Current and Recent Reseach

• European Union (EU) Urban Innovative Actions (UIA): IGNITION- Innovative financing and delivery of natural climate solutions in Greater Manchester
• European Union (EU) Horizon 2020: GROW GREEN- Green Cities for Climate and Water Resilience, Sustainable Economic Growth, Healthy Citizens and Environment
• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): Green Growth: Increasing the Resiliance of Cities Through The Delivery of Green Infrastructure Based Solutions
• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): Identifying and prioritising nature based climate change adaptation measures for addressing future flood risk: creating a systematic evidence map
• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): Green Infrastructure and the Health and Wellbeing Influences on an Ageing Population (GHIA)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC): Eco-Urbanisation: Promoting Sustainable Development in Metropolitan-Regional Planning in China  
• Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC): Review of Environmental Statements and Oil Pollution Emergency Plans
  
  

 Key Responsibilities

• Programme Director MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment and Management
• Member SEED Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee
• Faculty of Humanitics Research Ethics (UREC) Signatory
• Member Manchester Urban Institute (MUI)
• Member Manchester Environmental Research Institute (MERI)

 Professional Activities

• Fellow and Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute (FLI, CMLI)
• Charted Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
• Editorial board member of Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management
  
  

 Public Engagement

• Member Board of Trustees of the Landscape Institute
• University representative Manchester Green and Blue Infrastructure Group
• Member Green Infrastructure Think Tank
• Former Secretary of State (DEFRA) appointee to management board of Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Primary areas of research focus:

-Planning for climate change: Green Infrastructure (GI); coastal risk; urban and regional flooding; environmental adaptation.

-Environmental assessment: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Sustainability Appraisal (SA).

-Integrated environmental management (IEM): coastal and marine planning, protected areas, landscape systems.

On-going Research Projects:

European Union (EU) Urban Innovative Actions (UIA): IGNITION- Innovative financing and delivery of natural climate solutions in Greater Manchester:
IGNITION is a 3 year study which draws on new approaches to environmental economics in order to respond to extreme forms of climatic change.  The project aims to increase Greater Manchester’s coverage of urban Green Infrastructure (GI) by 10% before 2038.  Central to the approach is the development of innovative business models and financing mechanisms geared to the attraction of investment in GI based approaches.  The project is being led by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) along with 11 other city partners.

European Union (EU) Horizon 2020: GROW GREEN- Green Cities for Climate and Water Resilience, Sustainable Economic Growth, Healthy Citizens and Environment: 
This is 5 year international research project which seeks to establish and demonstrate innovative and replicable approaches for the use of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) in addressing urban flood risk, heat stress and other climatic challenges. The research centres on a range of well-established but growing European cities and will include case studies from Manchester (UK), Valencia (Spain), and Wroclaw (Poland). Wider international replicability will be evaluated through case studies based in Wuhan (China). The research brings together stakeholders from the public sector (academia and local government), the private sector (environmental consultancy) and local communities. 

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): Green Growth: Increasing the Resilience of Cities Through The Delivery of Green Infrastructure Based Solutions: 
This is an 18 month research project which seeks to explore the institutional dynamics of decision making for green infrastructure in urban areas. The study places an emphasis on promoting the uptake of scientific knowledge amongst GI stakeholders. The project involves academic leads based at the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield along with members of the public and private sector.  Key project partners include: Manchester City Council, Red Rose Forest, Building Design Partnership BDP), Business in the Community (BiTC), and the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC).

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): Identifying and prioritising nature based climate change adaptation measures for addressing future flood risk: creating a systematic evidence map:
The purpose of this project is to enhance national resilience to climate change through the evaluation of evidence and approaches linked to Nature Based Solutions (NBS) to future flood risk.  The project is rooted in both the natural and social-sciences and will link directly with practice based actors.  Through the identification of current barriers and obstacles to flood risk management, the research will identify both future research needs and proposed policy adjustments.

