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Richard Nunes

Associate Professor of Planning and Sustainability

Undergraduate Programme Area Director, Real Estate and Planning

Image of Richard Nunes

Specialisms

  • Environmental design, 
  • Sustainability transitions, 
  • Local environment and economic development planning, 
  • Urban bioregionalism

Location

HBS 222, Whiteknights Campus

Richard Nunes' interests relate to design, planning, and governance, especially where it involves the integration of urban ecosystem services into development planning processes and urban policy decision-making tools. He examines human-environment interactions, whether mediated by citizen actions or institutions, and its effects on the interplay of knowledge and policy development as well as strategic planning processes and outcomes.

Qualifications

  • PhD, University College London, 2011
  • Master in Regional Planning, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2003
  • Bachelor in Architecture, Cornell University, 1996

Current PhD students

Tajudeen Olawale Azeez. Effects of Climate Change on Housing Design/Quality and Health in Nigeria. Funder: REP

Adele Wylie. Placing women’s food work in a global pandemic: a critical comparative case study of Bristol and Stockholm (with Prof Mike Goodman, School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences). Funder: ESRC

Martha Cross. Unlocking imagination through maps: exploring the spatial imaginaries of food system transitions. (with Prof. Mike Goodman, School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences). Funder: REP. Completed: 2024

Martyna Surma. Engaging’ the workplace ecosystem post-COVID-19: an interplay of environmental factors and employee engagement in hybrid work practices. (with Dr Caroline Rook, Henley Business School). Funder: REP. Completed: 2023

Andre Dornelles. Lock-in mechanisms in global food systems: implications for sustainability and food security. (with Dr Tom Oliver, School of Biological Sciences). Funder: CAPES - Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education. Completed: 2021

Amy Burnett. Planning for transitions? A case study of Frome, Somerset (UK).(with Prof. Gavin Parker, School of Real Estate and Planning). Funder: REP. Completed: 2017

Nicholas Fielmua. Community-based management of small town water systems in North-western Ghana: performance and institutional analysis. (with Dr. Victoria Edwards, School of Real Estate and Planning). Funder: REP. Completed: 2015



