Daniel Black + Associates | db+a
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    • Research >
      • Tackling Root Causes >
        • TRUUD Case Studies
      • Food-Energy-Water Nexus + Waste
      • Urbanisation + Human/Planetary Health
      • Quality of Urban Form + Investment
      • Climate Change + Risk Management
      • Assessment methods + decision tools
    • Impact Assessment
    • Past Projects
  • Publications
  • Consultancy
    • Research
    • Consultancy >
      • Health + Sustainability Assessment
      • Advisory + Mediation
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Research

Our research focuses on human, predominantly urban habitats, the people that live there and the systems that support them. Our mission is to ensure quality of life for all now and in the long term.

We add value to research in five main ways - we:

1) Link academia with the 'real world' 
2) See past specialisms to enable genuine inter and trans-disciplinary research 
3) Constantly innovate, push boundaries 
4) Solve problems and simplify complexity 
5) Constantly orientate research to maximise external impact 


​We feel privileged to work with exceptional researchers and real world practitioners who are, like us, passionate about achieving game-changing impact in urban planning, development and governance for planetary health.

AREAS OF EXPLORATION

​Food-Energy-Water Nexus
Waste
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Urbanisation
Human/Planetary Health

​Quality of Urban Form
Real Estate Investment
​Economic Valuation
Climate Change
Risk Management

​Assessment methods
Decision tools
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Tackling the Root Causes of Unhealthy Urban Development

TRUUD has been awarded £6.6 million (£10M total project costs) over 5 years, and will research two major UK city/city regions’ urban planning and development systems with a view to embedding the prevention of risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases and health inequalities in decision-making on planning.

TRUUD aims to understand how prevention of NCDs might be fully considered and factored in to the decision-making of those in control of the quality of our urban environments, focusing on major new infrastructure and critical, unresolved issues of governance (e.g. transport and air pollution, nature in cities).

​5-Yr Project starting October 2019 - learn more...
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Food-Energy-Water Nexus + Waste

A three-year international research programme seeking to map and reduce waste in the food-energy-water nexus. The project will set up Urban Living Labs in Brazil (Campinas), South Africa (Cape Town), Netherlands (Rotterdam) and the UK (Bristol). Partners in Norway and the USA will be providing economic valuation and outreach-networking capacity respectively. 

​3-Yr Project starting May 2018
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Urbanisation + Human/Planetary Health

A three-year pilot, UPSTREAM, funded by the Wellcome Trust under their flagship programme: Our Planet Our Health. The goal of our project is to understand how planetary health might become a priority for those in control of urban development decision-making. 

2016 - 2019​
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Quality of Urban Form + Investment

A six-month project, funded by the Urban Land Institute and co-managed with New Climate Economy’s Coalition for Urban Transitions, that aimed to start the development of a model that could be used by the global real estate investment community to identify and invest in ‘good density’ urban form (i.e. cities and neighbourhoods that produce less carbon). 

​2017

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Climate Risk, Valuation + Management

Two year-long feasibility studies, both funded jointly by InnovateUK and the Natural Environment Research Council, to start developing and testing a pioneering service model that will enable organisations to set out their unique business case for proactively reducing their risk from extreme weather and a changing climate.

2014 - 2017
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Assessment Methods + Decision Tools

Building on an inclusive, consensus-based health and sustainability assessment process developed by colleagues at UWE Bristol, db+a secured modest seed funding from InnovateUK to develop an App designed to substantially reduce the prohibitive labour costs involved in stakeholder-led assessment. 

​2013
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  • Home
  • About
    • Biography
    • Mission + Values
    • Associates + Partners
    • Testimonials
  • Projects
    • Research >
      • Tackling Root Causes >
        • TRUUD Case Studies
      • Food-Energy-Water Nexus + Waste
      • Urbanisation + Human/Planetary Health
      • Quality of Urban Form + Investment
      • Climate Change + Risk Management
      • Assessment methods + decision tools
    • Impact Assessment
    • Past Projects
  • Publications
  • Consultancy
    • Research
    • Consultancy >
      • Health + Sustainability Assessment
      • Advisory + Mediation
  • Blog
  • Contact