Green Infrastructure Research Group

We grow greener cities where people and nature thrive

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About Us

We are an interdisciplinary team of Australia’s leading green infrastructure experts with a shared passion for using plants to make cities more liveable.

We create and embed knowledge and technologies in smart design, construction and maintenance of green spaces, trees, parks, rain gardens, community gardens and green roofs and facades in built environments.

We are part of the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences and are based at the University’s historic Burnley campus

News!

A new student resource, the Urban Horticulture Hub @ Burnley, aims to create a more vibrant, engaged and work-ready student community at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley Campus.

Plant-based research for future green cities

Our green infrastructure research is key to liveable cities for people and biodiversity

Our changing climate, booming city populations, soaring energy costs and building works are ideal conditions to maximise the vast benefits of nature in built environments. Green infrastructure can help people in cities and towns live happier, healthier lives.

People move and exercise more, enjoy improved emotional health, breath cleaner air and, through cooler microclimates, experience less heat-related stress. People also enjoy the aesthetics, living art, culture and heritage that green infrastructure brings to life in cities.

Industry, government and the community can benefit through increased productivity and property values, while costs of flooding, stormwater management and energy decrease.

Fusing the natural world with our city life also creates and preserves valuable habitats and ecological biodiversity, conserves water and improves waterway health. Crucially for climate change adaptation and resilience, green infrastructure absorbs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

General inquiries: girg-info@unimelb.edu.au or contact our research team

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Burnley campus is located.

We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of the lands on which other University campuses are located and recognise their continued connection and care for the land and waters.

Research Themes and Projects

Research Partnerships

Waterway Ecosystem Research Group (WERG)

Comparative Urban ecology Research Training

Our Partners

We value our long and close strategic collaborations with local and international industry, researchers, government and communities. Our focus on end-users, the quality of our work and the relationships we build drive our repeat and referral collaborations. Some of our current and recent industry partners are:

Researchers
A/Prof John Rayner  Green roofs as an adaptation to climate change, landscape design and plant performance, social and therapeutic landscapes

A/Prof Nick Williams  Grassland ecology and restoration, green roofs, green walls, urban plant ecology, weed invasions

A/Prof Stephen Livesley  Microclimate cooling, green roof energy savings, carbon sequestration, urban forests and trees, biodiversity, water quality

Dr Claire Farrell  Green roofs, plant selection, green roof substrates, stormwater runoff, plant drought tolerance

Dr Amy Hahs  Urban ecology, remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), biodiversity, landscape ecology, comparative analysis (urban planning, landscape architecture)

Dr Chris Szota  Green roofs, street trees, rain gardens, stormwater runoff, plant nutrient uptake and drought tolerance

Dr Kate Lee Environmental psychology, industrial and organisational psychology, green roofs, green walls

Dr Marie Dade Ecosystem services of green infrastructure and green spaces
PhD research
- Pui Kwan Cheung
- Rebecca Du
- Bihan Guo
- Paul Hanley
- Katherine Horsfall
- Lavinia Hsiao-Hsuan Chu
- Rose Macaulay
- Zoë Metherell
- Juan Reyna Monrreal
- Evariste Rutebuka
- Zahra Saraeian
- Julia Schiller
- Dean Schrieke
- Lubaina Soni
- Patricia Torquato
- Joerg Werdin
Associates
Outreach and communication

Dr Rachael Bathgate Green infrastructure research translation, knowledge exchange, industry engagement
Alumni

Disrupt city life for the better with green infrastructure solutions.
Postgraduate research and study with us is life-changing―for you and for people in cities around the world.

We see limitless potential in plants to make cities more sustainable and support individuals, communities, industries and the environment to thrive. We’re determined to do better and hope that you’ll join us in creating powerful change.

Enrolled students can join our Urban Horticulture Hub @ Burnley to find out about career opportunities, further training, industry workshops and networking opportunities as well as a supportive platform for peer discussion and ideas.