III International Symposium on Greener Cities
Held under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS), and hosted by the RHS, the Symposium is focused on advancing the science of greening our cities and will take place from 25 - 27 September 2024. The symposium will take place at the UK’s first dedicated horticultural scientific centre of excellence, RHS Hilltop – The Home of Gardening Science.
This four-day event will provide a forum to network and learn about green infrastructure and nature-based solutions from like-minded researchers from all over the world.
The symposium themes are focused on green infrastructure and soil-plant-water-atmosphere relations, of both indoor and outdoor vegetation, within urban and peri-urban environments (thermal regulation, air quality improvement, carbon sequestration and storage, sustainable drainage solutions (SuDS), flood risk mitigation, noise reduction, and biodiversity support, policy.
ISHS and RHS are excited to host 40+ speakers from 15 countries, including esteemed keynote speakers, including:
Prof Diane Pataki (University of Arizona, USA)
Foundation Professor in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. Focussed on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems; coupled human-natural processes related to urban CO2 emissions and water consumption; and the role of nature, greenspace, and forestry in urban sustainability.
Prof Stephan Pauleit (Technical University Munich, Germany)
Chair of Strategic Landscape Planning and Management, Technical University of Munich. Focussed on how planning can meet the future challenges of globalisation, urbanisation, adapting to climate change, and natural hazards. He is particularly interested in urban ecology and urban land use planning and how cities can adapt to climate change.
Dr Fraser Torpy (University of Technology Sydney, Australia)
Professor, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney. Focussed on air quality, horticultural biotechnology, indoor environmental quality, atmospheric microbiology, experimental design and data analysis, microbial ecology and biochemistry. His primary research focus is the bioremediation of air pollution through both plant and microbially-mediated processes.
Mr Felix Loh (Gardens by the Bay, Singapore)
Chief Executive Officer, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore. Mr Loh has held several key positions in the National Parks Board and Ministry of National Development, and has more than 20 years of experience in parks management, horticulture and landscape industry development, as well as policy development in Singapore. Prior to joining Gardens by the Bay, he served as Senior Director (Corporate Development) and oversaw the corporate functions of the Ministry of National Development, including finance, estates, engagement, partnerships, and knowledge management.
Mr Philipp Nedomlel (Heatherwick Studios, London)
Head of Landscape, Heatherwick Studios. Has complemented a wide range of the Heatherwick Studio’s projects. Most notably, the 1000 Trees development in Shanghai. As part of the Studio’s digital design team, he is developing and testing data-driven environmental design tools to measure and analyse the environmental impact of the Studio’s projects. Prior to the Studio, Philipp was in Beijing and Shanghai, working for AECOM Shanghai, Atelier Dreisetl (now Ramboll), and Tsinghua University. At AECOM, Philipp led the landscape design of JW Marriot Marquis in Shanghai, China.
View the draft programme here.
Book tickets here.