Dr Deema Almasri, Senior Policy Associate at Earthna, and Rubén Muñoz, Head of GSAS Civil Group at GORD, join as keynote speakers for the Living Green, Liveable Cities Research Symposium. The Symposium will take place on 4th-5th February 2024 at Expo 2023 Doha, Qatar.

Organised by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) in collaboration with Cities & Health and Expo 2023 Doha Qatar, the symposium presents research under three themes which demonstrate the contribution of ‘living green’ to healthy and resilient cities: Social and Cultural Health, Health and Wellbeing, and Environmental Health.

The Symposium comprises four sessions focusing on these key themes. Each session will include a talk by a keynote speaker as well as presentations of the most recent research findings.

During the first session on Sunday 4th February, Dr Deema Almasri will present ‘Traditional Practices and Knowledge Towards Sustainability’. It is becoming more and more apparent that sustainability solutions require more than technology alone. Policy interventions that encourage an integration of modern with traditional practices and nature are also necessary, and Earthna is keen to utilise the wisdom of ancestral knowledge to provide policy recommendations. Dr Almasri’s talk will focus on ancestral practices related to water resource management with a primary emphasis on hot and arid regions as well as those with significant ethnographic knowledge.

Keeping to the regional context, Rubén Muñoz will present ‘Sustainability certification as a catalyst for greener cities’. The implementation of sustainability certifications can be an effective tool to overcome the reluctance to build greener cities. Over the past few years, GORD has developed the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS). Muñoz will demonstrate how the GSAS has resulted in environmental and health benefits for society, as well as an improved return on investment and decreased operating costs.

Keynote speakers for the remaining three sessions include: Dr Bruno Marques, President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA); Judith van der Poel, Director of Niek Roozen Landscape; and Dr Gayle Souter-Brown, Special Envoy from IFLA to the International Society of Urban Health.

Other speakers include:

• Aura Istrate, Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Dublin
• Lauriane Chalmin-Pui, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Sheffield
• Irfan Khan, Architect at the Central Public Works Department, Government of India
• Dr Christine Mullan-Jensen, Environmental psychologist and qualitative researcher based in Ireland
• Dr Marcello Vitale, Associate Professor, Sapienza University of Rome, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences
• Stefano Ceccotto, Technical Director, NET Engineering, and guest lecturer at the University of Bologna
• Francesca Boyd, AIPH Green City Consultant and Knowledge Exchange Leader at Ecosystems Knowledge Network

In addition to the research sessions, the Symposium includes a VIP tour of Expo 2023 Doha Qatar and tours of key locations within the Doha Municipality relating to the Symposium themes.

The Research Symposium accompanies the special Cities & Health journal issue, also titled ‘Living Green, Liveable Cities’. This special issue was instigated by AIPH and Expo 2023 Doha Qatar to investigate the science and practice supporting the concept showcased the Expo of creating liveable and healthy urban environments through city greening.

For more information and to book your place, please visit the AIPH Website. Complimentary registration packages are available for a limited number of delegates.