Green Urbanist - Sustainable Placemaking, Planning and Urban Design

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/ - - - Register: Nature-led Urban Design - Study Tour and Masterclass (25 September) Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Get in touch: https://greenurbanistpod.com/contact The Green Urbanist podcast is created by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

Jeff Rissman, a Senior Director at Energy Innovation, discusses decarbonizing concrete and steel, emphasizing the role of urbanists in driving down industrial emissions. Topics include pathways for decarbonization, transformative technologies, sustainable architectural practices, city policies, and global collaboration for achieving a zero-carbon industry by 2050-2070.

In this final episode of the landscape mini-series, Cannon Ivers of LDA shares the inspiring project of transforming a busy road in London into a pedestrianized public space. They discuss the history, stakeholder engagement, and design aspects of the project. They also explore the larger initiative to reimagine roads as public spaces and create versatile platforms for events and installations.

 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/- - - Register: Nature-led Urban Design - Study Tour and Masterclass (25 September) Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Get in touch: https://greenurbanistpod.com/contact The Green Urbanist podcast is created by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

Michael Cowdy, FLI of McGregor Coxall discusses landscape award-nominated projects on biourbanism and green infrastructure design. They emphasize the need for balance between bio and urban systems, integration of design and science, landscape's role in addressing urban heat island and flooding, and the importance of design codes based on landscape identity.

In this podcast, Landscape Institute President-elect Carolin Göhler FLI discusses the role of landscape interventions in response to climate and biodiversity crises. Topics include government policies, training landscape professionals, and enhancing urban nature for climate adaptation. The episode also explores the landscape profession's evolution and potential transformative adaptations to the climate crisis.

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-homes- - - Register: Nature-led Urban Design - Study Tour and Masterclass (25 September) Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Get in touch: https://greenurbanistpod.com/contact The Green Urbanist podcast is created by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

Jan Kattein, Director of collaborative Jan Kattein Architects, discusses a circular building with 60% reused materials, built by 3000 volunteers. They highlight sourcing timber from Epping Forest, flexible design to suit available materials, and the future of sustainable architecture.

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.- - - Register: Nature-led Urban Design - Study Tour and Masterclass (25 September) Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Get in touch: https://greenurbanistpod.com/contact The Green Urbanist podcast is created by Ross O'Ceallaigh.

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/- - - Register: Nature-led Urban Design - Study Tour and Masterclass (25 September) Subscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Consulting and training: https://greenurbanist.org/ Get in touch: https://greenurbanistpod.com/contact The Green Urbanist podcast is created by Ross O'Ceallaigh.