The Green Urbanist

I sit down with Andrew Bullmore of VU.CITY to discuss how 3D models, digital twins and artificial intelligence tools can be used to do better, evidence-based planning and design and get more sustainable outcomes.  VU.CITY website: https://www.vu.city/SiteSolve generative AI: https://www.site-solve.co.uk/This is a sponsored episode. Thanks to VU.CITY for the support. Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Sam Luker is an Associate Sustainability Director at AESG and led on their new report titled 'Net Zero Neighbourhoods'. In this episode we discuss: Why the neighbourhood scale is optimal for decarbonisation and finding local solutions to sustainabilityPrinciples and case studies for Net Zero NeighbourhoodsRetrofitting existing neighbourhoods for decarbonisationHow to get communities involved and realise local benefitsExamples of innovative funding mechanisms to deliver net zero neighbourhoodsRead the report on Net Zero Neighbourhoods from AESG/LDN Collective: https://westlondon.com/net-zero-neighbourhoods-report-launched-to-further-the-uptake-for-a-low-carbon-future/Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Mohit and Sue Yen are architects and members of Decolonise Architecture, a solution-based group driven to tackle institutional racism and bias within architectural education and practice. In this episode we discuss:  How architectural education and practice can be 'colonial' in its approach, and the problems with this.Expanding architectural education and practice to embrace other cultures and worldviews.How the architecture profession can be made more accessible to all.Learn more about Decolonise Architecture: https://www.decolonisearchitecture.com/ Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Jeffrey Rissman is Senior Director at Energy Innovation, where he leads the company’s work on technologies and policies to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the industry sector. He is the author of Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity (2024) and coauthor of Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy (2018).We discuss decarbonisation pathways for concrete and steel and what urbanists can do to drive down industrial emissions.Check out Jeff's book: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/zero-carbon-industry/9780231204200Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

 Welcome to part 4, the final episode in the landscape mini-series. In this episode I sit down with Cannon Ivers CMLI of LDA to discuss their inspiring project The Strand, Aldwych. The Strand was for centuries a busy traffic thoroughfare in central London that has been transformed into a totally pedestrianised and multi-functional public space. Cannon tells me the story of how this came to be, what it means for the people who use this space and how it connects to a larger initiative to transform busy roads in central London into public spaces. More about the Strand: https://www.lda-design.co.uk/kindling/news/westminster-unveils-reimagined-strand-aldwych/Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

 Welcome to part 3 in this mini-series on landscape and urban nature. In this episode I spoke with James Virgo CMLI of LUC. He tells me about LUC’s work on Shoreditch Park. This is a nice case study of taking an existing park and working with the local community to improve it for biodiversity while tackling anti-social behaviour and creating a more welcoming and multi-function space for local people. More about Shoreditch Park: https://www.landuse.co.uk/news/luc-completes-the-shoreditch-park-improvement-works/Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

