Nicole Edwards

Nicole Edwards is a Senior Research Fellow at the UWA Design School, part of The University of Western Australia. Her work focuses on urban planning, environmental science, and public health, with a particular emphasis on greenspace management, climate adaptation, and physical activity promotion. She leads the Australian Park Life project, developing spatial layers and participatory GIS tools for greenspace analysis in Australian capital cities.

Her research integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS), community engagement, and policy analysis to address urban challenges such as densification, thermal comfort in parks, and housing design for mental health. Key collaborations include projects with iMove CRC and the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network.

Edwards has contributed to over 20 peer-reviewed articles since 2013, exploring topics like park usage patterns, transit-oriented development, and community attitudes toward urban planning. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and climate action (SDG 13).

She manages datasets like the Park Life Perth Pilot Project and Plan My Australia, emphasizing open science and reproducibility. Current projects include evidence-based climate adaptation strategies for active transport networks and evaluation of communal outdoor space policies in apartment developments.