Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments (SPE)

by Gloria Lanci My recent book, ‘Art Maps and Cities’, presents an original study on how contemporary artists are exploring urban spaces through mapping. It elaborates on the idea of the art map as an open-ended practice that can unfold collective endeavour, personal narratives, contestation and protest, embodiment and play, and where knowledge is a … Continue reading "ART MAPS AND CITIES: CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS EXPLORE URBAN SPACES"

by Judith Parry In June this year, I had the privilege of attending a residential conference for UWE postgraduate research students, hosted by the graduate school.  Among the excellent items in a packed programme was an activity based on the dance your PhD contest.  This is an annual competition aimed at postgraduate researchers, in which … Continue reading "Hitting the right note"

by Carla De Laurentis COP 27 concluded on the 20th of November 2022 and stressed how the unprecedented global energy crisis underlines the urgency to rapidly transform energy systems and the need to accelerate towards a clean and just transition to renewable energy. Seizing the opportunities of cheaper renewables will play a major role in the forthcoming … Continue reading "Ageing onshore wind infrastructures: researching end of life moments of wind energy infrastructure in Italy"

by Rebecca Windemer, Torik Holmes and Carla De Laurentis The three of us met during our respective ESRC post-doctoral fellowships during the Covid pandemic. Eager to strengthen existing connections and forge new ones, during a time when researchers were grappling with learning new ways of academic working, we engaged in a number of online discussions … Continue reading "“Where are ‘smart’ sustainable cities made?” Recognising, raising and responding to shared questions…"

by Katie McClymont The HERA Public Spaces: Culture and Integration in Europe funding stream, of which this project is a part, marked its formal end with a two-day closing conference in Wroclaw, Poland on 8th and 9th September 2022. Twenty projects representing researchers from twenty-four countries were represented through posters, films and discussions, along the … Continue reading "HERA Closing conference: the end or just the beginning?"

By Megan Streb… About 9 months after I handed in my dissertation, Sustrans published a report based on my findings, which was picked up by national media, and has been included in an LGA briefing to local authorities. Some of the strategies I applied to planning, researching, and submitting my dissertation on time will doubtless … Continue reading "How can I produce a high-quality research dissertation with impact? Top tips and reflections"

By Elena Marco The UK housing sector has significant challenges, not least the shortage of homes available, the time it takes to build new homes, balancing affordability versus developers’ profit margins and other factors.  Basing housing statistics and estate-agent marketing on the number of bedrooms, rather than overall dimensions and floor areas, or the suitability … Continue reading "Why do Space and Stuff Matter in Housing Design?"

by Michael Buser….. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been researching some of the relationships between climate change, water security, and culture in the Changthang region of Ladakh, India.  Changthang is located at the western edge of the Tibetan Plateau with an average altitude of 4,800 metres (15,748 feet) above sea level. It is … Continue reading "Water security and climate adaptation in the Himalaya – exploring ecologies of water-care in Changthang, Ladakh."