Find Alessio Russo on
PhD - Tree Crops and Forest, Ornamental and Landscape Agro
Dr Russo is a Senior Lecturer in Landscape Architecture in the School of Architecture and Built Environment. A recognised expert in urban ecosystem services and green infrastructure, his research focuses on the critical intersection of these areas with human health and climate change.
His research emphasises improving human health and wellbeing in cities, particularly through the effective use of green spaces. This includes improving access to high-quality, biodiverse green spaces, strengthening the relationship between people and nature, and promoting mental wellbeing.
Dr Russo’s past and current research focus on regenerating cities using nature-based solutions that deliver multiple benefits (e.g., thermal comfort, food production, pollution removal, water runoff). This approach contributes to creating healthy places for people, both physically and mentally, by considering participatory approaches and meeting community needs in the face of climate change and the biodiversity crisis.
Specifically, he explores which approaches (e.g., renaturing, regreening, rewilding) and design solutions using different typologies of nature-based solutions can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Recent projects as Principal Investigator include:
2023-2024: Urban rewilding aesthetics & people's needs into multifunctional blue and green infrastructure design (funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) RECLAIM Network Plus).
2023: Designing Climate-Resilient Public Spaces with Nature-Based Solutions (funded by RPA Small Grants, University of Gloucestershire).
2021-22: Growing a Shared Vision for Urban Greening (funded by University College London (UCL) and the Net Zero Innovation Programme, Cohort 2021).
Prior to joining QUT, Dr Russo held senior academic positions at the University of Gloucestershire, UK (Senior Lecturer, 2019-2024), RUDN University in Moscow, Russia (Associate Professor), and FEFU, Vladivostok (Professor and Head of Laboratory of Urban and Landscape Design, 2016-2018).
Dr Russo serves on editorial boards of well-known peer-reviewed journals such as Urban Planning (Cogitatio Press), Discovering Cities (Springer Nature), and Urban Resilience and Sustainability (AIMS Press). He is also an associate editor of Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems (Wiley). Outside academia, Dr Russo has worked as a landscape architect in the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates, specialising in sustainable design and planning.