Reference: Wuni, R. , Curi-Quinto, K., Liu, L. , Espinoza, D., Aquino, A. I., del Valle-Mendoza, J., Aguilar-Luis, M. A., Murray, C. , Nunes, R. , Methven, L. , Lovegrove, J. A. , Penny, M., Favara, M., Sánchez, A. and Santhanakrishnan Vimaleswaran, K. (2025) Interaction between genetic risk score and dietary carbohydrate intake on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels: findings from the study of obesity, nutrition, genes and social factors (SONGS). Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 66. pp. 83-92. ISSN 2405-4577 doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2024.12.027
Henley faculty authors:
Claudia Murray - Richard Nunes
Reference: Moys, J.-L. , Hwang, F. , Marsili, U. , Nunes, R. , Tagg, A. and Vasilikou, C. (2023) The inclusive way’ hackathon – inclusive wayfinding and pedagogy. InfoDesign : Brazilian Journal of Information Design, 20 (2). ISSN 1808-5377 doi: 10.51358/id.v20i2.1091
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Vega-Salas, M. J., Murray, C. , Nunes, R. , Hidalgo-Arestegui, A., Curi-Quinto, K., Penny, M. E., Cueto, S., Lovegrove, J. A. , Sanchez, A. and Vimaleswaran, K. S. (2023) School environments and obesity: a systematic review of interventions and policies among school-age students in Latin America and the Caribbean. International Journal of Obesity, 47. pp. 5-16. ISSN 1476-5497 doi: 10.1038/s41366-022-01226-9
Henley faculty authors:
Claudia Murray - Richard Nunes
Reference: Taylor, B. and Nunes, R. (2022) Entitlement, indeterminacy and professional discretion in urban planning: problematising a child’s right to clean air for play in London. Sustainability, 14 (10). e6189. ISSN 2071-1050 doi: 10.3390/su14106189
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Taylor, B. and Nunes, R. (2022) Entitlement, indeterminacy and professional discretion in urban planning: problematising a childʼs right to clean air for play in London. Sustainability, 14 (10). 6189. ISSN 2071-1050 doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106189
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Nunes, R. and Fielmua, N. (2023) Institutional bricolage in community-based water management: some insights from non-representational theory. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 39 (3). pp. 404-432. ISSN 1360-0648 doi: 10.1080/07900627.2022.2078288
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Zuanazzi Dornelles, A. , Boonstra, W. J., Delabre, I., Denney, J. M., Nunes, R. J. , Jentsch, A., Nicholas, K. A., Schröter, M., Seppelt, R., Settele, J., Shackelford, N., Standish, R. J. and Oliver, T. H. (2022) Transformation archetypes in global food systems. Sustainability Science. ISSN 1862-4065 doi: 10.1007/s11625-022-01102-5
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Surma, M. J., Nunes, R. J. , Rook, C. and Loder, A. (2021) Assessing employee engagement in a post-COVID-19 work-place ecosystem. Sustainability, 13 (20). 11443. ISSN 2071-1050 doi: 10.3390/su132011443
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes - Dr Caroline Rook
Reference: Curi-Quinto, K., Sanchez, A., Lago-Berrocal, N., Penny, M., Murray, C. , Nunes, R. , Favara, M., Wijeyesekera, A. , Lovegrove, J. , Soto-Caceres, V. and Vimaleswaran, K. S. (2021) Role of government financial support and vulnerability char-acteristics associated with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic among young Peruvians. Nutrients, 13 (10). 3546. ISSN 2072-6643 doi: 10.3390/nu13103546
Henley faculty authors:
Claudia Murray - Richard Nunes
Reference: Nunes, R. J. and Parker, G. (2021) Institutional liminality, ideological pluralism, and the pragmatic behaviours of a ‘transition entrepreneur’. Geoforum, 126. pp. 215-223. ISSN 0016-7185 doi: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.07.027
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes - Gavin Parker
Reference: Nunes, R. J. (2021) Institutional liminality, ideological pluralism, and the pragmatic behaviours of a ‘transition entrepreneur'. Geoforum, 126. pp. 215-223. ISSN 0016-7185 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.07.027
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Nunes, R. , Van der Meulen, S., Mol, G. and Bailey, A. , (2015) Cities on the grow. Pathways to supporting the sustainable growth of urban food enterprises in London, Reading and Almere. Report. University of Reading
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Burnett, A. and Nunes, R. J. (2021) Flatpack democracy: power and politics at the boundaries of transition. Environmental Policy and Governance, 31 (3). pp. 223-236. ISSN 1756-932X doi: 10.1002/eet.1931
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Dornelles, A. Z., Boyd, E. , Nunes, R. J. , Asquith, M., Boonstra, W. J., Delabre, I., Denney, J. M., Grimm, V., Jentsch, A., Nicholas, K. A., Schröter, M., Seppelt, R., Settele, J., Shackelford, N., Standish, R. J., Yengoh, G. T. and Oliver, T. H. (2020) Towards a bridging concept for undesirable resilience in social-ecological systems. Global Sustainability, 3. ISSN 2059-4798 doi: 10.1017/sus.2020.15
