Activity units for re-greening cities: Deliverable 2.3 of the TURAS Project

Work Package 2 (WP2) of the TURAS (Transitioning towards Urban Resilience and Sustainability) FP7 European Research and Knowledge Exchange Programme provides a unique and comprehensive reference for those interested in current understanding in relation to the benefits that green infrastructure can bring to cities in terms of increasing sustainability and resilience. To contextualise current understanding, it is necessary to understand the historical context of urban development. Architecture and planning theories since Le Corbusier’ Ville Radieuse axiom, almost one century ago, theorised and advised that green space should be one of the basic components of human urban settlements. Nevertheless, due to numerous constraints and the prioritisation of economic and social drivers for urbanisation, the key foci leading the development of European cities have been those for which green space was not always an intrinsic consideration or, if it was considered, was restricted in scope and functionality.

Work package 2 activity units are showcases of work carried out under work package 2 that will be carried forward into the dissemination phase of TURAS through a series of workshops to help Public Authorities transition towards more sustainable and resilient communities. Workshops will be designed to benefit all stakeholders in the urban planning process. Activity Units from WP2 will showcase:

• how urban green infrastructure can be embedded at the heart of sustainable urban design;
• best practice for cost/benefit analysis of green infrastructure projects;
• how decision-making tools can support the design and planning process for urban green infrastructure;
• how biodiversity can benefit from design incorporating biomimicry of regional context;
• how green infrastructure can be embedded into planning guidance;
• how to design urban green infrastructure to create multifunctional ecosystem service benefits;
• good practice for the entire process of urban green infrastructure implementation from idea through to installation and management.

For additional information on this deliverable please email Stuart Connop at s.p.connop@uel.ac.uk.

For additional information on the TURAS project see here, or email marcus.collier@tcd.ie.