Hi, my name is Peter Marcus Bach, and I am a consultant, researcher and educator on mission to help cities embrace the power of nature to create more liveable, resilient and sustainable urban environments. I am founder and director of EdenCT, a specialized consulting company devoted to my mission. Through digital solutions, modelling, spatial analysis and collaborative design, we help cities plan nature strategically to maximize their many benefits to improving urban quality of life. I am also the host of The Grand Challengers Podcast, Adjunct Research Fellow at Monash University, Chair of the IWA International Blue-Green Infrastructures (iBGI) Working Group and Editor of Water Research X. With over 15 years of experience in the environmental sector, over 50 peer-reviewed journal publications and active engagement with industry and academia across the world, I see myself as an Interdisciplinary Creative, connecting domains of knowledge in new ways in order to create a better world to live in.
“…early inspirations are sparked in childhood…”
As a kid, I enjoyed exploring creative ways of building envionments. I played a lot with Lego and SimCity in my past time, always trying to break the rules and find new ways of doing things (as an adult, I rediscovered the joys of Lego). I also remember the many times in school that I doodled architectural floor plans during class, oh how I wished I kept my notebook with these doodles.
I was born and raised in Singapore and moved to Malaysia at the age of 16 to finish off high school. I then moved to Australia to study civil engineering at Monash University. I always dreamt of becoming an architect, but ventured down the engineering path for two simple reasons: I couldn’t draw to save my life, and I was good a math. After graduating with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering with Honours in 2009, I continued on at Monash University to do a PhD degree in Water Systems Engineering, conferring in 2014. I thought I would forever be linked with structures, but after discovering the wonders of Water Sensitive Urban Design and Integrated Urban Water Management, I realized that this would allow me to venture beyond the building towards the entire city. I was also fascinated by how effective natural systems were in keeping our environments clean and healthy. I left Australia in 2017 to pursue a second postdoctoral fellowship at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology (known as Eawag) and ETH Zurich, where I spent 6 years (2017 – 2023).
“…first-hand encounter with nature’s healing power…”
Nature has been a powerful force in my life, but I did not notice this until much later on. During your most challenging times, life often reveals to you the mission you should be on. I had always been surrounded by nature, growing up in Singapore. I remember venturing through rainforest landscapes at school when we walked from the classroom to the swimming pools for physical education lessons. Class trips and hikes were often through Asia’s lush landscapes. Through this, I formed an intimate connection.
This connection became my refuged starting in late 2018. A cascade of personal crises that I faced and overcame one by one had one common theme: I would always seek comfort in nature. A breakup from a long-term relationship was followed only a few months after by losing my dear father to acute Leukemia in 2019. The COVID pandemic in 2020 came unexpectedly and gave me lots of time to reflect on my journey. Adding to this the mounting pressures of the academic system, which did not accept my interdisciplinary nature, I knew that something had to change. Spending many hours walking along creeks, among the trees I somehow felt that in spite of all challenges, I was on the right path and doubled down. I had to understand how nature was able to do this! Only once we understanding the underlying mechanisms of nature’s power can we then work together with it! I call it Blue-Green Intelligence.
“…walking the path of entrepreneurship…”
Nature has taught me a lot, it has given me the clarity and space to think and reflect. These experiences have only further deepened my knowledge around nature-based solutions, which are ways in which we can adapt our world to the ongoing challenges of climate change, rapid urbanisation and declining quality of life in cities (not to mention biodiversity loss and other major issues we are facing). If you’re curious to know more about this ‘household name’, which has now been actively adopted in so many domains, check out my work!
From July 2023 to January 2025, I was a senior research scientist at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (Ostschweizer Fachhochschule) in Rapperswil. The experience taught me about how our world is rapidly changing. Traditional academia and applied sciences are incredibly powerful in creating change in the world… but only if the research sees the light of day. With much gratitude for the knowledge I’ve gained and the winding and non-linear journey I have been on, I decided on the day I boarded my flight to Romania, to my wedding, to take the leap of faith and start something new upon my return. I decided to found a company. It was time to make a real change and to express my creativity, my vision and my wishes for the world in my own way.
“…and now, here we are…”
If you made it this far, you have my heartfelt gratitude, but also now know my story. I hope it has also piqued your interest in the many facets of cities and nature as much as it drives me. If you’d like to get in touch with me, you can view the Contact Me page for many options.