Katrin Bohn teaches and researches sustainable architecture and urban design with a focus on urban food production. Much of her design research deals with the relationships between urban space and food-productive urban landscape and bridges the gaps between environmental design thinking, urban space production and sustainable lifestyles.

Since the UK's first urban agriculture conference Urban Nature (2001), co-curated by Bohn, she has contributed widely to conferences, publications, exhibitions and design and policy debates, both nationally and abroad. As an internationally recognised urban agriculture expert, she has also been advising on national and international research, policy documents and pioneer projects. Her work has been quoted by the UN and UNESCO and has influenced urban planning in the UK, as well as worldwide.

Katrin Bohn is an architect, urban practitioner and academic. Her main research interests lie in sustainable architectural and urban design and centre around the concept of CPUL City (Continuous Productive Urban Landscape) which she developed within Bohn&Viljoen Architects since around the year 2000. This work reached a first international breakthrough in early 2005 with the publication of the book Continuous Productive Urban Landscape: Designing urban agriculture for sustainable cities (Architectural Press).

In 2014, Bohn, with André Viljoen, published a companion volume, Second Nature Urban Agriculture: Designing productive cities (Routledge) which, in 2015, won the prestigious 'RIBA President's Award for Outstanding university-located Research'. Her work features dominantly in the world's most comprehensive case study collection of urban agriculture designs, the Canadian-based Carrot City Project (2009 ongoing).

Bohn studied architecture at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany (Diploma in Architecture), the University of East London (MSc in Architecture) and the Ecole d'Architecture de Nantes, France (DAAD Scholarship). Since 1998, she runs a London-based architectural practice and environmental research consultancy with André Viljoen (Bohn&Viljoen Architects). Before this, she trained in architectural practices in Germany, Brazil, France and Britain, including work for Jourda & Perraudin (Lyon) and Stefan Schrodt Architekten (Berlin).

Prior to teaching at the University of Brighton, Bohn taught architecture at London Metropolitan University. She has also given numerous lectures and workshops for all levels of study at universities and independent academic institutions in the UK, Europe and worldwide. Early in 2010, she was appointed a guest professor at the Technical University in Berlin, Germany, where she set up and ran the Department City & Nutrition at the university's Institute for Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning until the end of 2014.

As a practising architect, Bohn has been involved in architectural and urban design projects mostly located in Britain and Germany, of which some won national awards. She has developed urban agriculture proposals for many local authorities and public bodies such as the Greater London Authority (2004, 2009), Middlesbrough Council (2006-7), London Festival of Architecture (2008), the Berlin Senate (2011-4, 2018-20), IBA Heidelberg (2015-8) and Carthage, Tunisia (2021 ongoing).

Katrin Bohn supervises and examines PhDs that broadly correspond to her design research in productive urban landscapes, focussing on urban agriculture and the urban food system. She welcomes proposals exploring issues of scale, diversity, temporality and the everyday within the above named subject area. Katrin is associated to the four PGR programmes Architecture & Design, Built Environment, Ecology and History of Art & Design.

Currently, Katrin is the academic advisor in the School for our Visiting Researcher Dr. Dong Chu from the College of Design and Arts of Harbin University of Commerce, China.

Awards and Prizes

2021: 'Participatory Research Award', awarded by Research England for Urban Food Futures ^{[with the University of Brighton and local partners]}

2020: 'UN Award for Biological Diversity', awarded by the German Offices of the United Nations’ Decade on Biodiversity for Spiel/Feld Marzahn (Wild Pollinators Project) ^{[with the community garden association]}

2020: 'Bundespreis Stadtgrün [Federal Urban Greenery Prize]' (shortlisted) awarded by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Urban Affairs for Plattform Produktives Stadtgrün ^{[with the AG Stadt & Ernährung and the Berlin Senate]}

2018: 'Implementing nature-based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city', awarded by the EU Commission (COST Action) for Circular Cities ^{[with an international team]}

2018: 'Smart and sustainable cities: Demonstrating innovative nature-based solutions in cities', awarded by the EU Commission (Horizon 2020) for EdiCitNet ^{[with an international team]}

2017: 'Kurze Wege für den Klimaschutz [Short Ways to Climate Protection] Award' awarded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety for LebensMittelPunkt Spandau ^{[with the community initiative and 1 local partner]}

