Global engineering and design consultancy Arup has launched ‘Cities Alive- rethinking green infrastructure’ - a new report that envisages how cities of the future as integrated networks of intelligent green spaces, designed to improve the health and wellbeing of citizens.

The forward-thinking report, undertaken by Arup’s Foresight + Research + Innovation and Landscape Architecture  teams, addresses global issues such as climate change, urban population growth, resource scarcity and risk of urban flooding.

Tom Armour, Landscape Architecture Group Leader at Arup commented:

"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. We should be developing cities to promote biodiversity rather than hamper it, as part of a drive for higher quality external design.”  

“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.”

Cities Alive highlights the need to make the natural environment a primary concern in urban development, and one that should be considered from the earliest planning stages. 

The report contains some genuinely innovative thinking on how best to manage the urban environment, including on how to enable long-term climate resilience. On water related issues, the report reiterates the key roles played by water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).  Throughout the report Arup incorporates comment and views from a wide variety of sources, including the following quote with specific reference to water:

 “Unfortunately, it has taken a series of water-related disasters to make people see that status quo engineering standards — the pipes, walls and levees — may not be the only or best way for handling water, whether it be too much or too little. Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, the floods in the Midwest and droughts across the southern half of the country have each shown the need for innovative ways to manage water. Cities are looking toward green infrastructure as a means to not only better deal with stormwater, but to also mitigate flooding, increase biological diversity, and provide cleaner water and air.”

Mark Hough “Urbanism and the landscape architect” (2013)

The report makes a number of recommendations on how the use of green infrastructure should be further progressed, including:

• GI should be a core requirement for local authorities, including a clear strategic vision and policy considerations that are integrated throughout spatial objectives and planning themes.
• Developer obligations should include mechanisms that contribute directly to the delivery of the overarching vision. Planning agreements could also secure long- term funding for the management of projects.
• Mitigation should be linked to delivering the strategic vision and locked in through the use of planning conditions.
• Where a strong GI framework exists, it is possible for planners to respond to opportunities as they arise both with new development and redevelopment projects, and with building refurbishments. A robust evidence base will be key to securing effective contributions to the vision.

Click here to download the report in full.