Priorities
- Integrate green infrastructure into urban areas
- Moderate the urban heat island
- Help wildlife adapt to climate change
Key information
Green infrastructure
Green infrastructure is the network of green (and blue) elements in and around urban areas. This includes public and private spaces, such as parks, gardens, allotments, cemeteries, trees, green roofs and natural landscape features such as woodland, grassland, moors and wetlands.
With good planning and design, these green assets can help cities to cope with some of the extreme effects of climate change.
The benefits of a green infrastructure network include making places more attractive, healthier, and economically competitive.
Local authorities can improve the green infrastructure network by putting green assets at the heart of urban design and management.
Priorities for green infrastructure
- Integrate green infrastructure into urban areas
Well designed green infrastructure can enhance the visual amenity and value of our existing places and mitigate the impacts of climate change. - Moderate the urban heat island
Green infrastructure helps to reduce high temperatures in summer. - Help wildlife adapt to climate change
Wildlife adapts more easily with the help of well-designed green spaces.
Grey to Green
CABE's Grey to Green campaign is calling for a switch in public spending from grey projects, like road building and heavy engineering projects, to green schemes like street trees, parks, green roofs and waterways.
New thinking on green infrastructure
At the ParkCity green infrastructure conference, CABE and Natural England brought together an international audience of professionals - most of whose interests lie outside the established green sector – to discuss the latest thinking and share solutions.
Watch the video presentations given by Edward McMahon and William McDonough
Read our interviews with:
Majora Carter - activist and founder of Sustainable South Bronx, a non-profit environmental justice organisation.
Edward T McMahon – the founding father of the concept of green infrastructure is a leading conservationist, environmental lawyer and an inspirational public speaker
Wade Crowfoot – San Francisco’s director of climate protection initiatives is at the front line of the Californian city’s not-so-quiet climate revolution
Klaus Bondam – Copenhagen’s mayor of environmental administration is leading that city’s drive to become provide the world’s best urban environment by 2015
Related priorities
- Develop a low carbon and renewable energy portfolio
- Maximise the potential of public space
- Adapt public space to climate change
- Encourage public transport, walking and cycling
- Plan for sustainable waste management
- Manage surface water and flood risk
- Encourage sustainable water use
- Protect watercourses
- Reduce energy demand
Experts
The green infrastructure theme was written by:
John Handley
Susannah Gill
Philip Smith
