How do we make our increasingly dense cities healthier, greener and more resilient?

As our cities grow, access to clean air, clean water, biodiversity and meaningful connections with nature will become ever more important.

In this conversation, we explore living architecture, green infrastructure, urban density, clean air and water — and how we can design cities that work better for both people and the planet.

In this episode, we’re joined by James Worth, a landscape architect whose work is focused on finding practical, sustainable solutions for the future of our built environment.

James is particularly passionate about Green Infrastructure and living architecture.

James has also launched a very exciting series of roundtable online discussions: International Design Conversations. They started on Thursday 13 August and continue all year, I am joining one in October Biophilic Hospitality, Wellness & Regenerative Tourism 22 October 2026

What happens when we stop thinking of nature as something we add to a building and start thinking about it as part of the infrastructure of the city itself? For landscape architect James Worth, the answer lies in bringing disciplines, ideas and people together — and fundamentally rethinking how we design our urban environments.

James has loads of experience spanning parks and gardens, civic spaces, urban design, ecology and biodiversity.

James believes landscape architecture has a critical role to play in creating healthier, more resilient cities. As urban populations grow, access to clean air, clean water, biodiversity, shade and meaningful connections with nature cannot remain an afterthought.

“There is the risk of green for aesthetic only,” he says, warning against greenwashing that makes a development look sustainable without delivering genuine environmental function. The answer is to go beyond the appearance of greenery and consider how landscape systems actually work, managing water, reducing heat, supporting biodiversity and reconnecting people with nature.

“It’s very hard to retrofit trees and walls and roofs,” he points out. This is why landscape architects need to be part of the conversation from the beginning. Trees, rain gardens, green roofs, green walls, water systems and communal spaces cannot simply be retrofitted once the buildings have been designed.

That philosophy is also behind James’ International Design Conversations, a series of online round-table discussions bringing together voices from different disciplines, cultures and areas of expertise. His motivation came partly from se