On 23 September 2016, UPD cluster research student Meredith Whitten is participating in the Association for Public Service Excellence’s Parks & Open Spaces seminar held at City Hall. Meredith’s presentation, “Reconceptualising green space: Planning for urban green space in 21st-century London,” highlights her research in Inner London from an academic perspective. All of the other presenters are practitioners from across Britain.
Meredith recently served as a member of Mayor’s Green Infrastructure Task Force. Their report, ‘Natural Capital: Investing in a Green Infrastructure for a Future City’, was released last December. It followed publication of the London Infrastructure Plan 2050 and made the case for how green infrastructure is just as critical to London’s economic, environmental and social future as the city’s transport, energy, water, waste and digital infrastructure. Although the report’s publication was several months ago, its findings and recommendations continue to influence policy and planning in Greater London, as well as inspire individuals and organisations looking for innovation and ideas related to green infrastructure.
To stay up to date about Meredith’s work, you can find her on social media at urbanparksgirl (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram). Meredith’s social media accounts are featured on the website of the London Parks and Green Spaces Forum. The Forum is an independent charity that exists to ensure that London has a strong network of high-quality, safe, accessible and stimulating parks and green spaces that provide a wide variety of functions, services and environments to support healthy and sustainable city life, now and into the future.