 Welcome to part 2 of this mini-series on landscape and urban nature. This episode features an interview with Michael Cowdy FLI of McGregor Coxall. We discuss two of their Landscape Award-nominated projects, a research project on BioUrbanism and the second a design code for green infrastructure for a new community Cherry Hinton North, Cambridge. More about Biourbanism: https://mcgregorcoxall.com/biourbanismThanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Welcome to this 4-part series on the role of landscape and urban nature in creating resilient, sustainable and healthy places. Over the next 4 weeks I’ll be releasing short weekly episodes featuring interviews with landscape practitioners that highlight great case studies in landscape design and discuss the wider role of these interventions in green urbanism.The interviews were recorded at the Landscape Institute Awards 2023. Thanks to the Landscape Institute for inviting me along and organising these conversations.This first episode features a conversation with Landscape Institute President-elect Carolin Göhler FLI. The focus of this chat was on responding to the climate and biodiversity crises through landscape interventions and some of the work the Landscape Institute is doing to push this forward.After the interview I share some more information specifically about nature-based climate adaptation in cities.Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Antonietta Canta is a Principal Environmental and Sustainability Engineer at Arup. In this episode we discuss their recent research report: ‘Addressing overheating risk in existing UK homes’. As dry as that title sounds, the conversation was actually very illuminating and useful. It's also useful for listeners outside the UK!We discuss:How many homes in UK are at risk of overheating now and in future climate scenarios.Why new apartments overheat more than houses and older buildings.The best strategies for reducing overheating in new and existing buildings and advice for architects, planners and policy makers.Read the report: https://www.arup.com/perspectives/publications/research/section/addressing-overheating-risk-in-existing-uk-homesThanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Jan Kattein is Director of Jan Kattein Architects, a studio that focuses on collaborative, sustainable and community-focused projects. Back in September of 2023 I joined Jan at their project in south London called the Paper Garden, which is a educational building and garden space for the charity Global Generation. Some of they key points we discuss:Radically circular building with 60% reused materialsBuilt by 3000 volunteers - teaching skills and inspiring sustainabilityFlexible design approach to suit available materials rather than specific designSourcing timber from Epping Forest, LondonIs this the future of architecture?Giulia Mori joined me as co-hostLearn more about the Paper Garden: https://jankattein.com/projects/paper-garden/Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Kent Jackson is Design Partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM) and leads the designs of a wide range of scales and typologies across the globe. Passionate about improving the future of planetary health, Kent is also a leader of SOM’s Climate Action Group, advancing the firm’s commitment for all active work to be net zero whole-life carbon by 2040. James Woodall is Sustainability Lead at SOM and was a co-editor of the LETI Climate Emergency Design Guide – a groundbreaking publication shaped by over 100 leading design professionals. The guide continues to be referred to as best practice in delivering net zero carbon buildings. Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM) is a global architecture, engineering and urban design practice, responsible for some of the world's most famous landmark buildings.In this episode we discuss SOM's target for all their projects to be Whole Life Net Zero Carbon by 2040 and their ambitions to promote regenerative design. Learn more about SOM here: https://www.som.com/See the companion blog post on Substack.Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Steve Sanham established Common Projects in 2021: a development company led by a purpose to put people and planet at the heart of its decision-making. Steve has an extensive and proven track record in the built environment, specialising in urban regeneration and in using development’s power to deliver better outcomes. Common Projects finances and delivers complex and game-changing development projects in London and the South East with a strong focus on sustainability and social outcomes.Common is currently delivering two large, complex London sites: the redevelopment of a 1960s ‘utopian’ complex into a community-facing housing scheme for Croydon, retaining and enhancing the original buildings alongside an upcycled community pavilion and garden; and the creative masterplannning of a large former gasworks in the centre of Wandsworth to deliver 650 mixed tenure homes, along with a new creative hub for the music community of south west London.In this episode we discuss:An environmental and social approach to housing developmentThe connection between the climate crisis and housing crisisZodiac Court redevelopment in CroydenWandsworth Gasworks masterplan This is part 1 of my conversation with Steve. In part 2 he gives me a tour of the Zodiac Court construction site and we get more into the details of this project. Part 2 will only be available on this Substack blog, so make sure to subscribe to get access to that and the newsletter.Click here to see the companion blog post on Substack.Learn more about Steve and Common Projects: https://common-projects.co.uk/Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Sean McCormack is a consultant Vet, the Chairperson of Ealing Wildlife Group, and an incredibly knowledgeable nature conservationist and educator based in west London.  This episode is part 2 of our conversation where we get into more detail on: The practicalities of reintroducing beavers to an urban parkManagement of urban natureRewilding vs nature restorationThe importance of partnerships and collaborationI also got the chance to speak with Elliot Newton and Ben Stockwell of Citizen Zoo, who are also involved in the beaver reintroduction at Paradise Fields. Listen out for their voices towards the end of this episode.See photos of the locations being rewilded at the companion blog post: Substack blogLearn more about Ealing Wildlife Group: https://ealingwildlifegroup.com/Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Sean McCormack is a consultant Vet, the Chairperson of Ealing Wildlife Group, and an incredibly knowledgeable nature conservationist and educator based in west London. In this episode we discuss his work to rewild urban London by reintroducing harvest mice, beavers and (eventually maybe) water voles while supporting native predators like falcons and owls in the city. It’s a really positive and inspiring story of how a community and a local government are working together for the good of nature. We also discuss how reintroducing beavers will mitigate flooding in the local area and advice for others interested in urban rewilding and nature conservation.Sean was very generous with his time and we ended up talking for 2 hours, so this episode is part 1 of that conversation. Part 2 is coming soon!See photos of the locations being rewilded at the companion blog post: Substack blogLearn more about Ealing Wildlife Group: https://ealingwildlifegroup.com/Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Nate Hagens is a systems thinker and educator focused on a concept he calls The Great Simplification. He has spent the last 20 years studying the systems we live in like energy, ecology and economics. He teaches at the University of Minnesota and speaks widely on these topics, including on his youtube channel called Nate Hagens and his podcast called The Great Simplification.We discuss:The Great Simplification and what that means for citiesWhat the end of fossil fuels means for the worldThe importance of scenario planning for the future of citiesWhy electric vehicles and renewables are not the answer to climate changeWhy a post-growth economy is inevitable in the coming decadesWe discuss some ideas for what post-growth cities might look like. I will follow up with an episode of more ideas, inspired by this conversation with Nate.Nate is extremely honest and clear about the direction he sees the world going. Some of you listening will likely disagree with his conclusions and may even feel defensive. Of course we're all free to disagree with each other, but I urge you to keep an open mind and consider seriously what he says and follow up with the resources in the episode description. He goes into these ideas in a lot more depth on his youtube channel and podcast, which are really worth checking out.More of Nate's content:https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/https://www.youtube.com/@thegreatsimplificationThanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Climate change is here and now cities and communities must adapt for safety, health and quality of life. In this episode I discuss a useful model for thinking about climate adaptation in three levels: resilience,  transition and transformation. I also provide some examples and ideas for bringing adaptation thinking into the work of urbanists.Relevant episodes:#68: Urban Rewilding#59: Why cities need Transformational Adaptation and what it could mean for urban ecosystems#38: Dr Morgan Phillips - Climate Adaptation  BibliographyThe ideas in this episode were largely inspired by the book Adaptation to Climate Change by Mark Pelling. Blythe et al. (2018) The Dark Side of TransformationThanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

