UK - Urban land management training briefs
Preparing a Training Briefing Paper on urban land management for DFID staff in regional offices.

2006-07
UK - Options for reducing the need for slums and squatter settlements
Commissioned to prepare material for a CD-Rom on options for reducing the need for slums and squatter settlements in the urban areas of developing countries for the World Bank Institute. The CD-Rom was launched in Washington DC on 21 February 2008.

2005-06
Macedonia - Training public sector professionals
Provided training to public sector professionals in Macedonia to improve public sector management of land and housing markets (January to April). The knowledge transfer programme was delivered to representatives from all 85 municipalities in the country.

2005
South Africa
At the suggestion of DFID, contributed texts and references for further information on urban issues to a series of guidance notes being prepared by the Programme of Advisory and Support Services (PASS), of HTSPE Ltd.

2004
Ethiopia - Auditing regulatory frameworks for urban development and housing
Organising and Directing a training workshop for local professionals in central and local government agencies on options for improving existing informal settlements and planning appropriate and affordable new housing projects. The workshop was funded by the United Nations Urban Management Programme.

2002
Munich, Germany - Technical University, Munich
Guest lecturer on housing and land tenure issues.

2001-03
Lund, Sweden - Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Guest lecturer at international course on housing and urban development at the Housing Development and Management Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

1995-04
Bolivia - Designing appropriate and affordable settlements
Training assignment for Lund Centre for Human Settlements Sweden (ongoing). Contributing to other training programmes in Sweden and El Salvador.

1998-00
Cuba - Housing project design simulation
Directing design exercise using participatory techniques and partnership approaches (ongoing).

1997-99
Lebanon, Sweden, Turkey and UK
Visiting professor to Beirut Arab University. Also part-time teaching at the universities of Lund (Sweden), Cardiff, York, and the Middle East Technical University, Ankara.

1995
Bolivia: Designing appropriate and affordable settlements
Ongoing training assignment for Lund Centre for Human Settlements Sweden. Contributing to other training programmes in Sweden and El Salvador.

1990-95
UK - Development Planning Unit, University College London
Director of MSc course Building and Urban Design in Developing Countries and Director of training courses on housing.

1988-90
UK - Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University)
Senior Lecturer in the Joint Centre for Urban Design. Lecture visits to Brazil, India, Tanzania, Kenya and the USA. Awarded British Council 50th Anniversary Travel Award (1982) to present lectures in Tanzania. Founding Director of the Centre for Development and Environmental Planning (CENDEP).