Urban Vegetation

Page reviewed:  30/04/2025

We conduct socially relevant research and teaching in the areas of design, construction and management of vegetation in primarily an urban but also in a rural context.

Research

We are an interdisciplinary research group with disciplines such as horticulture, ecology, landscape architecture and forestry represented. Within the group, we conduct research that covers the spectrum of design, construction and management of different types of vegetation. We work to develop new concepts for the design, construction and management of nature-based solutions.

Our research can be divided into the following themes, which often overlap in the specific research projects:

  • Evaluation of the capacity of different plants to deliver ecosystem services and their interaction in urban environments.
  • Dynamic design and management of vegetation (including landscape management) as a concept for an urban, peri-urban and rural context.
  • Long-term performance of different types of nature-based solutions such as green roofs, walls and street trees.
  • Evaluation of the capacity of different plants to deliver ecosystem services and their interaction in urban environments.
  • Experience and evaluation of vegetation.
  • Soil-plant interaction, especially in urban contexts.
  • Functionality of horticultural plant material and its cultural history, especially through the Program for Cultivated Diversity, POM.

The research takes advantage of opportunities for test beds on Campus Alnarp (in Alnarp's landscape laboratory, SLU Garden Laboratory and Alnarp Park) as well as collaborative projects with, for example, municipal stakeholders to ensure societal relevance and context. On campus, we use greenhouses and our indoor laboratory to conduct experiments and conduct analyses.

Teaching

Members of the group conduct teaching primarily within the Bachelor's programs Landscape Engineering and Garden Engineering - Design as well as the Master's program in Landscape Architecture.

Our teaching ranges from courses focusing on plant material, location, soil-plant interactions and climate adaptations, to involvement in the various studio courses at Bachelor's and Master's levels in Landscape Architecture.

In our teaching, we convey knowledge that is developed in our research and take advantage of the internationally unique plant material and the Alnarp campus as a whole.

Theme Group Leader and Subject Leader Åsa Ode Sang: Ecosystem services, Nature-based solutions, Spatial analysis, Environmental aesthetics

Frida Andreasson: Carbon cycling, Ecosystem ecology, Green infrastructure, Plant-soil interaction, Urban soils 
Ishi Buffam: Carbon cycling, Ecosystem services, Green infrastructure, Vegetated roofs, Climate change adaptation 
Kamil Chojnowski
Tobias Emilsson: Climate change adaptation, Ecosystem services, Green infrastructure, Nature-based solutions, Plant-soil interactions, Tree physiology, Urban soils, Vegetated roofs 
Anders Folkesson: Landscape design, Landscape construction, Biotope design, Planting design 
Karin Ingemansson: Landscape design, Vegetation management, Multidisciplinary approach
Anna Levinsson
Barbara Mathiasson
Cecilia Palmér: Urban biodiversity, Vegetation management, Multidisciplinary approach
Henrik Sjöman
Stefan Sundblad: Planting design, Landscape design, Naturalistic planting design, Landscape construction, Design by management
Karin Svensson: Garden design, Planting design, Naturalistic planting design 
Gebretsadik Melak Tamene: Urban street trees
Petra Thorpert: Landscape design, Multidisciplinary approach, Outdoor laboratories, Planting design, Urban biodiversity 
Björn Wiström: Landscape laboratories, Urban forestry, Design by management, Naturalistic planting design, Vegetation management

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