Seminar followed by Q&A and drinks – attend in person or join online – all welcome

Abstract: The mainstreaming of Green Infrastructure has grounded multi-functionality, connectivity, access to nature, and the alignment of people, nature and place in praxis in both the UK and internationally. This is supported by a growing set of policy and evaluative approaches that provide a framework for planners and the environment profession to deliver more resilient places. As “greening” efforts continue it remains critical to reflect on best practice to identify what types of investment are developed. Moreover, by reflecting on how and why Green Infrastructure in geographically diverse places we are better able to assess the influence of scale, time and disciplinary differences in what is delivered. The talk will draw on research from the UK and Asia to discuss how the politics of place shapes the form, function and quality of investment in urban Green Infrastructure.

Biography: Ian Mell is Professor in Environmental & Landscape Planning at the University of Manchester. He has over twenty years of experience in academia and practice examining the ways in which Green Infrastructure is designed, planned for, and evaluated in both the UK and internationally. His work supported the development of the National Green Infrastructure Standards Framework (Defra/Natural England, 2023) and he is the author of growing Green Infrastructure Green Infrastructure in Contemporary Asian Cities (Routledge, 2025) and co-author of Rural Planning Futures (Scott et al., 2025, Routledge).