Our consortium travelled to England in September last year for a study tour. Based on in this tour, we wrote a report showcasing inspiring examples of how blue-green infrastructures improved the quality of life, stormwater management, and biodiversity in urban spaces from Sheffield, Upton (Northhampton), and London. The report is in Norwegian, but there is also an extended summary in English.
There are seven take-home messages we bring home to Norway from this study tour:
People first - i.e. the population's perception of the attractiveness of blue-green solutions and how they can contribute to good urban life - must guide all work on blue-green solutions.
Blue-green solutions that are aesthetically appealing throughout the year are a success criterion for the transformation from grey to blue-green.
Good blue-green solutions are site-adapted, i.e. adapted to the existing challenges, the needs of the local population, available space and the growing conditions of the plants.
Blue-green solutions are not just functional, but multi-functional. Multi-functional solutions are an important goal, but one must also allow that not all functions are fulfilled to the same extent in all solutions - the overall effect can still be very good.
Operation and maintenance costs can be reduced through smart design, co-financing with private funding sources and, where achievable, transferring part or all of the operation to private/civil society actors.
Holistic management at all levels is necessary in order not to lose sight of the bigger picture. This requires cooperation across the administration, citizen involvement in all project phases - from design to operation, and daring to mix different actors and test out new approaches and solutions.
Local information and dissemination of knowledge about the solution is important, both to increase understanding and acceptance of the new solutions in the population, and to reduce vandalism. Signs or other visual expressions can be used to communicate the function and importance of blue-green measures.
Read more and look at the pictures in our report by clicking on the frontpage:
Comments