Cities Alive: Rethinking Green Infrastructure
Vision for Integrated Networks of Intelligent Green Spaces
‘Cities Alive’ – a new report from Arup in the United Kingdom, envisages cities of the future as integrated networks of intelligent green spaces, designed to improve the health and wellbeing of citizens. This forward-thinking report addresses global issues such as climate change, urban population growth, resource scarcity and risk of urban flooding.
By working with the natural environment as a key driver, Cities Alive presents an economic way of addressing the challenges of population growth and climate change in cities to deliver significant social and environmental benefits.
Design with Nature
“The ideas being developed by Arup in Cities Alive seek to capture not only the beauty of nature but also the sustainability of balanced ecosystems,” states Professor Monique Simmonds, OBE. She is the Director of the Kew Innovation Unit at the Royal Botanic Gardens in the United Kingdom.
“These are challenges for landscape designers creating new cities that meet our increased expectations for access to clean water, cheap and plentiful supply of food, and fast and effective transport systems, with the need to reduce the impact on natural resources. Cities Alive provides an important opportunity for ecosystem specialists to work closely with landscape professionals to optimise how we build for our future.”
Report Structure
Cities Alive is split into six main sections. Following the Foreword, Executive Summary and Introduction, ‘Drivers of Change’ introduces the following main report sections 1-6.
Section 1 examines the potential social benefits of a nature inclusive design approach. “Rethinking Urban Communities” considers how we can encourage investment in healthy
and sustainable city lifestyles for social cohesion.
Section 2 considers the environmental benefits. “Smart and Resilient Environments” looks at the creation of resilient environments to combat the effects of climate change and the role of connected environments to foster urban biodiversity.
Section 3 “Urban Resource Streams” considers the economic benefits in enabling energy and resource efficiency through effective and multifunctional use of urban space.
Section 4 features project examples that make a case for Green Infrastructure; good examples, facts and figures from cities around the world.
Section 5 considers the delivery of Cities Alive and looks at options and approaches for the delivery of GI-led design.
Section 6 is the conclusion and proposes five main strategies for city designers — this way forward is also encapsulated graphically.
To Learn More:
To download a copy of the report, click on Cities Alive – Rethinking Green Infrastructure
To read an article that explains the report, click on New Report Reveals a Vision for Cities of the Future: Greener, Healthier and More Resilient
Acknowledgement: Cities Alive – Rethinking Green Infrastructure, Arup, 2014