The school has received close to £30,000 funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Impact Acceleration Account, managed by UCL Innovation & Enterprise, following a successful application by Blanche Cameron, Lecturer (Teaching).
Reflecting UCL’s commitment to developing understanding of climate change adaptation and nature-based solutions, this funding enabled the school to appoint Dusty for nine months as Industry Expert-in-Residence, with the aim of establishing a UCL-wide Urban Green Infrastructure Network and strategy.
The team has worked with the Business Innovation Partnership team at UCL Innovation & Enterprise, in particular with Dr Laura Bovo, to develop and shape this project idea.
Dusty is internationally recognised as an industry leader on green roofs and urban climate change adaptation through green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. Based in London, he is the current President of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations, founder of livingroofs.org and co-director of the Green Infrastructure Consultancy.
Dusty helped write the first London living roofs policy in 2008, which has seen more than a million square metres of green roofs added to the capital over the last decade, as well as advising on the New London Plan 2020 which added the Urban Greening Factor as a requirement for all new developments.
His work at The Bartlett will have three main outputs: exploring green infrastructure links to UCL-wide academic activity; developing a Green Infrastructure strategy process with UCL Sustainability and Estates; and creating a UCL-based Urban Green Infrastructure Network that will continue the work after his residency finishes at the end of September 2021.
Dusty’s appointment continues The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment's commitment to solving global environmental challenges such as the climate crisis, biodiversity decline, health and sustainability. In October 2019, The Bartlett School of Architecture declared a climate and ecological emergency. In 2020, the faculty launched its Climate Initiative and published The Bartlett Commitment to Change, addressing 12 closely-related key themes, including climate change, resilience, health and wellbeing and nature.
Dusty’s work will support The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment and UCL to develop awareness, understanding and implementation of urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions.
Get involved
Blanche and Dusty are keen to reach out to and welcome new collaborators and would like to hear from either UCL academics, or potential external partners who are interested in learning more about this exciting initiative or taking part. So, if you are interested please get in touch via the links below.
More information
- More about Industrial expert-in-residence funding (UCL Innovation & Enterprise)
- Visit Livingroofs.org
- More about Dr Laura Bovo
Image: Extensive green roof at 1 More London Riverside by Dusty Gedge