Nick Grayson

Nick is Climate Change and Sustainability Manager for Birmingham City Council, with a current lead on green infrastructure and natural capital; where he has devised the ‘Naturally Birmingham’ policy- which seeks to put nature at the heart of all decision-making, providing the framework for a 25 Year Environment Plan and the Future Operating Model for Parks. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham commencing a 5 year study in October 2018 as Principal Investigator on the benefits from green infrastructure to urban air quality across the West Midlands.

Nick sits on 3 Government Working Groups – for Biodiversity offsetting; for developing a planning Eco-Metric; and developing a national Gi standard; the UN Habitats UK Urban Ecology Forum; West Midlands Natural Capital Roundtable; and advisor on the Biophilic Cities Network Steering Committee.

Nick was a key researcher on the Liveable Cities research programme (2012-2017) resulting in being a co-author of The Little Book of Ecosystem Services in the City (2018)- which introduced the two-tier hybrid model approach for the future of parks.

Nick was a key advisor working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in helping to re-shape their global ‘Zero Emission City’ criteria to now major on natural capital; helping attract global green investors to Birmingham Smithfield. Nick also led on the creation of the Natural Capital Planning Tool- now being trialled in 17 national locations- to generate a net positive for natural capital from all major developments; co-sponsored by RTPI and RICS.