Simon Needle, Urban Forestry and Nature lead, Birmingham City Council



Simon has worked for Birmingham City Council for over 34 years in a number of roles but all related to the natural environment. Currently the Strategic Lead for Urban Forestry and Nature and part of the Planning Transport and Sustainability Directorate, Simons work contributes to broader planning and development work relating to Ecology, Arboriculture and climate adaptation. Projects include the city’s Urban Forest Master Plan 2021-2051, Biodiversity Net Gain and Green infrastructure contribution to the Future City Plan vision and Development Framework and Smithfield Development.

Jane Findley FLI, Director, Fira 



Jane Findlay is a Landscape Architect, Past President of the Landscape Institute and the founding director of Fira. She is a masterplanner and designer with over 38 years’ experience of designing and delivering large and complex projects. Jane is particularly experienced in the design of the healing landscape for healthcare having worked on some of the largest and most complex healthcare projects in the UK. Jane is passionate about the psychological and physical benefits that quality landscape design and nature play in all aspects of the public realm. She is a pioneering exponent of ‘green place-making’ the importance of GI on health and wellbeing in the way that people experience our urban environment and the spaces we create within, around, and connecting places. Jane is sustainability advisor on the University of Warwick Estate & Environment Committee and continues to advise the National Memorial Arboretum, in South Staffordshire, on their arboretum.

Julie Futcher, Urban Climate Architect, Urban  Generation



Julie is a chartered architect and an independent consultant, with significant experience in research and research-led teaching. Her research focus is concerned with climate-responsive urbanism and the influence of emerging urban morphologies in regulating energy exchanges within densely built urban landscapes. These investigations draw attention to many interdependent built form effects that currently fall outside the broader discussion on sustainable urban development and represents ‘first steps’ for the inclusion of urban climate research into built environment practice. These built form outcomes are being explored through a series of ‘proof of concept’ activities which includes the curation of the urban climate walking tour series. The walks have been running since 2014 and include the City of London; Paddington Basin; Fleet Street and the Inner Temple Gardens (Greater London); Birmingham City Centre (UK); São Paulo, Brasil. Borlänge, Sweden, and more recently Ipswich Town centre.