Numerous theories exist today on teamwork and teambuilding. From a distance of thirty years, it seems to me that more than chance brought our small planning team together. Each one of us–and each of our consultants as well–turned out to be vital for the making of the Londonderry plan. The contribution of consultants proved to be essential in the successful outcome of the plan and the absence of even one of the participants, whether staff or consultant, would have greatly diminished the end result. Interestingly as it turned out, the backgrounds and philosophical outlook of everyone involved were so intertwined that we could almost anticipate each others thoughts. Not that there wasn't argument and even dissension at times, but the infrequent nature and substance of the arguments and the goodwill and humour of the participants, combined with incredible dedication and hard work, enabled us to accomplish much within a very short time.

While at least half the team had known each other for many years in the Munce office and had established good working relationships, there were other factors influencing the strong philosophical direction that evolved during the making of the plan. Paramount was the influence of the pioneering, turn-of-the-century planner, Patrick Geddes.