On my recent visit to Dubai, I found another Brownfield site (abandoned development might be more accurate) where some interesting natural regeneration is occurring. Like most such places, it is presumably awaiting redevelopment. This particular area is located in Bur Dubai, next to Creek Park. If you’ve read any of my older posts, you will
Mangroves are increasingly recognised in the Gulf region for their importance as unique ecosystems, protective coastal buffers and carbon sinks. However, there is a limited focus on how mangroves (referred to collectively as “mangal”) connect with land ecology, especially where they grow alongside cities. Although traditional parks and urban plantings may sit alongside mangroves, these
This article first appeared in Landscape Middle East magazine, in May 2025, worded slightly differently. There is a new opportunity arising within landscape/urban design, of delivering Nature Based Solutions (NBS or NbS) to both our urban and rural landscapes. The design of urban parks, commercial developments and streetscapes need an uplift to become ‘ecosystem communities’
Just down the road from me is my favourite beach, at Pagham, West Sussex. Famous for its harbour and wildfowl, it is the adjacent area of vegetated shingle that captivates me. The area has that slightly run-down British coastal seaside feel, the location not quite right for it to be a major tourist attraction, thankfully.
Why Water and Soil are just as Important. The world has become fixated on Carbon; emissions are the problem, so removal is the solution. This is, unfortunately, an over-simplification of the troubles we find ourselves in; we have Carbon-Tunnel Syndrome. We think we have to find a way to ‘fix’ the carbon problem, then all
Some of you will know that I have been following the ups and downs of a brownfield site in Abu Dhabi, near the Corniche. I’ve written two articles on it already, one in 2018 and one earlier this year. Links to these are at the end of this post. I visited again last week, the
What is an adaptive landscape, how is it different from other forms of landscape? Is a regenerative landscape also different? Simply put, they are landscapes, either natural, man-made or modified, that demonstrate an ability to adapt, survive and thrive under current and future conditions. Adaptive and regenerative are both expressions of this statement, with some
When we think of green space in a city, we think of trees, parks and gardens. Seldom do we think of these areas as self-sustaining ecosystems, yet they can and should be. Approaching landscape in this way brings multiple benefits but requires a subtle shift in thinking and a new way of understanding plant communities.
For the first time ever, this summer the UK recorded temperatures in excess of 40°C. Parts of Wennington, a village in East London were consumed by fire. If ever there was a moment to wake up and change how we live, it is now. If we don’t we are individually and collectively committing, in the
The world is changing, I think we all know that now. In terms of climate and ecology, we probably don’t realise how much and how fast. Climate zones are shifting North and Southwards from the equatorial regions with the most extreme change seen near the poles (4 times the rate of elsewhere). For us in
