As we navigate the 21st century, the world is grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events, making the adoption of green infrastructure more urgent than ever. Green infrastructure, a network of purposefully designed natural spaces, holds the key to building towns and cities that are not only resilient in the face of climate challenges but also conducive to the well-being of their inhabitants.
What is Green Infrastructure?
Green infrastructure is a network of natural spaces designed to deliver benefits for people and the planet. It involves a thoughtfully planned network of natural and semi-natural areas, working together to provide a diverse range of ecosystem services. These include water purification, air quality, space for recreation, and climate mitigation and adaptation. This network of green (land) and blue (water) spaces can improve environmental conditions and therefore citizens' health and quality of life.
Green and blue infrastructure is our hands-on solution to climate, public health, and biodiversity challenges. Planners, developers, and community groups all play vital roles in seamlessly integrating it into towns and cities across England. This ensures we've got well-designed spaces for work, living, and relaxation, securing a comfortable future for generations to come.
Nature-Led Urban Planning
Nature-led approaches to urban and rural planning are gaining prominence, with many towns and cities incorporating green infrastructure into their local plans. These plans, revised every five years, now often include the Urban Greening Factor (UGF) from Natural England's guidance, setting benchmarks to increase green cover in new developments. This strategic integration ensures that as urban areas expand, green infrastructure remains central to design, offering essential health, well-being, and economic benefits for residents.
Informed Decision-Making
The Green Infrastructure (GI) mapping tool is a pivotal instrument supporting the targeted allocation of resources and effective design and delivery of green infrastructure. Set to launch in Spring 2024, version 2.1 of the GI Mapping Tool will incorporate data from the 2021 census, urban habitat data, and thematic information to enhance informed decision-making. This tool aids in creating resilient and adaptive green spaces in the face of climate change.
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)
Managing extreme rainfall and mitigating flooding risks in urban areas is a growing concern. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), mimicking nature's water management, offer effective solutions. Incorporating features like green roofs, rain gardens, and swales, SuDS not only lower flow rates but also enhance water storage capacity, reducing pollution in water environments.
Well-designed urban green spaces, (parks, gardens, green roofs, allotments…) can contribute to protecting biodiversity, while helping to tackle climate change, keeping cities cool, reducing flood risks and enhancing the health and well-being of urban residents.
Urban Cooling and Air Quality
Green infrastructure plays a crucial role in urban cooling, particularly in combating the Urban Heat Island effect. Through features like green roofs and walls, it significantly lowers temperatures, contributing to a more comfortable urban environment. Moreover, strategically designed green infrastructure enhances air quality by acting as barriers to pollutants and promoting air movement.
Government Initiatives
Aligned with the Government's 25 Year Environment Plan and Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), green and blue spaces close to home are recognised as essential for connecting people with nature. As the world faces more extreme weather conditions, leveraging green infrastructure tools becomes vital to creating nature-rich, healthy, climate-resilient, and thriving places for current and future generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Urban Greening Factor (UGF)?
The Urban Greening Factor (UGF) is a planning tool designed to help integrate green infrastructure into urban development. It's a quantitative method that allows urban planners and developers to assess the quality and quantity of green infrastructure in a proposed development. The UGF is calculated as a ratio of the sum of the product of all surface areas and their corresponding greening factor values to the total site area.
The UGF is a key component of nature-led urban planning, setting benchmarks to increase green cover in new developments. It encourages the inclusion of features such as green roofs, living walls, tree planting, and rain gardens in urban design. By doing so, it promotes biodiversity, improves air and water quality, reduces flood risk, and enhances the aesthetic appeal of urban areas. The UGF is a significant step towards creating resilient, healthy, and sustainable urban environments.
How do Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) work?
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are a natural approach to managing rainfall in the urban environment. They are designed to mimic natural water management, reducing the impact of urban development and improving water quality. SuDS work by slowing down water runoff, allowing it to infiltrate into the ground, be stored, evaporated, or used, rather than directly entering the drainage system.
SuDS incorporate a range of techniques including green roofs, permeable pavements, rain gardens, and swales. These features not only lower flow rates but also enhance water storage capacity, reducing pollution in water environments. By managing rainfall close to where it falls, SuDS can help to make urban areas more resilient to flooding and improve the quality of water in our rivers.
How does green infrastructure improve air quality?
Green infrastructure improves air quality in several ways. Firstly, plants, trees, and green spaces act as natural filters, trapping particulate matter, absorbing pollutants, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Secondly, green infrastructure promotes air movement, helping to disperse pollutants and reduce concentrations.
Green walls and roofs, part of the green infrastructure, can also contribute to improved air quality. They provide additional surfaces for plants to grow, increasing the overall capacity of an urban area to filter pollutants. By integrating green infrastructure into urban planning, we can significantly enhance air quality, contributing to healthier urban environments.
What are the benefits of biophilic design?
Biophilic design is an approach to architecture and urban planning that integrates nature into the built environment and seeks to satisfy our innate need to connect with nature. The benefits of biophilic design are manifold.
Firstly, biophilic design can improve physical health by reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and improving overall well-being. It can also enhance mental health by improving mood, focus, and cognitive function. Secondly, biophilic design can increase productivity in workplaces and improve learning outcomes in educational settings. Thirdly, it can enhance the aesthetic appeal of urban areas, making them more attractive places to live, work, and visit. Lastly, biophilic design can contribute to urban sustainability by promoting biodiversity and improving air and water quality.
Photo Credit: United States Geological Survey - Different kinds of permeable pavement
How does green infrastructure contribute to urban cooling?
Green infrastructure contributes to urban cooling by providing shade and through the process of evapotranspiration. Green spaces, trees, and vegetation absorb less heat than hard, impervious surfaces such as concrete and asphalt, and they provide shade that cools the surrounding air.
Evapotranspiration is the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants. This process cools the air, reducing the urban heat island effect and making urban areas more comfortable places to live, especially during hot weather.
Green roofs and walls, part of the green infrastructure, can also contribute to urban cooling. They provide additional surfaces for evapotranspiration to occur, increasing the overall cooling capacity of an urban area. By integrating green infrastructure into urban planning, we can significantly enhance urban cooling, contributing to more comfortable and healthier urban environments.
