Dr. Roudaina Alkhani played a pivotal role in the Innovate4Cities global conference, organising a major session on behalf of UN-Habitat’s Planners for Climate Action (P4CA). In this session, she presented her Integrated strategic Approach to Planning and Governance for Climate Change, an approach grounded in her extensive research, teaching, and professional practice.
As a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster, Dr. Alkhani has designed and delivered multiple MA and BA modules focusing on Sustainability, Climate Resilience, and Low-Carbon Cities. She actively engages students in live projects with local authorities and communities along the Thames Corridor, fostering real-world learning experiences. Her collaborations include:
London Borough of Hounslow – where she worked with students to develop strategies for transforming Brentford into a Low-Carbon city with a strong emphasis on place quality.
Medway Council – where she guided students in establishing a Sustainability Framework to address the council’s diverse towns, natural landscapes, and infrastructure.
Through these initiatives, Dr. Alkhani has sought to explore and demonstrate how working towards climate resilience and localising sustainability can work as key drivers of positive change across multiple scales.
This high-profile conference session brought together renowned experts from research and practice to engage in a thought-provoking discussion on climate urgency. The session’s key outcomes were reported as input to COP26 by Professor Barbara Norman from the University of Canberra, Australia
A heartfelt thank you to all participating colleagues for their invaluable contributions to this critical dialogue on climate action:
Lindsay Bremner, University of Westminster (UK); Victoria Lawson, London Borough of Hounslow (UK); Shuaib Lwasa; Markere University (Ugenda), Francesco Musco, University IUAV of Venice (Italy); Barbara Norman, University of Canberra 9Austriala); Philipp Rode, London School of Economics (UK); Giulio Verdini, University of Westminster (UK).