Meet The Student Sustainability Architect Making LS6 a Better Place to Live
Meet Michael, one of our Student Sustainability Architects who is working on the Sustainability Service’s Community Streets Project.
We chatted with him about the project he’s contributing to that works to improve the LS6 community.
Hi Michael, please tell us a bit about yourself and why you applied for this part time role.
I’m Michael, a Student Sustainability Architect, part of the Leeds University Sustainability Service. Although I have not lived in Hyde Park long, I feel a connection to it and wanted to be involved in making it a nice place to live. That is why I applied to be an ambassador to the Community Streets projects.
What is the Community Streets Project?
Community Streets is a collaborative project aiming to create cleaner, greener and more socially cohesive streets and neighbourhoods. As well as having my own project area to work on, I support with the delivery of wider Community Streets work. In particular I have been on clean-up projects in the Harold’s and Thornville areas of Hyde Park.
What kind of work have you done so far?
The collaborative work I’ve been involved in has involved supporting volunteer sessions such as renovating neglected soil beds, removing dirt and moss and adding plants on Thornville Terrace.
Another session saw the renovation of a shared bin yard. It was brought to our attention by a local resident that the yard was neglected with fly tipping being a regular occurrence. The resident wanted to make the area safe and usable for her children and the neighbours, so we worked together to remove all the dumped waste and we got rid of the collapsing floor.
Bin Yard Refurbishment
That sounds really rewarding!
It was! I loved working on something so tangible where the difference was so instant. It was also great to see neighbours coming together to address a problem on their own street. Seeing the push for greater cohesion and community spirit from others in the area and the Community Streets team was inspiring.
Are you leading on any projects? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?
My contribution on behalf of the university is driving the ‘Living Walls Project’. I was getting fed up of seeing so much graffiti and tagging in my area, so I decided to find a way to address it. My aim is to do this through installing planters and climbing plants to walls that are often tagged.
My hope is that this will act as a deterrent. By using plants, we will also improve the areas aesthetics and provide biodiversity value in an area where there is a lack of greenery. I strongly believe in sustainable urban practices and this role allows me explore this in a practical scenario
When is this Living Wall Project happening and how can we join in?
On Wednesday April 30th we will be hosting a street clean up event on Back Thornville Row where we will be installing a living wall and planters as well as celebrating the work done so far in the project.
Anyone is welcome to come along, join in with the activities, and find out how your street could get involved!
The build session will run from 12 to 5.30 with a light lunch provided, then from 5.30 till 7 we will have a yard party. Come along to any part of this event. No need to register, just turn up!
Thanks Michael! We’ll see you on the 30th of April!
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Our work on the Community Streets Project is linked to the following SDGs:
- Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
