City of London Green City Briefings – Urban Heat Island Effect and Urban Forests

AIPH, in collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Gardeners, presents the City of London Green City Briefings – a series of 8 webinars that present compelling evidence and examples of the power of ‘living green’ in delivering multiple solutions to city challenges.

Planting trees in cities is a high profile activity reported around the globe. Trees certainly have a significant contribution to make in reducing the UHI effect, and reducing the serious health impacts of this phenomenon that has resulted from converging issues of climate change and increased built infrastructure. In this briefing the merits of trees are presented with attention to the importance of design, construction and maintenance in delivering benefits.

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MC: Prof. Rob Adams AM, City Design, City of Melbourne

Since joining the City of Melbourne in 1985, Rob Adams has led the rejuvenation of central Melbourne. He received the Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year in 2008, the Order of Australia in 2007, and the Australian Institute of Architect’s National President’s Award in 2018, and his CoM City Design team have received over 150 international, state and local awards.

Cecil van Konijnendijk, Director of the Nature-based-solutions Institute

Cecil has over 25 years of experience studying, teaching, and advising on aspects of urban forestry and nature-based solutions. He is widely considered as one of the world’s leading urban forestry experts, and his work has been featured by leading media outlets such as CNBC and in international documentary films.

Since 2016 he has been a professor of urban forestry at the University of British Columbia. Cecil helped found the leading academic journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, and edited seminal textbooks such as The Routledge Handbook of Urban Forestry.

Ian Shears, Principal of Ian Shears Green Infrastructure + Urban Forestry

Ian Shears is acknowledged as one of Australia’s experts in urban landscapes and as an experienced practitioner in public open space design, implementation and management. He has specialised in urban greening for 30 years and worked for 19 years with the City of Melbourne. He currently advises a range of governments nationally and internationally on policy and practice of urban greening.

Ian and his teams have been credited with the development of some of Australia’s most progressive environmental policies, programs and projects and have won many state, national and international awards for their work.

13:00 – Welcome

13:05 – Prof Dr Cecil van Konijnendijk

From nature’s benefits to policy implementation – The urban forestry experience

We have come to know a lot about the important contributions of nature to cities, but this knowledge is not always translated into specific policies, guidelines, and actions. This presentation introduces experiences from the interdisciplinary field of urban forestry, where close science-policy-practice collaborations have become more common. Examples of such collaborations that promote the role of urban forestry in delivering different ecosystem services and benefits are provided. Part of the success of these endeavours relates to developing innovative governance approaches, as well as to using terms and a ‘language’ that helps build connections. The talk ends with presenting a new effort to connect science, policy, and practice in urban forestry: the 3-30-300 rule for greener and healthier cities.

13:25 – Mr Ian Shears

Unleashing the potential of nature – from knowledge to practice

There are many drivers for urban greening and a wealth of knowledge about its benefits but also a very wide range of organisational capacity and maturity to deliver the desired outcomes.  Using a range and scale of case studies this presentation will identify key components needed to successfully realise the full potential of urban fabric to deliver on environmental service provision,  biodiverse ecological benefits, and importantly the immersion of the community in nature. Holistic trans-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional thinking and collaboration are essential for the design and creation of healthy and resilient urban forests and communities.

13:45 – Q&A

14:00 – Session close

Session 6: The Critical Dynamics of City Biodiversity and Global Conservation – 20th October

​Cities are gaining recognition as identifiable ecosystems, and play an increasingly important role in global conservation. This briefing considers local action to enhance biodiversity, links with city-wide ecological corridors, and interactions with the wider landscape that direct city planning and growth. Find out more.

Session 7: Air Quality in Cities: the realistic and real benefits of plants – 9th November

Local improvements in air quality delivered by urban greening as climate change adaptation measures run alongside climate change mitigation strategies to reduce air pollution from emissions. This briefing focusses on providing clarity on what can be expected from living green within a multi-faceted approach to managing air pollution in cities. Find out more.

Session 8: London Report on Climate Action – 7th December

Find out more.