ICON Science Visits The Cape: Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design in Action
After years of championing Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design (BSUD) in new housing developments, the ICON Science team finally had the opportunity to visit a project that has transformed that vision into a reality. Last Friday, we travelled to Cape Paterson to explore The Cape – an environmental net-gain development that seamlessly integrates biodiversity conservation, energy efficiency, integrated […]
ICON team members take on ESA 2024
From 9-13 December 2024, multiple ICON team members attended and presented research at the Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) conference held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). The ESA conference showcases the science of ecology in Australia and explores connections between science theory, research, policy and on-ground outcomes (ESA 2024). Photo credit: Dr […]
Nature Pledge for Developers: Growing homes, growing nature
Australia needs more housing. But major expansions in residential and commercial developments could pose risks to remaining threatened species habitats, resulting in detrimental consequences for our lives and our country (Biodiversity Council 2024a). In response to this problem, Professor Sarah Bekessy has created a Nature Pledge for Developers to create a framework for developers / […]
Ecology insights for the property sector
ICON Science recently partnered with Nature Collective to organise the first session of their ‘Nature Insights Series’ entitled ‘Ecology Insights for the Property Sector.’ The Nature Insights Series is led by Nature Collective, a design & consulting practice dedicated to nature-based solutions in the built environment. The intent of the series is to connect nature, […]
In the news: Ensuring equitable access to nature in cities
Catch our own Sarah Bekessy on the Inclusive Agenda podcast. Sarah discusses her recent work on ensuring equitable access to nature in the city for vulnerable communities. Click here
Finding space for nature in cities: the considerable potential of redundant car parking
Written by Tom de Aizpurua Major cities can play a vital role in creating biodiversity gains through Nature Based Solutions (NBS). Finding space in dense and heavily congested urban environments is difficult, but research conducted at ICON Science shows that remodelling redundant car spaces to make way for green space could solve many city issues, […]
Why we should shatter Melbourne’s concrete creeks
Written by Tom de Aizpurua Our connection to nature continues to change over the years, for better or worse. Only in the 1960s did engineers and town planners decided to tame some of Melbourne’s vital rivers and streams with concrete to reduce the flood risk throughout the city, with the idea to protect neighbouring communities […]
Enabling Biodiversity Inclusive Design
In the day and age of the biodiversity emergency, architects, landscape architects, urban designers and even engineers are looking for answers to the question “How do we design for biodiversity?”. The ‘Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework’ specifically calls for the rise of biodiversity inclusive urban areas (See Target 12, Convention on Biological Diversity 2022). Biodiversity Inclusive […]
Integrating biodiversity as a non-human stakeholder within urban development.
We call this, biodiversity inclusive design. Check out our paper for more information! References
Examining connection to nature at multiple scales provides insights for urban conservation
New research into Melburnians’ connection to nature is helping the City of Melbourne understand how to engage its community members in conservation efforts. The study, led by RMIT University in collaboration with the City of Melbourne and Queensland University of Technology, surveyed over 1,500 City of Melbourne residents and visitors on their connection to nature and found […]