Staff Profile

I have worked in urban green space planning, landscape and nature as a professional consultant, project manager, university teacher and researcher for over 40 years. 

My areas of interest include; Green infrastructure in both urban and rural contexts; planning at the landscape scale; nature based solutions and more widely nature based thinking including a contemporary focus on the concept of BioCities; urban forestry (I am chair of the European Forum on urban forestry EFUF); ecosystem services and the relationship to sustainable development goals and climate change and issues around governance and spatial planning anti-regional, national and transnational level in respect of sustainable development.

I am very interested in transdisciplinary approaches, and believe that this is a necessary to tackle the global challenges that society is facing. I see my work out the interface of two of these, namely that pertaining to resilience and climate and that pertaining to the loss of biodiversity, these two are fundamentally linked and this influences my research focus.

The main focus of my research is on nature based solutions. These are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature. My research is international with a specific focus on Europe and China. I have strong research collaborations with a a significant number of European countries (Universities, Local Authorities, NGOs and research organisations) and also undertake work for the European Commission Research Executive Agency and previously the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Between 2013 and 2017, I was part of the GREENSURGE project funded through the European Commissions FP7 research and innovation programme and more recently between 2019 and present the CLEARING HOUSE project (funded through Horizon 2020) which gathers 26 partners in Europe and China, and is providing evidence and tools that facilitate the mobilisation of the full potential of urban forest nature based solutions (UF-NBS) for rehabilitating, reconnecting and restoring urban ecosystems. 

I am strongly committed to the student experience and regard my work with students as a career privilege. I believe that both my professional experience and research experience can be brought together to support student learning. The main focus for my cheating is on the following modules, most of which are a postgraduate level.

• Green infrastructure and landscape planning (TCP8096) - module leader
• Green infrastructure and landscape planning (TCP8097) - project module - module leader
• Engaging with information sources in planning (TCP8003) - module leader
• Climate Literacy Philosophies (APL3009, APL3010) new for 2022/23

I also contribute to many other courses and undertake mentoring of geography and planning students as well as dissertation students.

• Articles

  • Davies C, Santo-Tomas Muro R. Stewardship and Green Infrastructure in England, planning perspective informed through an investigation of Urban Green Infrastructure. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 2024, 67(12), 2748-2773.
  • Lafortezza R, Davies C. Pandemic Urban Development is leading us away from Nature. Environmental Research 2023, 217, 114858.
  • Davies C, Sanesi G. COVID-19 and the importance of Urban Green spaces. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 2022, 74, 127654.
  • Davies C, Lafortezza R. Transitional path to the adoption of nature-based solutions. Land Use Policy 2019, 80, 406-409.
  • Roe MH, Townshend T, Davies C, Ward Thompson C, Gulsrud NM, Qin Q. Urban National Parks or National Park Cities?. Town and Country Planning 2018, 87(7).
  • Spano M, Gentile F, Davies C, Lafortezza R. The DPSIR framework in support of green infrastructure planning: A case study in Southern Italy. Land Use Policy 2017, 61, 242-250.
  • Marziliano PA, Lafortezza R, Colangelo G, Davies C, Sanesi G. Structural diversity and height growth models in urban forest plantations: A case-study in northern Italy. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2013, 12(2), 246-254.
  • Lafortezza R, Carrus G, Sanesi G, Davies C. Benefits and well-being perceived by people visiting green spaces in periods of heat stress. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 2009, 8(2), 97-108.
  • Macfarlane R, Roe MH, Davies C. Green Infrastructure Planning: A Position Paper. Landscape and Urban Planning 2006, (in process). In Preparation.
  • Davies R. An assessment of models of a health system. J Op Res Soc 1985, 36, 679 - 686.

• Book Chapter

  • Lafortezza R, Pauleit S, Hansen R, Sanesi G, Davies C. Strategic green infrastructure planning and urban forestry. In: Ferrini F; Konijnendijk van den Bosch CC; Fini A, ed. Routledge Handbook of Urban Forestry. London: Routledge, 2017, pp.179-193.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)

  • Roe MH, Bottoms S, Dudley L, Davies C. Building Hydrocitizenship: The Participation of Communities in Green Infrastructure Planning through creative Engagement with Water in the Landscape. In: Green Infrastructure: Nature Based Solutions for Sustainable and Resilient Cities. 2017, Orvieto, Italy: GreenInUrbs.

• Report

  • Naumann S, Burgos Cuevas N, Davies C, Bradley S, Mahmoud Israa H, Arlati A. Harnessing the power of collaboration for nature based solutions: new ideas and insights for local decision-makers. Brussels: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

• Reviews

  • Davies C, Chen WY, Sanesi G, Lafortezza R. The European Union roadmap for implementing nature-based solutions: A review. Environmental Science and Policy 2021, 121, 49-67.
  • Townshend T, Roe M, Davies C, Qin Q. National Park City: Salutogenic city?. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment 2018, 217, 203-211.
  • Lafortezza R, Davies C, Sanesi G, Konijnendijk CC. Green Infrastructure as a tool to support spatial planning in European urban regions. IFOREST-BIOGEOSCIENCES AND FORESTRY 2013, 6, 102-108.