In this engaging second installment with Nadina Galle, on Constructive Voices, host Jackie De Burca delves into the fascinating world of urban nature and environmental technology with Nadina, an ecological engineer and National Geographic explorer, widely recognised for her contributions to BBC Earth and National Geographic, and most recently, for her acclaimed book The Nature of Our Cities. This episode uncovers powerful insights into reimagining our urban spaces to foster harmony between human development and the natural world.

Together, Jackie and Nadina explore the concept of balance, inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine’s five elements, and its applications to urban ecology. They discuss the critical role of trees in cities, diving into the revolutionary technology of tree inventories, LIDAR mapping, and how tools like Tree Tracker are shaping modern urban forestry.

“We have gone too far towards the asphalt, the concrete, the built environment and we’ve strayed too far away from the natural environment.” – Dr. Nadina Galle

From the groundbreaking “Room for the River” initiative in the Netherlands to the visionary water management efforts of Chicago’s green infrastructure projects, this episode brings a global perspective on sustainable urban solutions.

Nadina and Jackie also tackle critical climate challenges, including wildfire prevention and innovations like BurnBot and Watch Duty, alongside nature-inspired strategies to prevent urban flooding.