Urban Ecology Design: Nature-Based Solutions

Nico Tillie serves as Head of the Urban Ecology Lab at TU Delft's Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, where he teaches Landscape Architecture and leads research in urban ecosystem-based planning. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Synergetic Urban Landscape Planning from TU Delft and two master's degrees, combining expertise in landscape architecture and botany. He chairs the TU Delft ECOcampus project on greening the campus and has worked extensively on urban ecosystems and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. His professional experience includes work at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London and the municipality of Rotterdam, where he contributed to projects ranging from urban ecology to museum park design and city-wide densification plans. As a senior fellow at the University of Toronto and conference leader of the 2022 Ecocity World Summit, he continues to influence global urban sustainability practices. He currently chairs the Friends of Rotstuin Ber Slangen Foundation and serves on the scientific council of NL Greenlabel, while actively contributing to garden magazines and leading botanical field trips.

Rosa de Wolf serves as a Ph.D. candidate in the Urban Ecology Design Lab at TU Delft, where she focuses on transforming Dutch business districts into healthy, nature-inclusive, and multifunctional spaces. Her academic excellence is demonstrated by her cum laude graduation from TU Delft's Urbanism Master track with her project "Urban Arid Green." She contributes to the national program 'Workscapes of the Future,' analyzing business park designs and developing principles for improved urban planning. As part of the ECOCampus team, she teaches in the Urban Ecology Design MOOC and the Landscape Architecture ON-SITE practical elective. Her research particularly addresses challenges of sealed surfaces in business districts, exploring solutions for heat stress, water management, and biodiversity enhancement. Beyond her academic work, she demonstrates commitment to global sustainability through her volunteer work with Africa Wood Grow, contributing to reforestation efforts in Kenya by empowering local communities, and serves on the validation panel of the Ecocity Morocco programme.