2016: '1^st prize Schulgartenwettbewerb [school garden competition]' awarded by the Berlin Borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf for Spiel/Feld Marzahn (educational work) ^{[with the community garden association and 1 local partner]}

2016: 'Community Garden Award' awarded by the anstiftung&ertomis Foundation for Spiel/Feld Marzahn ^{[with the community garden association]}

2015: 'RIBA President's Award for Outstanding University-located Research' awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects UK for Second Nature Urban Agriculture

2014: 'AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) Network Award' awarded by the AHRC UK for Urban Transformations ^{[with an international team]}

2014: 'Umweltpreis [Environmental Prize] Marzahn-Hellersdorf' awarded by the Berlin borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf for Spiel/Feld Marzahn ^{[with the Department City&Nutrition at TU Berlin and 2 local partners]}

2014: 'Contribution to the UN World Decade of Education for Sustainable Development' awarded by the UNESCO (German Commission) for Spiel/Feld Marzahn (publications) ^{[with the Department City&Nutrition at TU Berlin]}

2013: 'Faculty Strategic Research Award' awarded by the University of Brighton for Spiel/Feld Marzahn

2012: 'Aktionsraum+ Implementation Award' awarded by the Senate of Berlin for Spiel/Feld Marzahn ^{[with the Department City&Nutrition at TU Berlin]}

2011: 'Aktionsraum+ Pilot Project Award' awarded by the Senate of Berlin for Spiel/Feld Marzahn ^{[with the Department City&Nutrition at TU Berlin]}

2010: 'Creative Campus Award' awarded by the Creative Campus Initiative Consortium for Unlocking Spaces

2009: 'National Lottery Beacon Award' awarded by The National Lottery for Harvest Brighton & Hove ^{[with a University-of-Brighton team]}

2009: two student prize winners in the 'Student Design Competition' awarded by Abbey Santander ^{[taught with Anuschka Kutz at the University of Brighton]}

2008: student Marcel Croxson shortlisted for the 'RIBA Bronze Medal' ^{[taught with Colin Priest at the University of Brighton]}

2008: 'Small Grants for Sustainable Food for London' awarded by the London Development Agency for The Continuous Picnic ^{[with Bohn&Viljoen Architects]}

2008: 'Arts Council Grant' awarded by The Arts Council England for The Continuous Picnic ^{[with Bohn&Viljoen Architects]}

2008: 'Creative Small Grants Award' awarded by the London Borough of Camden for The Continuous Picnic ^{[with Bohn&Viljoen Architects]}

2008: 'Brief Encounters Networking Research Award' awarded by the University of Brighton for The Edible Campus ^{[with a University-of-Brighton team]}

2007: student Konstantinos Chalaris 1^st prize winner in 'Sustainable Tourism Student Competition' awarded by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) ^{[taught at the University of Brighton]}

2007: runner-up for 'Best University-located Research Award' awarded by the Royal Society of British Architects (RIBA) for The CPUL Design Concept ^{[with André Viljoen]}

2006: 'Proyecto Batiscafo: International Residency in Havana' awarded by the Triangle Arts Trust for Utilitarian Dreams Havana

2006: 'British Council Award' awarded by The British Council for The Utilitarian Dreams Project ^{[with Bohn&Viljoen Architects]}

2005: 'FRSF New Ideas/Innovation Fund' awarded by the University of Brighton for Utilitarian Dreams Havana ^{[with André Viljoen]}

2005: 'Digital Moving Image Award' awarded by the Arts Council (Lighthouse Programme) in partnership with CINECITY for Utilitarian Dreams Brighton ^{[with a group of British and Cuban architects and artists]}

2004: 'FRSF New Ideas/Innovation Fund' awarded by the University of Brighton for Thames Gateway

2003: 'Widening Participation Award' awarded by the University of Brighton for Youth Shelters

2002: 'Student Field Trip Award' awarded by the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects ^{[taught with André Viljoen at the University of Brighton]}

2002: 'Community Champions' awarded by the Scarman Trust for Paper Cubes ^{[with Babett Hellmann]}

2000: 'Best Refurbished Community Building' awarded by the Empty Homes Foundation for CUE Community Centre and Tea House London ^{[with LEARN at London Metropolitan University]}

2000: 'Blueprint Residential Building of the Year 2000' awarded by Blueprint Magazine for Greenwood House London ^{[with Bohn&Viljoen Architects]}

