Urban Flood and Water Resilience in an Uncertain Future

Lead Research Organisation: The Open University
Department Name: Faculty of Business and Law (FBL)

Abstract

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Description The research has increased understanding from a broader governance perspective to understand the implementation of SuDS in England and Wales.?We found that there are three main institutional factors which are constraining the implementation of SuDS in England: the lack of legislative backing, the power afforded to private commercial interests in the neo-liberalised planning process, compounded by the severe lack of resources in local authorities. What is missing at the moment is SuDS process and design that is flexible, integrated, collaborative and innovative. We have concluded that the current policy has reduced potential to deliver better outcomes and highlight the options for increased SuDS uptake going forward. In Wales, action research has investigated and drawn recommendations on better integrating the new SuDS Advisory Boards function with the existing planning process, in trouble shooting the recent implementation of key policy in Wales - Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act. The research in both England and Wales has provided the public, practitioners and policy makers with a more precise description and interpretation of what is problematic regarding current policy and collaborative arrangements, allowing them to re-think and re-frame the recurring implementation issues in practice.

It has helped practitioners and policy makers understand the potential implications of different policy designs through which SuDS are delivered in England and Wales (strengthened planning policy vs S3).
Exploitation Route Impact different policy designs through which SuDS could be delivered in England and Wales.
Sectors Construction,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice
URL http://www.urbanfloodresilience.ac.uk/publications/factsheets.aspx
 
Description The engagement with the Welsh Government (WG) Water and Flood Division has led to further understanding on how the implementation of Schedule 3 of the FWMA Act is currently progressing. The action research has led to increased understanding of the challenges and barriers that remain to enabling the effective delivery of the policy goal of increased delivery of SuDs on new developments, in addition to recommending possible solutions to the issues identified. The final report for WG, authored by Tudor Vilcan, is being input into the towards the formal review of the implementation of the policy and legislation, to which the Welsh Government is committed at the end of the first two years. This is "expected to have an impact on the strategic direction and future workload of the SuDS Implementation Group with the potential to influence future policy and legislative decisions by the Welsh Government" Andrew Sherlock - Water Management and Directives Manager, Welsh Government. (See the 'Influence on Policy, Practice, Patients and the Public' section for full detail.)
First Year Of Impact 2020
Sector Environment
Impact Types Policy & public services
 
Description Member of Project Steering Committee - CIRIA Delivering successful integrated water management through the planning system
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Membership of a guideline committee
URL https://www.ciria.org/Research/Projects_underway2/Delivering_successful_integrated_water_mangement_t...
 
Description Ongoing Membership of Project Steering Committee - CIRIA Delivering successful integrated water management through the planning system
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Membership of a guideline committee
URL https://www.ciria.org/Research/Projects_underway2/Delivering_successful_integrated_water_mangement_t...
 
