Just back from holiday and back at it. Up in front of the London Assembly again on Thursday this week to talk about the green belt and planning. https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/london-assembly-press-releases/coming-next-week-london-assembly-wc-june-9th #greenbelt #london #planning #londonassembly

Sad to see how little has progressed on inclusion in the gardening world, though not at all surprised. Good for Tayshan Hayden-Smith for saying something about it though. The sector can be a very exclusive place. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/may/17/royal-horticultural-society-ambassador-tayshan-hayden-smith-quits-made-feel-nuisance?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other #TayshanHaydenSmith #EDI #RHS #ChelseaFlowerShow #tokenism #gardening

Look at the nice wildflower meadow they installed outside the newly refurbished Walworth Town Hall. Even some poppies for the war memorial. #wildflowers #rewilding #NoMowMay #Walworth #WalworthTownHall #London #GreenInfrastructure

Been seeing a lot of #GreenInfrastructure out and about recently. Here are some SuDS with trees on the high street in Ilford. #SuDS #Ilford #London

Great to see the completed version of this Walworth Alberta Street LTN has been turned into a mini park and play space! Seconds before I took this, kids walking home from school had been playing on it. #LTN #parklet #pocketpark #AlbertaStreet #greeninfrastructure #urbangreening #LowTrafficNeighbourhood

Came across some very nice SuDS the other day in the recently redesigned Finsbury Circus Gardens. #SuDS #surfacewater #London #FinsburyCircusGardens #greeninfrastructure

I haven't read the book, but this Cursed Objects interview from Mar 24 with Nick Bano about his book Against Landlords is really interesting. It's all about the housing crisis and it being a crisis of affordability, not of supply and demand. Also an interesting reference (given recent echos of it) to the Enoch Powell speech & its relation to the housing crisis. I need to check out the book! https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fbnoJl4zRbrH8eX1VmGdl?si=IDm93cDYSQKXgfwUYOPvgQ #againstlandlords #housingcrisis #NickBano #London

Great to return to @LondonAssembly #AssemblyEnvironment yesterday for a discussion on trees and the impacts of climate change. I was able to share a lot about the updated London Urban Forest Plan. And great insights from fellow panellists. https://webcasts.london.gov.uk/Assembly/Event/Index/cf5618c5-caf9-42c3-8794-dbe72a06f554 #trees #london #climatechange #urbanforest #londonurbanforest #treeresilience

I'm up in front of the London Assembly Environment Committee again this week, this time to talk about trees and climate change. https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/london-assembly-press-releases/coming-next-week-london-assembly-wc-may-12th #londonassembly #environmentcommittee #london #trees #londontrees #climatechange #climateresilience #londonurbanforest

Good review by Meredith Whitten for MHCLG of the successes and challenges of parks management in the UK, featuring Islington as a good example. Nothing too new, but good reminders about long-term revenue funding, skills shortage, community engagement, inclusion, collaboration and outcomes-based thinking. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustaining-success-in-parks/sustaining-success-in-parks?utm_source=pocket_saves #parks #greenspaces #parkmanagement #islington #leeds

In case you missed it, the consultation is now open on the direction of the new London Plan. Balancing the need for housing and tackling the climate and ecological emergencies will be a key challenge. Have your say until 22 June. https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/planning/london-plan/towards-new-london-plan-consultation #LondonPlan #planning #London

Belatedly came across this, but anyone in the environment sector should listen to this ENDS Report Eco Chamber podcast about the environment sector's problem with race. I feel this all so much. It's very very lonely here, especially in the nature and water sectors. https://www.endsreport.com/article/1896902/listen-now-access-denied-environment-sectors-problem-race #environment #EDI #RaceInEnvironment #diversity #ENDSreport #podcast

Nice video showing some of the work of Wildlife Gardeners of Haggerston and their nature recovery and river restoration work on Hackney Marshes (funded through some of our GLA funding) https://bit.ly/4iaZdbx #naturerecovery #hackneymarshes #watervoles #haggerston #hackney #riverrestoration #rewilding

Really interesting insights in this paper about the wellbeing and community inclusion benefits of urban greening and landscaping in new developments / regeneration. No surprise, inclusion is more complex than just quantum of green space. https://bit.ly/3XoRXR4 #regeneration #greenspace #greeninfrastructure #urbangreening #wellbeing #mentalhealth #inclusion #urbannature #communitycohesion

Great to see such good results for nature in this Hackney Marshes project funded through our the GLA's Grow Back Greener and Rewild London Fund grants. Also highlights the importance of how we balance the use of our waterways for nature and people https://bbc.in/4i1xrxR #hackneymarshes #riverlea #hackney #london #rewilding #nature

Very last minute, but in case you're free today, there's an interesting set of British Ecological Society webinars about equality, diversity and inclusion in ecology https://bit.ly/43iU5gI #PrideinSTEM #ecology #EDIinEcology

In case you missed it, the London Urban Forest Partnership launched an updated action plan on Friday for delivering the London Urban Forest Plan! With renewed focus on things like resilience and equity, this action plan sets out how the GLA & our partners will help to grow, expand, protect, manage, promote and support London's trees and woodlands. https://bit.ly/4aWs3t6 #trees #urbanforest #LondonUrbanForestPartnership #Londontrees #woodlands #LUFP #LondonForest

‘Serious cause for concern’: Water experts react to lack of mandatory SuDS regulation adoption https://bit.ly/4aA2DRU #SuDS #schedule3 #stormwater #surfacewater #greeninfrastructure

It’s hard to imagine but cycling in Paris has gotten even better since this article was written in 2023.

https://slate.com/business/2023/03/paris-car-ban-bikes-cycling-history-france.html

I think about this nearly every day. I've left jobs because of this (or rather, the lack of consideration of this): "Decisions about institutions and budgets that seem boring in ordinary times are life-and-death matters in a crisis." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/09/california-fire-memory?utm_term=6780acd6f866bf3e196c9e23560f5a41&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUK&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUK_email #climatecrisis #climatechange #climateemergency #ecologicalemergency #fires #wildfires #climateadaptation #climateresilience