Episode 249: Designing Responsibly Built Environments

My guest this week is Blanche Cameron, who leads UCL Bartlett School of Architecture's Environmental Design and Greening Cities modules, and is an urban green infrastructure advocate who works closely with industry and the government on urban greening issues. To say our towns and cities are not always good examples of environmentally sound design and biodiversity would be quite the understatement, but Blanche is one of a group of outspoken advocates for nature inclusive design who are are working towards better outcomes in this regard. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Dagger flies What We Talk About The built environment and biodiversity collapse Landscaping in towns and cities How good design can help mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change Vertical planting and green roofs Do we need a coherent plan or is it up to individuals to start changing their landscapes? "Productising" and the construction industry's need for homogeneity Where does technologically fit in? About Blanche Cameron Blanche leads UCL Bartlett School of Architecture's Environmental Design and Greening Cities modules and contributes to other modules and programmes, including the Landscape Architecture and Sustainable Heritage MSc.She coordinated the Living Landscape Strategy for UCL's £1Bn UCL East development, and sits on UCL's campus greening 'Wild Bloomsbury' steering group. Blanche is an urban green infrastructure advocate, working closely with industry and government, bringing practitioners into the heart of teaching, including John Little, biodiverse landscapes innovator, and Dusty Gedge, living roofs expert and founder in 2004 of the independent advisory organisation, Livingroofs.org. Blanche edited the GLA's 2019 10-year update report on the impact of a decade of urban greening since the London Plan's Green Roofs and Walls 2008 policy, co-written by Dusty Gedge and Gary Grant. Links Blanche on LinkedIn www.naturalgrower.co.uk www.veteransgrowth.org Other episodes if you liked this one: John Little Green Roofs with Dr Anna Zakrisson Patreon