Cohort 2026 PhD Project
About The Project
In 2019, Nottingham City Council declared a climate and ecological emergency, setting the ambitious goal of becoming the UK’s first carbon neutral city by 2028 (CN28). As part of this agenda, urban green spaces such as the redevelopment of the Broadmarsh site (Green Heart and surrounding areas) have been identified as critical to supporting environmental engagement and community development.
However, the financial crisis that led the Council to declare effective bankruptcy in 2023 raises urgent questions about how such green spaces will be maintained and meaningfully used in the long term. Without sustainable frameworks for community ownership and engagement, these areas risk underuse and neglect, further fuelling social exclusion.
This PhD project responds to these challenges by focusing on Nottingham Central Library and its surrounding urban green ventures as a testbed for developing new forms of environmental education and community engagement. Rather than approaching “the community” in general terms, the project will work directly with defined groups: library users and Nottingham College learners. Together, we will co-design, deliver, and evaluate a pilot curriculum for outdoor and place-based education.
This project has been co-created with and is supported by researchers from University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University and partners at GrowNotts.
Project Aims
The overall aims of the project are:
To evaluate the pilot curriculum in practice, through collaboration with Nottingham Central Library and Nottingham College, examining: a. learner experiences and outcomes, b. the potential contribution to wellbeing, belonging, and environmental engagement, and c. the sustainability and scalability of such partnerships for urban communities.
To co-develop a partnership framework between Universities for Nottingham, Nottingham Central Library, Nottingham College and selected urban green initiatives, clarifying roles, shared aims, and modes of collaboration in support of outdoor learning.
To design and implement a pilot curriculum for outdoor and place-based education tailored to Nottingham Central Library users (with a particular focus on young people, adult learners, families, or another clearly defined demographic]).
Project Team
- PhD Candidate: Adam Pickering
- Lead Academic Supervisor: Dr Francesca Salvi (University of Nottingham)
- Academic Co-Supervisor: Dr Ana Souto Galvan (Nottingham Trent University)
- Community Supervisor: Jack Harris (GrowNotts)