City futures

We are helping cities to better understand the complex challenges they face, and support their transition to becoming sustainable, resilient and inclusive places with a high quality of life for all.
Contact the city futures research lead
Bristol Voluntary Local Review report - a voluntary local review of progress towards the SDGs 2019
Bristol Voluntary Local Review 2019 (PDF, 4,508kB) or Bristol Voluntary Local Review 2019 (PDF, 4,508kB)
A report reflecting a whole city approach to tackling the SDGs, including information on the activities of 90 Bristol based organisations working to make the city more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.
We are a member of the Bristol SDG Alliance
The Bristol SDG Alliance brings together a range of organisations and individuals to raise awareness of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The Alliance are using the goals as a framework for Bristol's future sustainable and resilient development and enabling Bristol to monitor its own progress.
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Bristol and the Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were ratified by the UN’s member nations. But who’s going to take responsibility for making sure we achieve them? -
Riding sunbeams
Riding Sunbeams seeks to connect solar PV directly into the UK’s electrified rail network to power trains. Direct supply of solar power traction to railway systems has never been done before, neither in the UK nor anywhere else in the world. Its potential to decarbonize railways is huge. -
How Bristol 2015 helped us all see ‘green’ differently
Bristol became the UK’s first-ever European Green Capital in 2015. Making that relevant to everyone in such a big, diverse city meant finding innovative ways to engage and inspire as many different groups as possible. -
Tackling the toughest urban questions
By 2050, nearly three-quarters of the world will be living in cities. How can we make these densely populated places resilient, healthy, prosperous and sustainable? -
The Dark Planet: Explorations of the wild night
More than half of the world’s species are nocturnal by habit so how do we enhance our knowledge of these night time worlds and how they may be affected by climate change? -
Unravelling the complexity of vulnerability, risk and resilience in flood hazard systems
We are becoming more vulnerable to natural hazards. Since 1950, the ongoing trend shows increasing losses from global catastrophes, but why is this? -
Reducing the vulnerability of tomorrow’s cities
Of the area expected to be urbanised by 2030, 60% is yet to be built. That gives us a golden opportunity to design hazard-resilient cities for our future – if we act now. -
Making cities more pollinator-friendly
As we face an increasingly urban future, we need to protect and cultivate greater biodiversity in our cities for the sake of people and pollinators alike. -
Partnering with Bristol City Council to help build a sustainable future
The City Leap programme will create a healthier and fairer city for all Bristol residents, helping to de-carbonise the city, create jobs and empower communities to take their future into their own hands. -
Traffic effects on the atmospheric electric field
How can we better understand how manmade pollutants are affecting the electrical environment and thus affecting nature and human health? -
Working together to improve infrastructure
The shortcomings of our urban infrastructure may be costing the UK £2 million every day. We know we need better value, but a lack of understanding is holding us back.
What we do and why we have impact
Our researchers apply their knowledge and expertise to help cities around the globe become more sustainable - particularly in terms of their energy use, emissions, biodiversity and food production.
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Inclusive
In all of our endeavours, we understand that an inclusive agenda yields both a plethora of new solutions but also a collective will to action.
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Smart
We have developed globally recognised smart city technologies and facilities that help us to understand the complex relationships between society and the built and natural environments.
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Whole system
We are helping cities to become more resilient through supporting whole system responses to natural hazards, environmental change and pollution.