Person wearing glasses and a blue jacket standing in front of a colorful graffiti wall.

Andrew Shaw is a designer, researcher and educator, focusing on sustainability and climate change themes, especially in the urban environment.

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My vision is to inspire and drive transformative change in urban environments by integrating sustainable design, rigorous research, and inclusive education—empowering communities and future leaders to address the challenges of climate change and build more resilient, equitable cities.

Below you will find a mix of thoughts and writing on different matters, as well as projects I am working on

Andrew Shaw Design 4/19/25 Andrew Shaw Design 4/19/25

InclusiveCity: Critical Placemaking for Inclusive Cities

Andrew Shaw Design 4/19/25 Andrew Shaw Design 4/19/25

Living in the City: The European Classroom of Urban Life & Placemaking

Living in the City: The international classroom of Urban Life & Placemaking

Andrew Shaw Design 3/9/25 Andrew Shaw Design 3/9/25

MSc thesis: Can’t we just compost our food waste? Towards a decision-making tool for On-site Food Waste Composting in Dutch Hotels

This blog is formed from my master thesis for an MSc in Environmental Management from the University of Derby in 2019.

The results of the observations of food waste disposal practices, an audit of food waste composition and amounts, as well as semi-structured interviews with key personnel and the critical assessment of the literature, are condensed to form design principles that summarise the requirements that a decision-making tool must meet in order to prove itself a useful instrument for the hospitality industry.

Andrew Shaw Design 3/7/25 Andrew Shaw Design 3/7/25

Waste Management on live-aboard Boats: The Environmental Impact of Composting Toilets in the UK

Canal-boaters are, by their nature, off-grid and so require unique solutions to the issue of dealing with toilet waste while afloat. Recently composting toilets have risen in prominence within the boating community.

This research paper aims to highlight the impact of this toilet technology by comparing their use against the EU Waste Hierarchy, and by using the three pillars of sustainability as a roadmap. The research was carried out mostly through literary sources, however informal interviews with canal-boaters were also conducted.

Andrew Shaw Design 3/7/25 Andrew Shaw Design 3/7/25

Critical assessment of the EU and UK waste legislation and the nature and issues within the agricultural waste sector

The broad nature of agricultural waste means that the different waste streams must be dealt with in specialist ways, bringing both challenges and opportunities. This essay sets out to assess if the EU and UK legislation has been successful in dealing with the waste management issues of this varied waste stream.

Andrew Shaw Design 3/7/25 Andrew Shaw Design 3/7/25

The importance of the Environmental Impact Assessment process for delivering sustainable development

EIA is one of a range of tools planners can use to assess the environmental impact of a proposed development (Glasson, et al., 2012) (Morris & Therivel, 2009). This essay will outline the history and advancement of EIA principles, review the role of sustainable development in the evolution of European EIA directives, assess the effectiveness of this approach in controlling the environmental effects of developments, and finally consider the importance of the role EIA plays in the delivery of sustainable development goals.

Andrew Shaw Design 5/28/19 Andrew Shaw Design 5/28/19

A report on the treatment of waste created in a typical Berlin household

This report covers the issues surrounding the treatment of waste in a typical Berlin- Neukölln household. A 3-week audit of the waste produced in the household was undertaken to help Berlin City Authorities better understand the issues