What happens when you plant a forest where nothing should grow?

In this bonus, end-of-season episode, I’m joined by Adrian Wong of SUGi inside a dense pocket forest tucked into London’s Southbank Centre—surrounded by brutalist concrete, cultural landmarks, and constant city noise.

Just two years ago, this space was solid concrete. Today, it’s six metres tall, alive with insects, birds, bats, and its own cooling microclimate.

Recorded entirely on location, we talk about:

• how a 130 m² pocket forest transformed one of London’s hardest urban landscapes
• urban acupuncture and why small interventions can have outsized ecological impact
• the Miyawaki method and forest succession at speed
• ecoacoustics and what sound can tell us about biodiversity returning
• what this forest proves about nature’s ability to rebound when given space—above and below ground

You’ll hear drilling, footsteps, and the city all around us—because this forest doesn’t exist outside the city, but right in the middle of it.

A reflective bonus episode to close out a beautiful Season 6 of the Internet of Nature Podcast.

Follow SUGi’s work at @sugiproject on Instagram.