Description Research conducted for the Welsh Government/Sustainable Drainage Implementation Group
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health
Impact This is a letter from Andrew Sherlock - Water Management and Directives Manager, Welsh Government. I have collaborated with him and his team in the Water Policy Branch of the Welsh Government since August 2019. This letter details some of the work I have conducted in collaboration with them. FAO: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council RE: Grant numbers EP/P004180/1 and EP/P004210/1 I first met Dr Vilcan at the National Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) Conference in Birmingham on 1 May 2019, where he sought me out as a point of contact to help him in his research into the effects of government policy on the uptake of SuDS in England and Wales, following the making of Flood and Water Management Act 2010. We spoke about the progress of his research in England and how we might be of mutual benefit in terms of his Welsh research. This was later followed up by an email to me from Martin Buckle, Chair of Wales' Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee, which referenced the work of the Urban Flood Resilience Research Programme (of which Martin is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board) to establish formal contact. Dr Vilcan expressed a particular interest in the differences in SuDS uptake between England and Wales, following Wales' commencement of Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act. We quickly established that as the legislation had only taken effect in January 2019, it was too early to be able to tell what different effects the policy and legislation might have in Wales as compared with England. We therefore suggested an exploration of how implementation was progressing, seeking to understand what challenges and barriers remained to enabling the effective delivery of the policy goal of increased delivery of SuDs on new developments (and the other published policy goals that derive from this) and to suggest possible solutions to the issues identified. We arranged for Dr Vilcan to attend several meetings of the SuDS Implementation Group, a group chaired by the Welsh Government, whose goal is to facilitate the successful implementation of the SuDS policy through its membership. The group comprises representatives from each of the SuDS Approving Bodies (SABs) based in each of the 22 Local Authorities across Wales alongside water and sewerage undertakers, Natural Resources Wales, the Home Builders Federation, the Federation of Master Builders, CIWEM, the Consumer Council For Water, Community Housing Cymru, the Welsh Local Government Association and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. At the first meeting Dr Vilcan attended he gave a presentation providing an overview of his research and seeking the views of those assembled about participating. This was premised on the basis that the goals of the research aligned with those of the group and would facilitate work it would in any case have to take forward as part of its programme. In particular it was felt that Dr Vilcan's research would help to contribute robust views and evidence towards the formal review of the implementation of the policy and legislation, to which the Welsh Government is committed at the end of the first two years. Following a positive reception, Dr Vilcan undertook interviews with volunteer lead officers working in the SABs of several local authorities. This was followed up with a workshop, utilising the members of the SuDS Implementation Group, followed up by an interim presentation and debate of the initial findings which were later subject to an online survey, designed by Dr Vilcan. The transcribed notes of workshops, interviews and findings from the survey all fed into the final report. Throughout the design of all these processes (the workshop, the survey and latterly the drafting of the final report) Dr Vilcan remained in close contact. He was open and willing to our feedback and expertise in this area so that we were able to guide him through areas where clarity or specific expertise may expectedly have been lacking and offer editorial advice where it was appropriate. We think the exercise was of particular benefit in helping the group, and the SABs in particular, to arrive at a consensual picture of challenges to delivery and to identify possible approaches to solutions. It was particularly useful to have someone who was able to lend academic rigour and credibility to the process. It is also relevant to mention that, owing to the time and resource pressures on the members of the group, including the Welsh Government secretariat, if Dr Vilcan had not offered his services to the group then it would most likely have been unable to carry out any desirable similar exercise in the timely manner he made possible. As implied earlier, we intend to use the report as a touchstone for further discussion (by the SuDS Implementation Group) of the challenges the report identifies on behalf of the SABs and what progress they are able to make against the suggested areas of focus. As this is not an official report of the Welsh Government we do not make any claims for or against the positions it puts forward; while we do not expect the report to be made confidential we would expect its circulation to be limited to those who have a specific professional interest, specifically in civils, drainage, associated areas of research and policy development. The value of the exercise undertaken by Dr Vilcan, both throughout the various processes that led to the creation of the report and the report as a product, are expected to have an impact on the strategic direction and future workload of the SuDS Implementation Group with the potential to influence future policy and legislative decisions that might be taken following the two year review. It is understood that Martin Buckle also has an interest in the findings of the final report in his role as Chair of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee. Andrew Sherlock - Water Management and Directives Manager, Welsh Government
 
Description Welsh Government sustainable drainage consultation
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
Impact Our arguments have been noted in two instances in the 'Welsh Government Consultation - Summary of Responses and Welsh Government response' document https://beta.gov.wales/sites/default/files/consultations/2018-04/180425-suds-consultation-summary-of-responses.pdf. We were the sole academic contributor to the consultation. Instance 1: To the question: 'What information should the SAB be required to submit as part of a review mechanism of SAB approval costs? How often should the review take place, once every year or once every two years?' we have provided the following answer: 'In the previous consultation (05-08/17), a number of responses highlighted additional costs (e.g. from pursuing agreements, enforcement and supervision) that are not covered by the current fees. Local Authorities should be encouraged to monitor such costs, mainly staff resources, which when added to the proposed fees (such as £350 per application), will provide evidence of the real costs of processing SuDS within the SAB. More frequent reporting (once a year) should be undertaken initially in the beginning to obtain a notion of the (real) average national costs. A breakdown by regions will be necessary as well. Less frequent reporting should be needed after a few years, when a more consistent notion of the real costs will have been obtained, while fees will need to be adjusted accordingly to reflect these costs. We feel these concerns should be addressed by WG through monitoring and review, particularly as arrangements bed in' In the report, the Government has quoted the following: '" In the previous consultation a number of responses highlighted additional costs that are not covered by the current fees. Local Authorities should be encouraged to monitor such costs which when added to the proposed fees will provide evidence of the real costs of processing SuDS within the SAB. More frequent reporting (once a year) should be undertaken initially in the beginning to obtain a notion of the (real) average national costs. A breakdown by regions will be necessary as well." Academia' Many of the arguments that we are supporting here are reflected in the Government's response to the question, which reads as follows: 'Welsh Government response We have continued to work with the Welsh Local Government Association to ensure the initial fee rates are set to reflect the cost recovery basis intended. We will charge SABs with the collection of suitable data to enable a review to be undertaken in April 2020 and 2021. By then there should be sufficient data to provide evidence to support any changes needed to the fees. The inclusion of the rate for fees in Regulation provides both applicants and the SABs with both certainty and consistency across Wales. We will include the fees in a separate set of Regulations, which will facilitate their future review'. Instance 2: The report has noted the argument that we have made in favor of the role of non-performance bonds can play in the implementation of SuDS. Our research in Wales this year will determine the specific status of the non-performance bonds. It is worth pointing out that our submission was the only one mentioning non-performance bonds, pointing out their benefits but also drawing attention to the pitfalls that we identified in England. 'Academia One specific response sought to understand the role of non-performance bonds. It highlighted the response to the consultation for the Post-Legislative Scrutiny to the Flood and Water Management Act in England which had highlighted the benefits of non-performance bonds and the pitfalls of inadequate agreements on these. "For developers, non-performance bonds provide the needed incentive to take SuDS design and implementation seriously... non-performance bonds would... [provide] ...a financial cover for the Local Authority, ensuring that works are completed according to design and National Standards in all cases."21 '
URL https://beta.gov.wales/implementation-sustainable-drainage-systems-new-developments-draft-regulation...
 
