Transcript Birmingham Climate Change Strategy

Green Infrastructure:
An Evidence Base for Birmingham
Emily May
15.07.2010
Introduction
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Part of the Birmingham Climate Change Adaptation
Partnership’s work to understand the climate risks we face
in the future
Aim:
– Develop a green infrastructure evidence base for
Birmingham
• Literature research to find out the benefits of green
infrastructure
• What has already been done within Birmingham
• What can be done in the future
What is Green Infrastructure?
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“a network of multi-functional green space, both new and
existing, both rural and urban, which supports the natural
and ecological processes and is integral to the health and
quality of life of sustainable communities”. – Communities and
Local Government Planning Statement 12
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“our natural health service”
“needed to underpin sustainability in the face of changes
to our climate”
Benefits of Green Infrastructure
Projects in Birmingham
Case Study 1: Kingfisher Country Park
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Aim: To take care of the River Cole and its
wildlife and make it more accessible to the
public
Sponsored by Birmingham CC, Solihull MBC,
EA, English Nature and the Wildlife Trust
Successfully linked the River Cole Valley to the
Shire Country Park and Sheldon Country Park,
opening up 11 miles of the River
The land contains scrubland, woodland, green
public space, lakes and pools, some of which
provide flood protection
Wildlife has increased in the area, with trout
and otters inhabiting parts of the valley
Projects in Birmingham
Case Study 2: Tree Planting in Balsall Heath
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Balsall Heath is an inner city area of Birmingham
that is affected by the Urban Heat Island
Balsall Heath Forum worked together with BEP
to prepare for extreme weather and adapt to
climate change by planting trees
Birmingham Climate Change Adaptation
Partnership funded the planting of 150 trees in
Spring 2010
The trees were planted all over Balsall Heath
and some replaced those which were damaged
during the 2005 tornado
Projects in Birmingham
Case Study 3: Brown Roofs
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Brown roofs are a type of extensive green roof
designed to replicate a specific species habitat
Being investigated at University of Birmingham
to see how well roofs perform ecologically, and
whether designs that perform well ecologically
also perform well hydrologically
Initial results show that rubble-like aggregates
used to create brown roofs retain water poorly
There are more cost effective ways to retain
biodiversity, particularly in areas where green
space is still available
An assessment of need
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Investigations around the
outer and inner circle routes
were taken to assess need
The map was used and
compared to the circular
routes
Red circled areas were
identified as being most in
need of greening
Specific recommendations for
Birmingham
1) Develop a Blue Corridor
and Flood Plain
Development Policy
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Water courses run through
the areas identified as in
need of greening
Is there potential to clean up
the waterways, make them
more accessible and reduce
flood risk
Similar opportunities along
highways to create green
linkages?
Specific recommendations for
Birmingham
2) Link the Local Biodiversity Action Plan to the GI
Strategy
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LBAP identifies strategic landscape scale opportunities for
habitat creation and enhancement
This could be built up on in the GI strategy by:
– Downscaling the objectives to a more local level
– Identifying specific habitat enhancement opportunities by
looking at gaps in provision
– Linking up biodiversity hot spots
Suggestions for the Future
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Further investigation of the 2 recommendations above
Use the Public Benefit Recording System to identify areas in
particular need of greening (e.g. PBRS used in Lancaster and
the Black Country)
Develop suitable policies that cover greening in public open
spaces, green roofs and sustainable drainage
Work together at a sub-regional/regional level to ensure
maximum potential for green development is reached
How can the core strategy be improved over time to incorporate
advances in research?
Thank You!!
Any Questions?
[email protected]