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: da Cal Seixas, S. R. and Nunes, R. J. (2017) Subjectivity in a context of environmental change: opening new dialogues in mental health research. Subjectivity, 10 (3). pp. 294-312. ISSN 1755-635X doi: 10.1057/s41286-017-0032-z
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Nunes, R. (2017) Rethinking justice in city-regional food systems planning. Built Environment, 43 (3). pp. 447-459. ISSN 0263-7960 doi: 10.2148/benv.43.3.447
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Nunes, R. (2020) Regional planning: the resilience of an imperative. In: The International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment, and Technology. Wiley. ISBN 9781118786352 doi: 10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg1145.pub2
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Feola, G. and Nunes, R. (2014) Success and failure of grassroots innovations for addressing climate change: the case of the Transition Movement. Global Environmental Change, 24. pp. 232-250. ISSN 0959-3780 doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.11.011
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Feola, G. and Nunes, R. , (2013) Failure and success of transition initiatives: a study of the international replication of the transition movement. Research Note. 4. Walker Institute for Climate System Research, University of Reading, Reading.
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Nunes, R. , Heitor, M. and Conceicao, P. (2007) Technological change and the challenges for regional development: building social capital in less-favoured regions. In: Kuklinski, A., Landabaso, M. and Roman, C. (eds.) Europe: reflections on social capital, innovation and regional development: the Ostuni consensus. REUPUS Recifer Eurofutures Publication Series (3). Wyzsza Szkola Biznesu - National-Louise University. ISBN 9788388421518
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Nunes, R. , Cidre, E. and Cotella, G. (2007) Editorial: Central and Eastern European engagement: planning, development and sustainability. Alpha Spectra Planning Studies: Central European Journal of Architecture and Planning, 11 (2). ISSN 1135-2679
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Cidre, E., Cotella, G. and Nunes, R. (2008) Editorial: Central and Eastern European enlargement: new challenges and opportunities for urban environments. Alpha Spectra Planning Studies: Central European Journal of Architecture and Planning, 12 (1). ISSN 1338-0370
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Nunes, R. (2011) Conceptualizing change in the Portuguese footwear industry: regional voices and cognitive spaces of agency. PhD thesis, University College London.
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Adams, N., Cotella, G. and Nunes, R. (2011) Territorial knowledge channels. Contexts for ‘situated learning’. In: Adams, N., Cotella, G. and Nunes, R. (eds.) Territorial Development, Cohesion and Spatial Planning: Knowledge and Policy Development in an Enlarged EU. Regions and cities (46). Routledge, London. ISBN 9780415551946
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Adams, N., Cotella, G. and Nunes, R. (2011) Spatial planning in Europe: the interplay between knowledge and policy in an enlarged EU. In: Adams, N., Cotella, G. and Nunes, R. (eds.) Territorial Development, Cohesion and Spatial Planning: Knowledge and Policy Development in an Enlarged EU. Regions and cities (46). Routledge, London. ISBN 9780415551946
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Adams, N., Cotella, G. and Nunes, R. (2011) Territorial knowledge channels in a multi-jurisdictional policy environment: toward a theoretical framework. In: Adams, N., Cotella, G. and Nunes, R. (eds.) Territorial Development, Cohesion and Spatial Planning: Knowledge and Policy Development in an Enlarged EU. Regions and cities (46). Routledge, London. ISBN 9780415551946
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Adams, N., Cotella, G. and Nunes, R. (2014) The engagement of territorial knowledge communities with European spatial planning and the territorial cohesion debate: a Baltic perspective. European Planning Studies, 22 (4). pp. 712-734. ISSN 1469-5944 doi: 10.1080/09654313.2013.772735
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes
Reference: Cotella, G., Adams, N. and Nunes, R. (2012) Engaging in European spatial planning: a central and Eastern European perspective on the territorial cohesion debate. European Planning Studies, 20 (7). pp. 1197-1220. ISSN 1469-5944 doi: 10.1080/09654313.2012.673567
Henley faculty authors:
Richard Nunes

