IN-PERSON Lisbon Livable Cities. Section A
Abstract
The broader research project has been funded to investigate Ecological Citizenship (EC) for a sustainable digital society, within the context of the UK. The aim of the project is to expand the scope of what EC might be, look like or become. EC was originally coined in the 1990s, expanding understanding of citizenship to address global ecological concerns like climate change and human-induced mass extinction (van Steenbergen, 1994; Valencia Sáiz, 2005). More recently, EC has incorporated a systemic view that advocates for changes to policies in a sustainable transition (Barry, 2006) and intergenerational justice has become a key aspect, highlighting the importance of ensuring future generations are considered (Hayward, 2020; Wyness, 2015) as endorsed by the Well-being of Future Generations (2015) Act in Cymru (Wales). As citizens of planet earth, this project envisions an interconnected world where humans, more-than-humans and ecosystems live in symbiosis, where communities are empowered to challenge the status quo and make informed decisions to minimise their impact on the planet and where positive acts of ecological citizenship have a ripple effect, collectively creating a more flourishing planet and society. This includes an emphasis on equitable, accessible and inclusive structures in developing EC governance (Macgregor, 2011; Latta, 2007) that advocates for co-created and democratic research design (Melo-Escrihuela, 2008). The paper will form an overview of how the Wrexham University team are tackling this challenge through co-designed creative practices within the context of Wales, UK. By exploring hyper-localised case studies of EC in action, we ask: how do we make visible existing grassroots networks in society; and encourage more people to consider how small changes in behaviour can positively affect local communities and impact global issues? This ongoing research seeks to understand how EC is defined by those communities at the heart of change.
Rebecca Boxall is a researcher with the Ecological Citizens project at Wrexham, as well as a Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and Behavioural, Social and System change at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT). Rebecca’s PhD research was with the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University. She researched radical pedagogic practices at the Eden Project, Cornwall, exploring the transformative impact of sustainable ecological education. In research, she advocates the power of qualitative research through creative methods to explore complex issues.
Tracy Simpson – PDRA, Wrexham University. Tracy is a curator/project manager of art in the public realm and Research Associate (part-time) at the Ecological Citizen Network+. She is the Co-Director of Addo, an arts organisation she co-founded in 2011, which works with a range of partners to curate and manage critically situated art projects in the public realm that enhance the wider cultural ecologies of places, communities and sites. Her PhD investigated collaborative practices within the visual arts with a particular focus on notions of resilience. She drew on case studies, including Addo projects and work with Ty Pawb in Wrexham, to investigate notions of collaborative space/place making. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and a Fellow of the Advance HE. Based in North Wales, she loves the outdoors and has been a scout leader for many years. ; Co-Investigator, Wrexham University
Alec Shepley is an academic and artist based in the Berwyn hills in north-east Wales. He is Associate Dean for Research within the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology and Professor of Art and Society at Wrexham University. Alec’s Artistic Research has attracted funding from multiple research councils and his work has been exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally, with examples held in a number of public and private collections in north America, Europe and Asia. Alec combines traditional methods of art production with ecological and social concerns to create compositions and performances. Merging action, writing, painting, drawing, found objects, assemblage, sonic and video art in specific locations, often neglected urban and rural sites. Alec is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Senior Fellow of Advance HE and a Fellow of the Royal Cambrian Academy.
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Wednesday 9th July, 2025