Description CIRIA Delivering successful integrated water management through the planning system 
Organisation CIRIA
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Member of the CIRIA Project Steering Group for 'Delivering successful integrated water management through the planning system' (CIRIA RP1057), providing specialist advice to CIRIA's Project Manager on the project, including objectives, scope and the work programme, reviewing progress and outputs, and acting as a champion.
Collaborator Contribution Opportunity to network with key industry stakeholders through meetings and online discussion, to further understanding of the challenges to urban flood resilience.
Impact The contribution will be publicly acknowledged in the published project outputs and dissemination materials. Multi-disciplinary collaboration - e.g. engineers, planners, landscape architects, ecologists.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Citizens interaction with blue, green and grey infrastructure 
Organisation Ebbsfleet Development Corporation
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution This work is part of work package 4 'Citizens' interactions with B/G+G infrastructure', which is delivered by Jessica Lamont and Glynn Everett. As part of WP4, I take responsibility for 1 of the 4 case studies. My case study is located in Ebbsfleet, more specifically in a new development called Castle Hill. Adjacent to the development I have identified the presence of a park which, alongside recreational facilities for children, also contains a few green and blue features in the form of swales, retention ponds and infiltration areas. The goal of this work package is to assemble a partnership of individuals who make use of the park (n =10) and with them to research the attitudes towards blue, green and grey infrastructure of the wider population using the park. At a later stage, with the members of the partnership, we will design a series of interventions aimed at altering behavior change so that the blue and green features of the park are better appreciated. At the moment, I have recruited all the members of the partnership and I aim to start the work with them as soon as possible. March 2019 update: at this point in time, we are collecting data from the site. Glyn Everett and I have spoken to a few of the participants and collected their views. We will be planning an engagement event for the summer of this year to discuss resident's use of the park and the green infrastructure features.
Collaborator Contribution Jessica Lamont and Glynn Everett are helping with my research.
Impact No outputs at the moment.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Citizens interaction with blue, green and grey infrastructure 
Organisation University of the West of England
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This work is part of work package 4 'Citizens' interactions with B/G+G infrastructure', which is delivered by Jessica Lamont and Glynn Everett. As part of WP4, I take responsibility for 1 of the 4 case studies. My case study is located in Ebbsfleet, more specifically in a new development called Castle Hill. Adjacent to the development I have identified the presence of a park which, alongside recreational facilities for children, also contains a few green and blue features in the form of swales, retention ponds and infiltration areas. The goal of this work package is to assemble a partnership of individuals who make use of the park (n =10) and with them to research the attitudes towards blue, green and grey infrastructure of the wider population using the park. At a later stage, with the members of the partnership, we will design a series of interventions aimed at altering behavior change so that the blue and green features of the park are better appreciated. At the moment, I have recruited all the members of the partnership and I aim to start the work with them as soon as possible. March 2019 update: at this point in time, we are collecting data from the site. Glyn Everett and I have spoken to a few of the participants and collected their views. We will be planning an engagement event for the summer of this year to discuss resident's use of the park and the green infrastructure features.
Collaborator Contribution Jessica Lamont and Glynn Everett are helping with my research.
Impact No outputs at the moment.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Collaboration with the Welsh Government to assess the implemention of sustainable drainage in Wales 
Organisation Government of Wales
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution One of the main interests of my research into the implementation of sustainable drainage in the UK was around the coming into force of new legislation in Wales which put forward a more regulatory system for delivering SuDS. With the help of Martin Buckle, one of our SAB buddies from the project, I made contact with Andrew Sherlock and his team in the Welsh Government, whom are responsible for the implementation of the new legislation. After a series of meetings, we have decided I would conduct a series of interviews to understand the state of the implementation process, nine months after the onset of the policy. This led to Andrew and his team picking up on one of the findings of my interviews, the tenuous connection between the implementation bodies and the planning system and looking to further explore it. As a result, we organised a workshop together at one of the sessions of the Sustainable Drainage Implementation Group (which pools the most relevant stakeholders involved in the implementation of the policy). In this workshop I organised a focus group where I pooled the expertise of the stakeholders in order to generate recommendations. I then conducted a survey to see which of those recommendations are the most popular. At the end, I assembled the outputs of the research into a report which will be read by the main stakeholders and will guide and inform the policy work going forward.
Collaborator Contribution The Welsh Government have been my partners and have helped the research by facilitating access to interviewees and providing space at the Sustainable Drainage Implementation Group to conduct a workshop. We have been in a productive dialogue throughout the entirety of the collaboration and each step has been informed by this dialogue.
Impact The research has resulted in a report, but this will be only circulated to the relevant stakeholders due to the fact that the contents, while not fully confidential, are sensitive still.
Start Year 2019
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Dartford Borough Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Ebbsfleet Development Corporation
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Environment Agency
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Gravesham Borough Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Heriot-Watt University
Department Institute for Infrastructure & Environment
