‘LISTEN, LEARN & LEAP’ is a collaborative research project between UCL’s Bartlett Development Planning Unit, the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, Kounkuey Design Initiative Nairobi (KDI), the Centre for Community Initiatives (CCI), Ardhi University and ICLEI Africa. The project focuses on enhancing climate resilience in informal settlements in East Africa through nature-based solutions (NbS). 

Our intentions to ‘LISTEN, LEARN & LEAP’ are reflected in our name and research approach. We engage with different stakeholders including women and girls, young people, civil society and local government, and LISTEN to their experiences of, and involvement in, nature-based initiatives in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. We apply this knowledge and LEARN by doing, working with women and young people living in the watershed to co-produce NbS, developing methodologies and actionable knowledge to support the institutionalisation and scaling-up of equitable and sustainable NbS in urban settings.  

By facilitating cross-sectoral dialogue and knowledge exchange with diverse stakeholders throughout this process, LEAP is about identifying common goals and mechanisms for institutionalising and scaling-up community-driven NbS initiatives. 

The project runs until 2027 and is funded by UK Research Innovation (UKRI) and led by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Listen, Learn & Leap

Org chart

Teams

Offices