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Urban greening
LET’S BUILD BACK GREENER In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global environmental emergencies, our public places must provide us with greater resilience and adaptability than ever before, believe Neil Manthorpe, Chris Massey and Avgousta Stanitsa If there is one thing we have learnt over the past two years, it is how to be more resilient. Our working lives, daily routines and home lives have all had to adapt. This has happened during a global climate and biodiversity crisis, but, more hopefully, we find ourselves on the brink of a global green revival. It is clear then, that our urban outdoor spaces must adapt accordingly. As essential elements of cities that provide the setting for social interaction and a connection to nature, our parks and public places have taken on new meaning and an increased value for our day-today lives. This requires a level of resilience and adaptability to changing use patterns and environmental pressures that we are encountering. Our response and future design responsibility towards them must equally adapt.
Creating better neighbourhoods Atkins involvement in the production of the Government’s Covid-19: Safer Public Places - Urban Centres and Green Spaces design guidance set out initial direction in response to the pandemic. Local authorities and landowners were able to refer to this
guidance and workshop sessions to help reopen their town centres, parks, and public places. As we now move away from Covid-19 restrictions across the UK, we see that the disruption caused to the ‘traditional’ 9-to-5 working pattern has highlighted the complex working and travel patterns that many people have, and how we now need, or desire, to balance these patterns differently within our lives. The way we move around our cities, the way we gather and how we rely on our neighbourhoods has, and can, change; this can be a big step towards more vibrant neighbourhoods. Providing ample walking and cycle infrastructure as well as safe, welcoming public spaces that are inclusive for everyone is therefore key in delivering this. To that end, the High Street’s Task Force has now been appointed, with the Design Council mobilised. Good design of the public realm and the creation of places for people are once again priorities for all of us. It has been great to see the high levels of engagement in the exploration of new design solutions being delivered across the industry. Many of us in the industry will know of agendas like the Mayor of London’s Healthy Streets and the successful delivery of the Cycle Superhighways and the Mini-holland schemes across London’s outer boroughs. Atkins’ had the privilege to lead a design
team on our work in Kingston-Upon-Thames integrated public realm enhancements with active travel solutions. Utilising vital insights from the local community, a new network of greener, safer routes were created across the borough, encouraging more people to adopt active travel choices. Implementation and usage of green infrastructure isn’t just superficial: The UK Government’s July 2020 document Gear Change: A Bold Vision for Cycling and Walking identifies that up to 1 in 6 deaths in the UK per year are attributed to physical inactivity. Conversely, better access to physical activity can help manage over 20 chronic diseases and conditions. Access to greenspace is linked to the reduction in stress and the successful management of mental health conditions. It makes sense then, that when redefining our open spaces, we also consider the implementation of nature-based solutions. Nature-based solutions can remedy the negative impacts of human settlements on our environment and create better places to live. Across our multidisciplinary team, we are involved in the creation of nature-based solutions from habitats for flood alleviation to increasing amenity and biodiversity in heavily built-up environments.