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Kent County Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation South East Rivers Trust
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Southern Water
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Swanscombe & Greenhithe Town Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Thames Water Utilities Limited
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation University of Cambridge
Department Department of Engineering
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation University of Exeter
Department College of Engineering, Mathematics & Physical Sciences
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation University of Leeds
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation University of Nottingham
Department School of Geography
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation University of the West of England
Department Department of Architecture and the Built Environment
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Organisation Wildlife Trust Kent
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution I have set up this partnership work alongside Karen Potter (OU) and I am currently in charge of its organization and management. The Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance is a partnership which brings together the most relevant stakeholders in the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The purpose of the partnership is to pioneer new approaches to water management and green infrastructure. It also provides a case study for the other work packages of the Urban Flood Resilience Consortium to showcase their research. As part of the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance, we are currently developing with the stakeholders a water strategy for the garden city of Ebbsfleet. The way in which we are pursuing this is by developing a Systems Dynamic Model. System dynamics allows us to model the system structure (the circuit of water in Ebbsfleet) and to investigate the behavior of that system over time. It is particularly useful for supporting decision-making at a strategic, system-wide level and exploring the long-term consequences of alternative policies. At the moment, we are making the intended progress with the model and we aim to complete it by early 2019. March 2019 update: The system dynamics model is its final stages and will be completed shortly. Our last meeting was on the 28th of February, where we have validated the connections in the causal loop diagram and obtained the last pieces of data needed. At the moment, we are inputting the data into the model and we will soon have a completed model. The next step is to go back to the stakeholders and run with them real-time scenarios, seeking to understand the long-term behavior of the water system in Ebbsfleet. The next step after that is to produce a report for the stakeholders and to organize a conference where we will disseminate our findings and try to solidify the prestige of the LAA and attract further membership. Things are very positive in terms of the participation of the current members in the LAA. We have managed to progress in terms of enlarging the membership to the LAA, while the stakeholders that have been engaged with the LAA over the last 2 years are very active and involved in the research. March 2020 update: The system dynamics has been finished and it has been presented to the stakeholders, which have taken this output and presented it to their own organisations. Broadly, the system dynamics model constitutes the cornerstone of the Ebbsfleet Water Strategy. This is led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Southern Water, which have taken the outputs of the model to articulate a vision for a sustainable Ebbsfleet focused around water saving strategies, sustainable drainage and rainwater harvesting. The system dynamic model has shown that these measures are the most efficient ones for achieving a positive water balance for Ebbsfleet and climate proofing in the future. The research team will write a research article detailing the process of building a system dynamics model as part of a partnership such an LAA.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners in this partnership can be split into a few categories. The most important category is the stakeholders from the Ebbsfleet area (local government, water companies, development corporations, river trusts and environmental charities). They provide the local knowledge and practical expertise that are vital for the development of our System Dynamics model. Second, there is the organising team, composed of myself, Karen Potter (OU) and Shaun Maskrey (University of Nottingham), who holds the specific knowledge on how to run a System Dynamics model. We are in charge of organizing the meetings, coordinating their agenda and ensuring the appropriateness of the empirical material provided by the stakeholders in the meetings. Third, the researchers from the other work packages are present at all meetings and provide much needed technical expertise that serves to underpin the knowledge of the local stakeholders.
Impact The main outcome at this point in time is the establishment of the partnership itself, which is garnering an increasing amount of interest from the stakeholders themselves and other interested parties in the area. We have also written 2 blogs about the process of developing a system dynamics model. March 2020 update: we are in the process of writing up the process of delivering a system dynamics model as part of a Learning and Action Alliance. This will be a journal article output and will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental Management in the next month.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Arranged and presented a SuDS Seminar at the Royal Town Planning Institute Wales National Conference, Cardiff 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Led two workshops to provide details of the Welsh Government's introduction of legislation and SuDS provisions in the 2010 Flood and Water Management Act, also reporting on our emerging findings on the planning challenges and opportunities to implement SuDS from the EPSRC project . We also facilitated focus groups to identify and capture with planners and other key stakeholders all the ways in which the planning process can add value to the implementation of SuDS through S3, attending to the practical considerations of the interface between the planning system and the new Strategic Advisory Bodies (SAB's). A lively debate ensued regarding the challenges for planners in their professional role, and the role of the planning system, in relation to the new legislation. This led to the invitation to hold another workshop at the RTPI Northern Ireland Conference, Belfast.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.rtpi.org.uk/the-rtpi-near-you/rtpi-cymru/events/wales-planning-conference/
 