This episode is a conversation with Tara and Lanre of Gbolade Design Studio, sustainable architects and urban designers based in London. Reflecting on their 5 years in practice, we discuss a range of topics and projects including:City-shaping with masterplans and design codesRetrofitting existing buildingsZero carbon and regenerative designCommunity-building and co-creating with communitiesInnovation in design, including the use of AITheir recent exhibition, ‘Breaking Ground’, and contribution to the Venice Biennale 2023See the companion blog post for images of the projects we discuss. Learn more about Gbolade Design Studio here: https://www.gboladedesignstudio.com/Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

What is urban rewilding? Can it be done in cities? Is anyone doing it? In this episode, we explore:History of the rewilding conceptCurrent best practice in rewildingHow rewilding can be applied to citiesCase studies of active and passive rewilding in urban areas around the worldCompanion Blog Post - See visuals of the stuff we talk about plus sources and bibliography. Corrections:We made a few small errors in this podcast. Around 24:00, Giulia says Sequoia tree seeds come in 'pine nuts' when she meant to say 'cones' (you can see how her mind was working...). Around 40:00, Ross says Rewilding Enfield is along the River Lea, when it is actually on the other side of the Borough in Enfield Chase (sorry, Londoners...). Thanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

This episode is a conversation with Jane, Lydia and Tom of architecture and urban design studio DSDHA. We discuss their research project 'Towards Spatial Justice: A guide for achieving meaningful participation in co-design processes'.We explore what co-design really means, why it’s important and how they have applied co-design processes at their projects: White Horse Square in Wembley Park, London and the extension of the British Library.Learn more about DSDHA here: LinkDownload the Towards Spatial Justice research report here: LinkSee images of the projects we discuss on the Substack companion post: LinkThanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Xavier Smales is an Architect and Andy Tugby is Head of Sustainable Construction at Human Nature, a developer based in the south of England. They join me to discuss their approach to designing sustainable neighbourhoods and how they're putting this into action with a development called The Phoenix. We discuss urban design principles for sustainable lifestyles, low carbon architecture, circular economy and more. Click here to see the companion blog post on Substack for visuals of the project!Find out more about Human Nature and The Phoenix here:https://www.humannature-places.com/phoenixThanks for listening!Join the Green Urbanist Weekly newsletter: SubstackSupport the Podcast by Donation Contact Ross Website Linkedin Twitter Instagram