NEW REPORT: “Cities Alive – Reinventing Green Infrastructure”
“Planning for green needs to be considered as a fundamental consideration and not as an optional add-on,” says Tom Amour, Cities Alive project leader
Released in April 2014, ‘Cities Alive – Rethinking Green Infrastructure’ 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.
Planning for Green
By working with nature and through high quality landscape design, Cities Alive proposes an economic way of addressing the challenges of population growth and climate change in cities, to deliver significant social and environmental benefits.
“Often green space is employed as an after-thought in urban development, either due to costs, a lack of space, or a lack of understanding of the benefits it can deliver, but its impact on the health and wellbeing of citizens and the carbon footprint of the city warrants far more attention,” states Tom Armour, Global Landscape Architect Leader with United Kingdom-based Arup.
“We should be developing cities to promote biodiversity rather than hamper it, as part of a drive for higher quality external design to create better places for urban citizens to live, work and relax, where people can lead healthier and happier lives. As space in cities becomes more precious, planning for green needs to be considered as a fundamental consideration and not as an optional add-on or a nod towards biodiversity.”
“We need to plan our external environment in a multi-layered way, so we can use our city space more effectively by exploiting and adapting existing spaces.”
To Learn More:
Click on New Report Reveals a Vision for Cities of the Future: Greener, Healthier and More Resilient
To download a copy of the report, click on Cities Alive – Rethinking Green Infrastructure