Description Blog: 'Learning and Action Alliances (LAA) as solutions to wicked, complex problems' 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact I have published a blog called 'Learning and Action Alliances (LAA) as solutions to wicked, complex problems' in the Blue Green Cities blog hosted by University of Nottingham (http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/blue-greencities/) on June 26, 2017. The blog is popular, with an international audience with 1222 page views in Q4 of 2017.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/blue-greencities/2017/06/26/learning-action-alliances-laa-solutions-wi...
 
Description Creating a Flood Resilient Nation: Ensuring UK Flood Preparedness in a Changing Climate symposium 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact I was acting as chair of the whole symposium. My job was to lead the discussions where they stalled, which happened a lot in the second session and conclude the event.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Governing Complexity Workshop, The Open University, Milton Keynes 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presented on collaborative governance and flood risk management. This event brought together research, scholarship, employer and educator experience to explore what gives rise to a governing praxis (theory informed practical action) within and between organisations and amongst a citizenry engaged in governing. The purpose of the day's inquiry was to effect better governing in and by organisations and, possibly, an enfranchised citizenry in response to complex, uncertain situations typified by the use of the term 'wicked problem'. The event and discussions in particular explored the research and scholarship synergies and potential for future collaborative efforts between researchers and the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation. The event was filmed and placed on the OU website.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Green Infrastructure in Wales Workshop, Arup, Cardiff 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Led to future contacts
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Guest Speaker at the Ebbsfleet Learning and Action Alliance 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Invited to speak and surface the challenges of partnership working in relation to flood risk management, planning and development, leading to a debate on the barriers encountered by the local stakeholders and how to encourage private sector involvement in blue/green infrastrucutre and resilience.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Guest speaker at the National Environment Agency 'Sustainable Places' Specialist CPD/Conference, Nottingham 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Approximately 50 Environment Agency staff members assembled from the regional 'Sustainable Places' teams, for a day of internal training and discussion. I was invited to speak regarding strategic engagement and partnership working in relation to increasing the resilience of people, property and business to the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. It sparked a lively debate on how the EA resource and support collaborative activities, and how they capture 'best practice' in overcoming the inherent challenges.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Guest speaker at the Urban Flood Resilience in Newcastle Workshop, Newcastle University 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Spoke regarding my research into resiient urban flood risk management and planning, as part of the wider team's re-engagement with the Newcastle Learning and Action Alliance. This directly led to the invitation from the Environment Agency to speak at their Annual National Conference for the Sustainable Places team.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Informed Financial Times Front Page Article 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Informed author of Financial Times Front Page Article regarding new homes on floodplains
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.aol.co.uk/news/2019/12/22/what-the-papers-say-a-december-23/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=...
 