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): Green Infrastructure and the Health and Wellbeing Influences on an Ageing Population (GHIA): 
This 3 year project aims to develop a better understanding of the benefits of urban GI for older people and how GI greening projects can be used to support healthy ageing in urban areas. The project is multi-disciplinary and will place older people at the heart of a process of co-production. The project is being undertaken with local public sector organisations, the University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University.  

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC): Eco-Urbanisation: Promoting Sustainable Development in Metropolitan-Regional Planning in China: 
This 3 year international collaborative project aims to significantly advance our understanding of the dynamic interactive processes between urban development, resource consumption and environmental impacts. The research centres on the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Region (BTHMR) and is being undertaken in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fudan University.

PhD/Mphil Applications and Supervision

I am happy to supervise a range of doctoral and masters topics related to my principal areas of interest.  Please contact me if you have a potential research topic you would like to discuss. Recent and ongoing topics include:

- Sustainable Smart Islands: Pathway to energy transition and climate change, Erna Megawati Manna, Current.

- Can rewilding work for everyone? Navigating actor perspectives towards upland rewilding, Joseph Glentworth, (maternity cover), Awarded 2022.

- The contribution of green infrastracture on human health in European cities, Rachel Lauwerijssen, Awarded 2021.

- Stakeholder influences in the planning and management of urban green space in China, Yangnan Guo, Awarded 2019.

- Pathways to industrial sustainability within GCC countries- examinining the role of Eco-Industrial Parks, Hanan Abu Mahfouz, Current.

- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the transition to sustainable behaviour- examining perceptions of the actors involved in the English assessment process, Andrew Snow, ESRC. Awarded 2018.

- Assessing the compatibility of green space multifunctionality, Ishtiaque Shams. Awarded 2018.

- Critiquing the Role of Green Infrastructure in the Promotion of Urban Biodiversity: Lee Dixon. Awarded 2018.

- An assessment of the Implications of Mitigation Banking within the UK Environmental Impact Assessment Framework: Rachel Morrison, ESRC Funded. Awarded 2017.

- Towards a framework for non-motorised urban transport in developing countries: the case of Alexandria, Egypt. Sara Hassan. Awarded 2016.

- Investigating the role of alternative ploicy perspectives in the allocation and management of green space provision, Abigail Gilbert. Awarded 2015.

- Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal in Scotland and England: assessing environmental outcomes: Sam Hayes. Awarded 2013.

- The role of green infrastructure in the urban renewal process: Ting-I Lee. Awarded 2011.

- Ecosystem health and social inclusion: the case of urban green spaces: Aleksandra Kazmierczak.  ESRC-NERC funded. Awarded 2010.

- Climate change, species migration and the institutional response: Anna Gilchrist, ESRC-NERC funded. Awarded 2010.

- The designation of cultural landscapes in urban waterfront areas: Yueh-E Lu. Awarded 2010.

- Institutional complexity and the Malaysian property market: Ruth Foo. Awarded 2010.

Previous research projects:

- 2014- Research Stimulation Fund: The Institutional Dynamics of Urban Greening: Evaluating the Role of Private Developers in Green Infrastructure Provision.

- 2014- Strategic Investment Fund: Major Infrastructure Planning: Innovative Policy Models.

- 2014- Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC): Review of the Quality of Environmental Statements and Oil Emergency Plans. 

- 2010-2011: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB): Assessing the Impact of a National Planning Framework on the Natural Environment. 

- 2010- 2013: European Union (EU) FP7: Developing Smart Technology for Flood Risk Management.

- 2010:  Natural England: An Evaluation of Landscape Change within the North West of England.

- 2008-2010: Environment Agency (EA): Developing Approaches for Stakeholder Involvement in Shoreline Management planning using GIS.

- 2009: Provincial Government of Hunan: An Evaluation of the Potential Application of Green Infrastructure Planning to Urban China.

- 2007-2009:  Natural England: Assessing the Socio-Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure Planning, Natural Economy Project.

- 2006: Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulation (DBER): Environmental Performance of the North SEA Oil and Gas Industry.

- 2003: British Council: Developing frameworks for Integrated Coastal Management.

- 2002: Scottish Executive: Scottish Coastal Socio-Economic Scoping Study.