April 2023 Newsletter
Dear RECLAIM Network Members,
Welcome to the April 2023 Newsletter,
SAVE THE DATE
11th September 2023
Come meet fellow Green-Blue enthusiasts and specialists at our RECLAIM Network Plus Conference at the University of Surrey.
More information to come soon, watch this space!
*NEW Website Features*
We recently added a Resource (open to all) and Members page (for all existing & new members) to the RECLAIM Network Plus site.
Opportunity to submit your work related to green and blue infrastructure via this page so other members can benefit from your work.
Please submit your published papers, reports, policy briefs, tools and guidance documents HERE!
All members of the RECLAIM Network Plus should now have received an email to set up a password to access the new members area.
The new members area will allow you to search for other members by location and area of expertise as well as contact other members (anonymously if preferred).
New members can register here
Urban Greenspace and People Awardees
This month we feature two further awardees from our Urban and Greenspace and People call.
Dr Tilly Collins, Senior Fellow & Deputy Director at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London was awarded funding of £40k for a research project on : ‘Investigating the use of co-enquiry to reduce social inequalities in greenspace use and access’.
The lead researcher on the project also based at Imperial College London’s Centre for Environmental Policy is Thuy Nguyen. “So far, we have received an impressive 431 survey responses within a month of launching the survey, thanks to the support of RECLAIM Network Plus funding. Thuy is now in the process of conducting interviews, which is providing insight into the obstacles which prevent some people from using urban green spaces. These interviews and the soon-to-come focus group discussion will inform strategies to promote people's engagement with green spaces”.
Dr Sisay Debele, Research Fellow at Global Centre for Clean Air Research, University of Surrey was awarded funding of £40k for a research project on ‘LivGBGI: Living Lab Demonstration of Green-Blue-Grey Infrastructure’s Multiple Co-benefits (heatwave, flood, drought and noise)’.
Dr Sisay Debele added: “There is no climate solution without the full contribution from nature. If we are able to realise and utilise the full contribution of nature (direct and co-benefits) to climate change adaptation and mitigation, we will have also achieved the goals of United Nations Sustainable Development, biodiversity conservation and European Green Deal. Now, more than ever, we need to reconnect with nature, to plan, build and manage our cities with nature. I am delighted to receive RECLAIM funding that will help me to monitor, evaluate and scale up the effectiveness of multi-functional natural climate solutions (green walls, ponds, forests, riparian vegetation, and urban and pocket parks) against extreme climate events (flood, heatwaves, and droughts) and environmental pollutions (air and noise) to create sustainable, healthy, attractive, and liveable places in Guildford and beyond“.
‘Festival of Nature’ Workshop in Bristol on the 14th June 2023
This RECLAIM Network Plus funded workshop organised by The Natural History Consortium will focus on Green, Blue, Grey Infrastructure with the aim of sharing best practice, problem-solving and thinking ahead across sectors. For more details and to register click on the link below.
(SUPER) – Small Urban Park Environments and Residents project
One of the Urban Green Space and People projects is being lead by PI Dr Jim Parker from Leeds Beckett Institute (pictured here with his network of wireless air temperature and relative humidity sensors ready to be deployed). There are 70 of these being installed across the Leeds city area, two of which will be installed in the small urban parks that are the focus of our research. The network will allow them to compare the microclimates in the parks with other grey and green spaces within Leeds. They have developed these bespoke sensors as a joint venture with a Swedish company called Sensorbee – they have the working title ‘BeeUrban’ and have been developed to monitor the microclimates in urban heat islands.
Update on the Synthesis Reviews
To address key knowledge gaps on the role of many different types of GBGI in addressing urban challenges, RECLAIM has commissioned six evidence reviews. They cover topics ranging from air pollution, carbon, water quality and flooding, urban heat island, and noise, as well as reviews on the role of GBGI in supporting biodiversity and human wellbeing.
Each review is being run by a small team with wider contributors from across the RECLAIM network. The aim is to have a series of individual reviews, all run along a structured protocol which will support a high-level analysis which compares findings across the reviews. Ultimately we want to be able to answer questions like: Do private gardens remove more air pollution than parks ? or Which are the most multi-functional GBGI types ?
Very preliminary findings (before filtering searches) suggest that there is more information in the literature about water quality and wellbeing than the other topics.
Announcement of RECLAIM Network Plus Webinar #12 - Air Pollution in Playgrounds and Sustainable Cities
We are pleased to announce Webinar #12 of the RECLAIM Network Plus Webinar Series on 03 May 2023 - 12:30-13:30 GMT.
The RECLAIM Network Webinar Series consists of monthly one-hour online sessions, until February 2025. Each webinar will have 2 speakers, each speaking for 20 minutes, with time for a Q&A afterwards. All the webinars are recorded to make it available for viewing on demand.
Further details of this event can be found here
Recording of RECLAIM Network Plus Webinar #11 - SIMPaCT : Australia’s largest smart GBGI & Regenerative Design
Thank you to everyone who attended Webinar #11. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording via the link below.
To view previous webinars in the series click here.
RECLAIM Network Plus Membership
We currently have 479 members, from a wide variety of sectors right across the globe, see our membership demographic below.
Below is the sign up link for the new membership form. Please share among your network, and especially encourage your contacts in city decision-making and local government to join.
Website
Our website lists all network activities. To view the RECLAIM Network Plus website click here
You Tube
Our You Tube channel provides recordings of RECLAIM Network events including the webinar series. To view click here
Our Twitter page currently has 450 followers. You can follow us for the latest RECLAIM Network Plus updates here
Our LinkedIn page currently has 336 followers. If you are on LinkedIn, you can follow us for the latest RECLAIM Network Plus updates here
What’s next?
More from our successful Urban Greenspace and People funded awardees
Blogs from our recent funded Workshops and Knowledge Exchange Visits
More info on our RECLAIM Network Plus Conference - 11th September 2023
PLUS lots more.
Thanks for reading, The RECLAIM Network Plus Team