Description OU Blog - Placing Flood Risk at the Heart of Urban Planning 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact News item to highlight the research being undertaken on planning and flood risk management at the Open University
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.open.ac.uk/research/news/placing-flood-risk-management-heart-urban-planning
 
Description Presentation and ongoing engagement with Defra/EA/WG/NRW Thematic Advisory Group (TAG) for Flood Risk Management Policy, Strategy and Investment 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Short presentation and ongoing reports (verbal) to the Defra/EA/WG/NRW Thematic Advisory Group (TAG) for Flood Risk Management Policy, Strategy and Investment. Request for ongoing information regarding research outputs, which will inform and support the Defra/EA/WG/NRW Joint Programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management research and development regarding planning and flood risk management.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017,2018,2019
 
Description RTPI Yorkshire Planning for Water Management 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact My participation at the conference consisted of a talk and leading a focus group session. The talk consisted of introducing the research pursued by the Urban Flood Resilience consortium, our collaborative work in Ebbsfleet and a presentation of the main barriers that we identified in terms of the implementation of SuDS in England. The talk was well received and the audience asked many questions.
The effect of my talk was more visible in the focus group session that I conducted at the end of the conference. At the end of the talk, I asked for volunteers for my focus group, in which I wanted to ask more questions about the barriers faced by practitioners when trying to implement SuDS. The focus group consisted of 8 participants, which echoed many of the statements I made during my talk and shared details from their experience as practitioners. There was a great deal of learning from one another and learning about the challenges that practitioners face in other regions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description The Blue Green Path to Urban Flood Resilience Presentation 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presenting research on implementing SuDS through the planning system: barriers and opportunities as part of the wider Consortium dissemination event
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL http://www.urbanfloodresilience.ac.uk/events-news-and-blog/newcastle-dissemination-event-2019.aspx
 
Description The Blue-Green Path to Urban Flood Resilience 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact As part of the wider Consortium dissemination event, I presented two talks. One, with Karen Potter, was on our research on implementing SuDS through the planning system: barriers and opportunities. The other presentation, with Emily O'Donnell and members of our Newcastle and Ebbsfleet LAAs, was on the barriers and opportunities of using collaborative arrangements such as LAAs to respond to complex water management problems.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Two blog posts detailing the process of building a system dynamics model in a collaboration 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Two blogs were produced that describe the early parts of the process of building a system dynamics model in a collaboration. More blogs will be produced this year.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/blue-greencities/2018/09/12/using-system-dynamics-for-sustainable-wate...
 
Description Wales Planning Conference 2018: The Value of Planning 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Karen Potter and I lead a session at the conference with around 30 participants. The session consisted of a talk focused on our findings from the research and a discussion with the audience. The talk focused on the implementation of SuDS through the planning system in England and lead onto the discussion part of the session, where we had a debate about the implementation of SuDS in Wales. The discussion was very lively and both Karen and I and the audience have learned a lot in the process.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Workshop for planning practitioners in Northern Ireland 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Invited to host a workshop considering "Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in Northern Ireland: What expertise and guidance is required for planning to underpin effective implementation?" at the Royal Town Planning Institute's Northern Ireland Conference, Belfast. The workshop provided summary details of NI's introduction of legislation and SuDS provisions following the 2010 Flood and Water Management Act, but also reported on our emerging findings on the planning challenges and opportunities to implement SuDS in England and Wales, from this EPSRC funded project. The workshop promoted a lively discussion on the ways in which the planning process can add value to the implementation of SuDS, in particular attending to the practical considerations of the interface between the planning system and the expertise and guidance required from other centralised bodies in NI. The workshop led to requests from Local Authority participants for further information in developing their own policy on SuDS.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.rtpi.org.uk/the-rtpi-near-you/rtpi-northern-ireland/events/ni-annual-conference/ni-plann...
 
Description Workshop to help steer research priorities for the Joint EA/Defra Research programme (London) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This workshop was specific to research in the theme of "locally managed flood risk" (surface water, groundwater, and ordinary watercourses). As part of a small group of invited experts, we discussed EA/NRW/DEFRA/Welsh Government projects ongoing/due to start, and discussed which projects are needed to fill research/skills gaps and thus to help steer research funding priorities for 2019-2021
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Workshop with the Parks Trust, Milton Keynes 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact Invited to workshop with the Parks Trust, Milton Keynes - one of a number of academics and practitioners invited to talk about the research questions that need answering to support the future planning of green space in Milton Keynes, in the context of massive urban expansion. Stimulated increased interest in research, in particular how it can support decision makers to ensure the future MK maintains the highest quality of green space.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018