New research projects aim to enhance resilience, wellbeing, and sustainability in UK coastal communities. The £14.8 million Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas Programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Defra, will take a transdisciplinary approach across the UK.
Additionally, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is investing £9.5 million in five projects focusing on place-based approaches to environmental sustainability, providing crucial evidence for local and national decision-making.
The two sets of projects will help communities tackle a range of issues, including:
- landfill waste release due to erosion and flooding
- urban net zero retrofit challenges
- conflict in transitions to sustainable living
- public food procurement networks
- understanding the importance of place in responding to climate change challenges
Together, they will develop a range of policy recommendations and toolkits to help communities across the UK build resilience to environmental and economic challenges, while ensuring an equitable green transition.
Photo by Ray Bilcliff
Defra’s Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Gideon Henderson said:
“I am delighted that Defra, through our Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme, is contributing to the new UKRI programme on Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas. This is a timely and critical research area requiring transdisciplinary work to understand the links between the coastal environments, economies and societies.
Working with coastal communities, the programme will help provide clean, healthy and protected seas while supporting coastal livelihoods. This programme is another great example of close coworking between Defra and UKRI, and builds on our strengthening collaboration and partnership, harnessing the UK’s world-leading research expertise to address the environmental challenges we face.”
Coastal Resilience
The £14.8 million Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas Programme covers the UK’s coastlines, including Edinburgh, Essex, and London, with the COAST-R network in Hull coordinating activities. The transdisciplinary approach will work with communities in Yorkshire, Humber, the Welsh Coast, and Scottish Islands to:
- Transform understanding of coastal communities and seas
- Enable transformative decision-making with local communities
This programme will establish a network of academics, policymakers, and stakeholders to enhance the health and wellbeing of coastal communities.
Place-Based Sustainability
The £9.5 million investment in five research projects by ESRC will support local and national decision-making with evidence from various UK case studies. These interdisciplinary, co-produced projects will:
- Improve understanding of environmental challenges and solutions
- Bolster place-based resilience
- Help the UK achieve its net-zero target by 2050 and other environmental goals
The Coastal Communities and Seas Programme Projects
1. TRANSitions in Energy for Coastal communities over Time and Space (TRANSECTS)
Project lead: Karen Alexander, Heriot-Watt University
2. Advancing Resilience and Innovation for a Sustainable Environment (ARISE)
Project lead: Gina Yannitell Reinhardt, University of Essex
3. Resilience of Anthropocene Coasts and Communities (RACC): assessing and responding to urban and post-industrial coastal risks
Project lead: Kate Spencer, Queen Mary, University of London, with the University of Glasgow
4. Transformative Research Actions for resilient Coastal Communities (TRACC)
Project lead: Tim Acott, University of Greenwich
The UK Coastal Communities and Seas Network Plus project
1. COAST-R: COastal Communities And Seas Together for Resilience Network Plus
Project lead: Briony McDonagh, University of Hull
The five place-based approaches to sustainable living large investments
1. URBAN RETROFIT UK: Scaling up place-based adaptations to the urban environment through the planning and development system
Project lead: James White, University of Glasgow, with Cardiff University, Dalhousie University, The University of Sheffield, University of the West of England and University of Ulster
2. Governing Sustainable Futures (GSF): Advancing the use of participatory mechanisms for addressing place-based contestations of sustainable living
Project lead: Rebecca Jane Sandover, Exeter University
3. Place-based approaches to sustainable food supply chains: scaling socio-technical innovations as enablers for enhancing public sector food procurement.
Project lead: Moya Kneafsey, Coventry University, with Garden Organic and Social Farms and Gardens
4. REGENYSYS: Designing a regenerative regional living system in the Thames Estuary
Project lead: Joanna Williams, University College London, with Cranfield University
5. Circular Society Innovations (CSI) for place-based equitable, inclusive and environmentally sustainable living
Project lead: Paul Dewick, Manchester Metropolitan University, with HU University of Applied Sciences, University of Turku and the Illinois Institute of Technology