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Beautiful Bradford Saira Ali’s work over the past seventeen years demonstrates the massive impact that a local authority landscape team can bring to all aspects of a council’s work. Saira Ali
Bradford Council
Bradford is a city with a grand past and a very culturally diverse present. It was the home to wool mills and industries associated with the production of milling equipment. The wider region is rich in coal, York stone and iron. This, coupled with canals and later rail transport, brought it to prominence during the Industrial Revolution. The city has a history of welcoming immigrants – a third of the population (540,000) are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups. As one of Europe’s youngest cities, with around 56
a quarter of the population under 16, we are ideally placed to influence hearts and minds, and harness the growing passion for better resilience and sustainable living across our community. As a city, we experience all the challenges of urban deprivation, but the district is two-thirds rural, and boasts gems such as the Saltaire UNESCO World Heritage Site. The spirit of innovation that built Bradford into a 19th century industrial powerhouse is again coming to the forefront in addressing climate and ecological challenges, social progress and sustainable growth. Bradford Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, and set out its Sustainable Development Action Plan in March 2020, which commits the district to a cleaner, greener economy, achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2038. The plan endorses the UN’s Sustainable Development
Goals, and will cut carbon, help to reduce household bills through better energy efficiency, improve health and well-being, and generate new jobs and sustainable economic growth through investment in recovery and a modern economy. Research suggests1 that clean growth could add £11bn to the Leeds City Region economy and create 100,000 extra skilled jobs for local people. The work of the landscape team plays a pivotal role in ensuring the successful launch of Bradford’s Clean Air Zone in January 2022, as well as in the delivery of blue and green infrastructure projects over the next few years. This reflects the critical and growing position of the natural environment in quality of life, public health and crucially Bradford District’s future prospects. When I embarked on my career in landscape almost 20 years ago, such a top table role would
1. Naturalising Bradford Beck – Draft proposals. This Transport Fund and ERDF financed project offers a great opportunity to naturalise a heavily modified length of beck to create a new linear park. Daylighting the beck will help reduce flood risk, enhance biodiversity and improve amenity value for the local community. © Landscape, Design and Conservation Team, BBMDC
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