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A framework for assessing the quality of green infrastructure in the built environment in the UK

Jerome, Gemma; Sinnett, Danielle; Burgess, Sarah; Calvert, Thomas; Mortlock, Roger

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Authors

Gemma Jerome

Sarah Burgess

Thomas Calvert Thomas2.Calvert@uwe.ac.uk
Research Fellow in Transport and Urban Planning

Roger Mortlock



Abstract

The advocacy argument for green infrastructure has largely been won. Policy and statutory guidance for green infrastructure planning and development exists at international, national and regional/local levels and the functions and benefits of green infrastructure interventions are well evidenced in academic literature. To support this, professional bodies and experts from the built and natural environment have produced a multitude of practice guidance on the delivery of individual green infrastructure features. And yet, examples of high quality green infrastructure in new development schemes remain difficult to find, and the success of statutory guidance to accelerate this phenomenon surprisingly ineffective to manage change within the development sector. This paper presents a new framework for the delivery of high quality green infrastructure. Consultation with stakeholders in the UK suggested that a key factor affecting the translation of green infrastructure evidence, and policy and practice guidance, into delivery through planning and development is a lack of confidence amongst practitioners regarding the qualities and characteristics of high quality green infrastructure in the built environment. The key characteristics of high quality green infrastructure, based on a review of both academic and grey literature, and extensive work with stakeholders are grouped into principles that underpin high quality green infrastructure (including the presence of a multifunctional network, and provision for long-term management), and principles related to health and wellbeing, water management and nature conservation. The resulting framework is presented as twenty three principles for delivering green infrastructure. This can be used internationally as a set of standards to assess the quality of green infrastructure to ensure that it contributes to quality of life, health and wellbeing of individuals and communities, flood resilient towns and cities, and places where nature can flourish and be more viable as a result of development.

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 1, 2019
Online Publication Date Apr 3, 2019
Publication Date Apr 3, 2019
Deposit Date Apr 2, 2019
Publicly Available Date May 2, 2019
Journal Urban Forestry and Urban Greening
Print ISSN 1618-8667
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 40
Pages 174-182
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.04.001
Keywords green infrastructure, planning, landscape architecture, sustainable urban drainage, urban nature, built environment, benchmark, sustainable development, ecosystem services, nature conservation
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/847786
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.04.001
Related Public URLs http://www.journals.elsevier.com/urban-forestry-and-urban-greening
Contract Date Apr 2, 2019

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