Green Urbanist - Sustainable Placemaking, Planning and Urban Design

Chris Fitch, a writer and geographer, discusses his upcoming book, Wild Cities, shedding light on urban environments that embrace nature. He shares fascinating case studies from around the world, including Tallinn's pollinator corridors, Tokyo's mini forests, and Flagstaff's efforts to preserve its night sky for astronomy. Fitch emphasizes the importance of urban biodiversity, community collaborations, and the health benefits that nature brings to city life, advocating for a harmonious coexistence between urban areas and their wild counterparts.

This episode is a conversation with Stephen Mason, Community Parks Officer at Cheltenham Borough Council. We discuss:Urban rewilding projects in Cheltenham - including meadows and orchardsReconnecting urban areas with their surrounding landscapeHow the 'rewilding' concept engages communities in biodiversity projectsMeasuring the success of rewilding projectsDon't miss the other episodes in this WILD series: https://greenurbanistpod.com/rewildingConnect with Stephen on LinkedinMore about projects in Cheltenham: https://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/88/urban_greening/1495/improving_our_urban_green_spaces- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

Discover a free tool that predicts the climate for 520 major cities in 2050, empowering urban designers to plan for the future. Learn about important research on climate scenarios and the necessity of preparing urban areas for upcoming challenges. The conversation highlights the significance of adaptation strategies to combat the effects of climate change. Get insights on how cities can become more sustainable and resilient in a warming world.

Learn more about the course: https://greenurbanist.teachable.com/p/course-kickstart - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

My guests on this episode are Ian Russell and Jamie Kukadia from the watercourses team at London Borough of Enfield. We discuss:'Rewilding Enfield' - rewilding urban streets, parks and rivers.Nature-based flood resilience and sustainable drainage versus traditional engineering.Reintroducing beavers to London.The benefits of conservation livestock grazing in parks and green belt.Advice for others who want to take an urban rewilding approach.Learn more about the Enfield beaversLearn more about the conservation grazing projectThis is part 3 of the Urban Rewilding series.Listen to part 1 here: #102: (WILD) Rewilding Urban Parks with Lost Species - Sean McCormack, Ealing Beaver ProjectListen to part 2 here: #105: (WILD) Wilding the City, with Sophie Thompson (LDA Design)- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

In this episode I share 4 tips for effectively communicating about sustainability and climate change with a variety of audiences like clients, collaborators and the public. The four strategies I share are:Start with empathy and tailor your message to the audience.Lead with a positive narrative.Make it tangible and relevant.Don't preach. Co-create and facilitate.Research paper I mention: Bastin et al (2019) Understanding climate change from a global analysis of city analogues En-Roads Climate SimulatorNeed help crafting the vision and narrative for your project? Get in touch to see how I can help: Book a Discovery Call - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

In this episode I explore Sustainable Placemaking: an 8-step process for creating places that people love and maximise sustainability opportunities. So many masterplans create soulless and unsustainable places. In this episode I explain how getting the planning and design process right can unlock opportunities for placemaking, biodiversity, circular economy and decarbonisation.- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

This is episode 2 of 6 in the podcast series on urban rewilding.My guest is Sophie Thompson, a landscape architect and Director at LDA Design.In this episode we discuss:How wild nature can be brought into city streets and public spacesThe importance of working closely with local communitiesExamples of LDA’s transformations of highly urban spaces into places for people and nature.How to manage the complexities and constraints of working in cities.More about LDA Design and the projects we discuss: LDA WebsiteGreening London's West EndAlfred Place GardensPrinces CircusCambridge Lawn to Meadow projectConnect with Sophie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-thompson-51b4748/Further listening:Listen to all the urban rewilding episodes.Listen to my previous episode with LDA on their Strand Aldwych project: #81: Reimagining Roads as Public Space, with LDACover image of Princes Circus, London by LDA Design. Photo by Studio Maple, used with permission from LDA Design. - - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

My guest is Duygu Kutluay, a campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels. We discuss:Why local community projects need to be part of Europe’s energy transition away from fossil fuels.Beyond Fossil Fuels' new interactive map of community-based energy projects that you can access on their website. Six case studies of local energy projects from across Europe.More about Beyond Fossil Fuels: https://beyondfossilfuels.org/Local Energy Solutions Map: https://beyondfossilfuels.org/local-energy-solutions-map/- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

In this episode I explore the different roles that built environment professionals can play in leveraging systems change for sustainability. This is based on interviewing 122 guests on this podcast and exploring systems change research.The 5 types of change-makers are:Champion and CoordinatorResearcher and StorytellerTopic ExpertInnovatorSystems Influencer- - - Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Podcast website: https://greenurbanistpod.com/ The Green Urbanist podcast is hosted by Ross O'Ceallaigh.