Posted 10 October 2020
The Connected Waters Initiative is pleased to welcome Taylor Coyne to its network as a postgraduate researcher.
Taylor is a human geography PhD student in the Environment and Society Research Group at UNSW. Focusing on urban political ecology, his work explores the relationships between water, urban design, Indigenous knowledges, stormwater infrastructures, soundscapes and justice in the context of metropolitan waterscapes across Sydney. Taylor completed his Masters at UNSW in Environmental Management and took the opportunity to be part of a research project that focused on understanding current general public knowledge of stormwater and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) assets in Georges River Catchment, so that it can inform local governments on how best to approach future legislations and implementation of WSUDs.
Taylor's honours research saw him work in northern Uganda, investigating the political ecology surrounding the small-scale fish farming industry that has emerged as a "sustainable livelihoods" option for many in the aftermath of conflict. This project was focused on listening to local actors involved in the supply chain of fish and sought to create a narrative for how to better understand the complexities that have emerged in this particular region.
Much of Taylor’s work draws on his interdisciplinary background engaging with creative arts to think through how ecological issues might be thought of and communicated more affectively. Using sonic studies to frame his most recent research into waterscapes has led Taylor to the underground and thinking through how the sounds of aquifers might offer depth to the way epistemic injustices might be considered and resolved.
At the heart of his research, he is interested in how historical and current political structures shape the futures of how water is thought of.
Taylor, it’s great to have you on board! If you’re a postgraduate researcher and you’re interested in joining the Connected Waters Initiative (CWI) network, send an enquiry to CWI Administrator Georgia Regan for more information.
Professor Andy Baker features in American Water Resources Association ‘Water Resources Impact’, September 2020 edition.
The Connected Waters Initiative (CWI) is pleased to welcome Taylor Coyne to its network as a postgraduate researcher. If you’re engaged in research at a postgraduate level, and you’re interested in joining the CWI network, get in touch! The CWI network includes multidisciplinary researchers across the Schools of Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Languages and Law.
The Grand Challenge on Rapid Urbanisation will establish Think Deep Australia, led by Dr Marilu Melo Zurita, to explore how we can use our urban underground spaces for community benefit.
On the 21 August 2020, CWI researchers made a submission to the National Water Reform Inquiry, identifying priority areas and making a number of recommendations as to how to achieve a sustainable groundwater future for Australia.
Results published from a research project between the Land Development Department (LDD) Thailand and UNSW has demonstrated how 2-dimensional mapping can be used to understand soil salinity adjacent to a earthen canal in north east Thailand (Khongnawang et al. 2020).
