TURNING THE GREY GREEN

Many cities around the world are adopting green infrastructure plans and policies that aim to promote the use of nature-based solutions in climate resilient urban development, writes

Habib Khan

Meristem Design is on a mission to bring more greenery into our urban centres. We’ve been working with local authorities to transform urban centres into desirable destinations for people to visit and socialise in. Last year alone we installed more than 1,000 planters, 120 on-street parklets, 700 SuDS (sustainable drainage systems) planters and 4,000 square metres of rain gardens. We help to transform neighbourhoods from cardominated streets into low carbon places using planters, parklets, rain gardens, trees, green roofs, green walls, living pollution screens and SuDS solutions. Embedding urban greenery into the design and management of built environments can enhance their capacity to adapt to climate change impacts such as floods, heatwaves, and droughts. Research has also shown that green infrastructure, including parklets, can increase the revenue of local businesses by 30 per cent in the first year. One of the key benefits of green infrastructure is its ability to reduce the urban heat island effect whereby urban areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to the absorption and retention of heat by hard buildings and surfaces. Green infrastructure can mitigate this effect by providing shading, evapotranspiration and cooling through natural processes. Green roofs and walls absorb solar radiation and reduce heat gain in buildings, while trees and vegetation can shade pavements, streets, buildings and provide cooling through transpiration. Another benefit of green infrastructure is its ability to reduce the risk and severity of urban flooding, which is becoming a common issue in built-up urban areas. Interventions such as SuDS schemes, which capture and store stormwater, can prevent flooding and enhance water quality. Rain gardens and our SuDS planters are examples of green infrastructure practices that can reduce stormwater runoff and promote infiltration, thereby reducing the load on the urban drainage system.

In addition to these benefits, green infrastructure offers positive environmental effects such as carbon sequestration, air purification, and biodiversity conservation. Trees and vegetation can absorb and store carbon dioxide, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. They can also filter pollutants from the air, improving air quality and human health. Green infrastructure also provides habitats for wildlife and so enhances biodiversity, which can have positive impacts on ecosystem functioning and human well-being.

Green infrastructure has the potential to help build climate resilience into cities. However challenges remain, for example a lack of funding and poor awareness of the importance of ongoing maintenance. Having at least two years of maintenance for green infrastructure projects planned into any project, in order to help get planting established, is key for the long-term success of projects. n