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Urban Sustainability: Green Infrastructure and Smart Solutions

By Tiffany Cheong - Hong Kong SAR


Introduction


Green Infrastructure (GI), also referred to as blue-green infrastructure, involves integrating green or blue spaces into urban environments to address urban and climatic challenges by leveraging natural elements. This approach is crucial for mitigating the adverse impacts of human activity on the environment, offering solutions for protection and sustainable management while enhancing urban resilience and quality of life.

 

Bioswales


Bioswales are landscape features that help collect stormwater runoff—mainly polluted by chemicals caused by human activity—from impervious surfaces, such as tarmac, by soaking it into the ground and filtering out pollution. Roadside vegetation is a key and recognisable bioswale.  

 

With many benefits, roadside vegetation has been shown to impact the air quality downwind and on nearby roads. Some studies have discovered that air pollution concentrations decrease while vegetation is present, though this does not apply to all studies. A study conducted by a team of scientists working in the USA has concluded that roadside vegetation needed to be of sufficient height, thickness, and coverage in order to reduce downwind air pollutants. (National Library of Medicine - Deshmukh, Isakov, Venkatram, Yang, Zhang, Logan, Baldauf, 2019) It also supports rare and threatened species of plants and animals and provides good erosion control. 

 

Though roadside vegetation does bring advantageous ecological impacts, a Polish study has discovered the negative impacts of this landscape feature on people, specifically on drivers. (Katarzyna and Dudzinska, 2015) The study shows that roadside vegetation adversely affects the safety of road users, and a significant number of road accidents occur due to collisions with trees, especially under varying environmental circumstances, such as thunderstorms or heavy rain.

 

However, by employing the standards of woodlot shaping - controlling the areas around trees, it becomes feasible to maintain the positive effects of vegetation in the area while ensuring the safety of road users.


Singapore’s GI 

 

Singapore is Asia’s greenest city, nicknamed the “City in Nature”. It sets an amazing example, as many landscape architects participated in the project, making the city greener. Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, built by Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl, is one of Singapore's most popular heartland parks and is part of a long-term initiative of Singapore’s Public Utilities Board. They aim to transform the country’s water bodies beyond their functions of drainage and water supply into vibrant spaces for community bonding and recreation.


Furthermore, 46.5% of Singapore’s total area hosts green spaces despite being one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. High-rise buildings are frequently seen in places with high population densities. Singapore is no different, with over 9000 completed high-rises and 96 skyscrapers. To apply circular economy values in the civil construction area, Singapore is working to green at least 80% of its buildings by 2030. 


Smart Green Infrastructure


Man-made, otherwise known as grey infrastructure, is designed to provide essential urban functions, but it hinders many natural processes, such as the migration of animals and the destruction of food chains. 


Additionally, cities only make up 2% of Earth’s total land surface but produce over 70% of global CO₂ emissions. This makes the need for smart solutions more important than ever. As a result of increased carbon emissions, climate change has continued to persist as an urgent issue. Climate change has prevailed impacts such as extreme weather, rising temperatures, and natural disasters. 


In the UK, parks and greenspaces produce an estimated £6.6 billion of health, climate change, and environmental benefits each year. This displays the significance of green spaces and the fact that any loss of these spaces will come at an environmental and social cost. The UK has established a Green Infrastructure Framework (GIF), which has provided a structure to analyse where greenspace in urban environments is most required - an effective beginning to a more sustainable future. 


The framework integrates GI tools, principles, standards, and design guidance, which are structured by 5 key standards: 


  • Urban Nature Recovery Standard 

Aims to boost nature recovery, create and restore wildlife habitats, and build resilience to climate change. Incorporates nature-based solutions into the designs of towns and cities to increase carbon capture. This prevents flooding and reduces temperatures during heatwaves. 


  • Urban Greening Factor (UGF) for England 

Aims to increase the level of greening in urban environments, such as green roofs and green walls. 


  • Urban Tree Canopy Cover Standard 

Aims to increase the tree canopy cover in urban environments. This will result in increased carbon capture and can mitigate flood risk as trees absorb excess water during flooding incidents. 


  • Accessible Green-space Standards 

Aims to promote access to good quality green and blue space within a 15-minute walk from home. Statistically, 82% of adults agree that being in nature makes them very happy. However, ⅓ of people in England do not have access to green space within this distance. 


  • Green Infrastructure Strategy 

Aims to support the National Planning Policy Framework’s policy of obligating local authorities to develop strategic policies for green infrastructure. 


These Green Infrastructure Standards are being implemented at Allestree Park in Derby, formerly a golf course, which is transforming into one of the UK’s largest urban rewilding projects. The GIF serves as a comprehensive tool to assist local planning authorities and developers in designing and establishing urban green spaces that are richer in nature.


Conclusion

 

Integrating green infrastructure into urban environments is crucial for creating sustainable and resilient cities. Although only the framework of Singapore and the UK have been outlined in this article, many countries in the world are aware of this as well. By prioritising green infrastructure, cities can mitigate climate change, improve air quality and enhance community well-being. It is essential for governments to embrace these standards by developing strategic policies and structures that prioritise the preservation and development of green spaces in cities. This would ensure the future sustainability of our Earth’s green and urban areas.



Bibliography:

 

"Green City-State: How Singapore Is Leading the Way in Sustainable Urban Development." Enter International, 14 Mar. 2023, www.enterinternational.org/singapore_sustainability/


"What Is Green Infrastructure and Why Is It Important?" Devon County Council, www.devon.gov.uk/greeninfrastructure/what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important.


"How Singapore Is Pioneering the Way to Creating a Greener Urban Environment." ArchDaily, 13 Feb. 2022, www.archdaily.com/976437/how-singapore-is-pioneering-the-way-to-creating-a-greener-urban-environment.


Kocur-Bera, Katarzyna, and Malgorzata Dudzinska. "Roadside Vegetation - The Impact on Safety." University of Warmia and Mazury - Olsztyn, Poland, 22 May 2015. https://www.tf.lbtu.lv/conference/proceedings2015/Papers/097_Kocur-Bera.pdf


"Bioswales." Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, www.mmsd.com/what-we-do/green-infrastructure/bioswales.


"Natural England Unveils New Green Infrastructure Framework." Gov.Uk, 2 Feb. 2023, www.gov.uk/government/news/natural-england-unveils-new-green-infrastructure-framework.


"The Effects of Roadside Vegetation Characteristics on Local, Near-road Air Quality." National Library of Medicine, 11 Mar. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7339705/


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