Dr James Simpson

1) Enabling pro-environmental practices in urban development systems

This theme investigates how pro-environmental practices (e.g., low-carbon mobility, resource-efficient living, biodiversity stewardship) are enabled, or constrained, by urban development and project delivery. A particular focus is the aspiration–feasibility gap: the mismatch between the sustainability outcomes design professionals seek and what they judge routinely deliverable. I examine how feasibility is shaped by briefing, procurement, approvals, organisational routines, risk/liability, and long-term stewardship, and how these dynamics vary across domains (e.g., transport versus household-scale measures) and socio-professional positions. The aim is to generate actionable, evidence-based recommendations that make PEB-supportive design more contractible, permissible, and durable in practice.

Methods: Large-n practitioner surveys; semi-structured interviews; statistical modelling in R; policy/document analysis; mixed-effects modelling; post-occupancy evaluation (where feasible).

2) Residential landscapes, belonging, and everyday wellbeing

This theme explores how landscape-led residential design and masterplanning can cultivate belonging, strengthen everyday social relations, and support mental wellbeing across diverse housing contexts. I examine how configurations of public, communal, and private outdoor space shape lived experience, social interaction, and perceived safety, and I evaluate design guidance and policy in terms of inclusive, usable, and cared-for environments. This work links wellbeing outcomes to governance and management, recognising that maintenance regimes, tenure structures, and stewardship often determine whether benefits persist beyond completion.

Methods: Comparative case studies; resident and stakeholder interviews; thematic and qualitative policy analysis; spatial/management typologies; evaluation of guidance against lived outcomes.

3) Embodied landscape experience and pedestrian attention

This theme investigates the moment-to-moment experience of moving through urban landscapes: how people perceive, attend to, and respond to streets and public spaces. Drawing on environmental psychology and embodied cognition, I analyse pedestrian attention and engagement to identify design attributes that support comfort, interest, and restorative experience, translating findings into practical design principles for more legible and responsive urban spaces. Where appropriate, I use immersive and in-situ methods to test design alternatives before (and alongside) implementation.

Methods: Mobile eye-tracking; VR simulation/experimental testing; psycho-physiological measures (e.g., EEG, fNIRS); structured observation; experience sampling; qualitative triangulation.