1999: 2^nd prize in the 'Europan 5 Architectural Competition' for ElastiCity Sheffield ^{[with André Viljoen and a team]}

1994: entry selected for travelling exhibition in the 'Photovoltaics in the Built Environment Competition' ^{[with a fellow-students team]}

Juries, committees and expert advice

ongoing:

European Forum on Urban Agriculture (EFUA) innovation board

editorial board member of the Springer Urban Agriculture Book Series

manuscript reviewer for various academic journals, incl. Landscape and Urban Planning (Elsevier), Blue-Green Systems, Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems (Wiley), International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development

book proposal reviewer for Routledge, architectural / urban design publisher, UK

steering committee member of the 'Sustainable Food Planning Group' of the Association of European School of Planning (AESOP), Europe

management committee member of the European COST Action 'Circular City'

founding member of the 'Urban Performance Group' at the University of Brighton [group later transformed]

co-initiator of and consultant for the Ernährungsrat [Food Policy Council] Berlin, Germany

member of the advisory board of the Taste of Heimat Association aiming for better urban-regional food exchanges in Cologne, Germany

founding member of the Stadt & Ernährung Working Group aiming for a 'Food Policy Council for Berlin', Germany

adviser on strategic urban food planning to the City of Carthage, Tunisia

adviser on designing for urban agriculture for Hamburg City Council, Germany

adviser to various international research projects on urban agriculture, such as Rapid Planning and Urbal

2021: jury member in the international competition ‘EdiCitNet Awards’, run by the Horizon 2020 project Edible Cities Network, Europe

2018-20: adviser on strategic food planning and urban food mapping to Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, UK

2016-8: consultant to the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Heidelberg and First Mayor of Heidelberg on the flagship project ‘Urban Agriculture Park’, Germany

2015-6: expert evaluator of the national scientific report 'Naturkapital Deutschland – TEEB DE (2016)' to the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany

2015: jury member in the international competition 'European Award for Ecological Gardening 2015', run by the Association 'Natur im Garten' and the European Garden Association, Austria and Europe

2012-3: adviser and evaluator to the 'R-Urban' research project, funded by the French Ministry of Ecology and led by atelier d'architecture autogeree (aaa), France

2011-2: examiner for the 'Sparkling Science Bids' programme of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research, Austria

2011: co-curator of the international art and architecture exhibition 'Die Productive Stadt / Carrot City: Designing for Urban Agriculture' at the Architekturmuseum Berlin, Germany

2010-11: adviser to the expert commission 'Strategie Stadtlandschaften [Strategy Urban Landscapes]' of the Senate of Berlin, Germany

2009-10: co-organiser for the '2^nd AESOP Sustainable Food Planning Conference' of the Association of European School of Planning (AESOP) in Brighton, UK

2009: member of the steering committee to the 'Agriculture and Growing Food in London' research at the The London Assembly's Planning and Housing Committee, Greater London Authority, UK

2009: invited fellow of the 'Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (RSA)', UK

2008: adviser to the 1^st expert meeting 'Renaturation as a strategy of sustainable urban development' of the German Federal Ministry for Building and Regional Planning in Bonn, Germany

2008: adviser to 'Growing Food for London', London's 1^st urban agriculture conference, organised by SUSTAIN The Alliance for Better Food and Farming, UK

2006-7: consultant to the commissioning team DOTT 07 (Designs of The Time) for the 'Urban Farming Project Middlesbrough', UK

2006: co-curator of the international multi-media arts and architecture exhibition 'Utilitarian Dreams Havana' at art space Paso Peatonal Subterraneo Carlos III, Havana, Cuba

2005: co-curator of the international digital arts exhibition 'Utilitarian Dreams Brighton' at The Brighton Film Festival, Fringe Basement, Brighton, UK

2004: consultant to the 'London Green Grid' Eastern expansion planning for the Greater London Authority, UK

2003-5: elected member of the 'Building Sub-Committee' of the Copleston Community Centre London, UK

2001: co-curator of the exhibition and event series 'Urban Nature' on low-energy architecture as part of ‘London Architecture Week’, UK

2001: steering committee member to 'Urban Nature', the 1^st UK conference on urban agriculture held at London Metropolitan University, UK

1999-2005: environmental consultancy [with Bohn&Viljoen Architects] for various architectural and engineering practices and for private clients, including Ash Sakula Architects, Building Structures Workshop, Lucy Annan Architects and others.