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UCL shortlisted for outstanding contribution to sustainable development

22 September 2009

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  • UCL Business
  • Grand Challenge of Sustainable Cities
  • A major UCL-led programme has been shortlisted for an award recognising an 'outstanding contribution to sustainable development'.

    The shortlisting in the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2009 acknowledges the impact of UrbanBuzz, UCL's flagship two-year knowledge exchange programme.

    The programme, which ended earlier this year, was led by Professor Alan Penn from the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies and managed by David Cobb from UCL Business.

    It brought together a large number of industry experts from the private, academic and public sectors to develop new approaches to the challenge of creating sustainable communities.

    UrbanBuzz drew on a wide range of expertise from across UCL, provided funding for 27 projects and continues to inform the university's Grand Challenge of Sustainable Cities, one of the four pillars of its research strategy.

    Examples of UrbanBuzz-funded projects included:

    • radically rethinking the possibilities of urban agriculture
    • reducing CO2 emissions from a Victorian building in a conservation area
    • creating a London-based network to engage, motivate and support students to contribute to sustainable development

    The programme's final publication - The Complete UrbanBuzz - summarises the outcomes of the projects involved and provides an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in sustainable development.

    Professor Penn said: "UrbanBuzz unlocked knowledge transfer potential where no other funders ventured.  Amongst the projects sponsored by the programme, most have delivered different kinds of lasting change to their target communities.

    "Many have succeeded beyond expectations and the UrbanBuzz final publication celebrates this success and should be essential reading for those students and practitioners interested or engaged in placemaking."

    The winners of the THE Awards 2009 will be announced at a gala dinner at the Grosvenor Hotel on 15 October.

    For more information about UrbanBuzz, or to order a copy of The Complete UrbanBuzz, please follow the link above.

    Image: people walking across London's Millennium Bridge

     

    UCL context

    Earlier this year UCL launched its Grand Challenge of Sustainable Cities. The university is bringing its multi-disciplinary expertise to the complex and systemic problem of how to create a sustainable urban environment.

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