Sustainable urban environments
We are interested in what sustainable urban environments are and how they can be achieved.
Successful places
Our research provides evidence on the relationship between the physical environment and a number of sustainable outcomes. We are developing understanding of what makes places (homes, streets, neighbourhoods, public spaces, cities and city-regions) successful environmentally, socially and economically.
We frequently investigate different stakeholders' perspectives of urban environments, and our research deals with the acceptability, practicality and feasibility of different urban forms and designs.
Research topics
Research topics under the theme of sustainable urban environments include:
- Designing places to support sustainable lifestyles and behaviours
- Sustainable neighbourhood design
- Adapting urban and suburban areas for climate change
- Green infrastructure and the role of green space in climate change
- Sustainable urban form - compact cities, urban densities and intensification, and brownfield development
- Users’ experiences of urban environments, including children and older people
- Inclusive design
- Design policy (eg historic and urban environments and tall buildings)
- Sustainable development discourses and narratives
Projects
Current and completed projects relating to this theme include:
- Community-led housing and health: A comprehensive literature review
- INSPIRE: In situ processes in resource extraction from waste repositories
- Availability of brownfield land for housing development in England
- Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
- Behaviour change and agriculture in urban society and environments (BeCAUSE)
- Disabled architects: unlocking the potential for practice
- Making the case for investment in the walking environment
- Green infrastructure in the urban environment
- Economic evaluation of 'Fitter for Walking'
- Assessing the potential for social learning in building sustainable communities
- CityForm-India: achieving sustainable urban form for rapidly growing cities in India
- Review on adapting suburbs for climate change
- HEAT@UWE: Bridging the gaps in health, environment and technology (HEAT) research
- Behaviours and Neighbourhood Design (BAND): An investigation of walking as a social practice
- The walkability of Bristol: how this relates to physical activity, health and wellbeing
- Foodscapes
- Towards Hydrocitizenship
- Affect and Place Meaning in Contested Urban Sites
- Collective governance, innovation and creativity in the face of climate change (SELFCITY)
- The Attractiveness of European Regions and Cities for Residents and Visitors (ATTREG)
For more information about this research theme, please e-mail
Dr Danielle Sinnett.