Natalie Marie Gulsrud

What do you research?

 My research provides new insights into solutions for just and sustainable pathways to climate resilience. I do this by analyzing governance processes in urban green infrastructure (UGI) to enhance decision making and science communication from local to global scales. I collaborate with a transdisciplinary team of researchers, designers, computational experts, policy makers, private sector actors, and community activists to realize multifunctional, inclusive, and just solutions for the green city. We do this by revealing how social, ecological, and technological processes drive everyday experiences in urban areas, leveraging empirical and theoretical approaches alongside data visualization to advance urban research and practice. This work addresses a variety of research areas including urban resilience; nature-based solutions; urban land use planning and management; social equity and environmental justice; urban biodiversity and ecosystem services; data visualization and urban data science.

Why is it so important?

As scientists and policy makers push for climate neutrality over the next decade, there is a dire need to account for the social and political contestation that is slowing the critical progress for green transitions. Current protests in Copenhagen over the development of urban green infrastructure, illustrate that urban green infrastructure and urban sustainability are not neutral concepts. I address this tension by questioning what precisely is being made sustainable, for whom, and by which criteria. Specific focus is placed on social-ecological processes in the involvement of diverse actors and citizens in the care of urban green spaces to increase equity, into the public sphere. I also focus on ecological-technological processes in multi-form partnerships between self-organizing local residents and varied cross-sector actors in the establishment and management of urban green spaces. There is a need for more awareness in terms of social-technological processes regarding urban data infrastructures.

A project you are proud of?

I am proud of my current project SMARTer Greener Cities which aims to develop and test new tools and processes for bringing together social, ecological, and technological (SETs) approaches for improving life in cities. We work across three urban case sites apply technology to measure sensory experiences (Helsinki), to test out just approaches to community engagement (Copenhagen) and give nature a voice through embedded sensor networks (Stockholm). In Copenhagen, we have worked with the neighborhood of Hørgården to develop a digital tool to better include residents’ perspectives in the planning and development of their new green commons to support inclusive and safe outdoor spaces.

Updated November 2022

Through her participation in the Mary Centre’s Policy Fellowship, Natalie has among others worked with Paolo Perotti, Chief Legal Officer in the Ministry of Environment (Policy Fellowship 2022 – 23 – Green Transition).