Urban Design in the Development Process

This module aims to provide students with an introduction to the core principles of urban design, and its role in the development process. It considers academic debates and policy challenges...

Module code: RE3UDP

2023

Discipline Hopping for Environmental Solutions - UoR-NHM Joint Citizen Science Research Centre for UN Sustainable Development Goals

Sponsor/Funder(s): NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) – Natural

Environment Research Council

Grant total: £19,949.34

Departmental share of grant: £1,275

Project timeline: 2023 (12 months)

Role: Co-PI

Collaborator(s): Prof. Nicholas Branch (PI), SAGES, Dr Andrew Ainslie (Co-I), Agriculture, Policy, and Development; Dr Soon Gweon (Co-I), Biological Science; Dr Nasreen Majid (Co-I), Institute of Education; Dr Jo Anna Reed Johnson (Co-I), Institute of Education; Dr Joh Tweddle (Co-I), Natural History Museum (NHM), London

2021

Discipline Hopping for Environmental Solutions

Sponsor/Funder(s): NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) – Natural

Environment Research Council

Grant total: £20,692

Departmental share of grant: £3657

Project timeline: 2022 (12 months)

Role: Co-I

Collaborator(s): Prof. Nicholas Branch (PI), SAGES, Dr Claudia Murray (Co-I), Real Estate and Planning; Dr Cherilyn Elston (Co-I), Languages and Cultures; Dr Catriona McAllister (Co-I), Languages and Cultures; Dr Oscar Martínez-Alvarado (Co-I), Meteorology; Dr Penélope Plaza (Co-I), Architecture

Assessing planning’s contribution to delivering on the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan

Sponsor/Funder(s): David Robins Fund

Grant total: £9960

Project timeline: 2020 (12 months) Role: PI

Collaborator(s): Dr Amy Burnett (PDRA (Postdoctoral Research Associate)

2019

Nutrition, Lifestyle, Genes and Metabolome - A Biosocial Cohort Study of Obesity in Young Adults from Urban Peru [MR/S024778/1]

Sponsor/Funder(s): MRC (Medical Research Council) Medical Research Council

Grant total: £552,322.18

Departmental share of grant: £26,179

Project timeline: 2019-2022 (36 months)

Role: Co-I

Collaborator(s): Dr. Vimal Karani, Reading University (PI, Lead) and Oxford University and GRADE (Peru)

2018

Waste Food-Energy-Water Urban Living Labs - Mapping and Reducing Waste in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus [ES/S002243/1]

Sponsor/Funder(s): ESRC/AHRC/Innovate UK, and other international research councils.

Grant total: £1,313,856.11

University of Reading share of grant: £16,207 (ESRC)

Project timeline: 2018-2022 (36 months) + 6 months extension

Role: Co-I

Collaborator(s): Prof. Sue Charlesworth, Coventry University (PI, Lead) and University of Bath, and Schumacher Institute, Wessex Water, GENeco, Centre for Sustainable Energy and Bristol Food Network in the UK, and international partners in Brazil, The Netherlands, South Africa, Norway, and United States.

2016

Food4families / Health Impact of Community Gardening Places and Urban Spaces

Sponsor/Funder(s): Berkshire Community Fund

Grant total: £12,500

University of Reading share of grant: £7,500

Project timeline: 2016-2019 (36 months)

Role: Co-PI

Collaborator(s): Dr. Aileen Ho (Co-PI (Co Principal Investigator)), School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Dr. Senjuti Manna (PDRA), Ms. Sharon Fitton, Reading International Solidarity Centre.

2015

Urban Coastal Transformations: Promoting transnational policy development in the governance of environmental quality and crime reduction [ES/N000021/1]

Sponsor/Funder(s): ESRC and São Paulo [Brazil] Research Foundation (FAPESP)

Grant total: £39,507 (ESRC)

University of Reading share of grant: £3,680 (ESRC)

Project timeline: 2015 (12 months)

Role: Co-I

Collaborator(s): Prof. (Emeritus) Timothy D. Botterill (Lead), Oxford Brookes University; Prof. Sonia Seixas (Co-PI), State University of Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil); Prof. Trevor Jones (Co-I), University of Cardiff

2014

Cities on the Grow - Pathways to supporting the sustainable growth of urban food enterprises in London, Reading and Almere

Sponsor/Funder(s): European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) - Climate KIC (Horizon2020)

Grant total: £160,000

University of Reading share of grant: £84,191

Project timeline: 2014-2015 (24 months)

Role: Co-PI

Collaborator(s): Dr Gerben Mol (Lead), Wageningen University; Suzanne van de Meulen (Co-I), Deltares; Dr Alison Bailey (Co-I), School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading; Mr. Keith Heron (Co-I), Henley Business School Centre for Entrepreneurship