Multi-Functional Blue-Green Developments
The 25-year Environmental Plan (2018) and more recently The Environment Bill (2020) has been a clear driver to connect more people to our environment, improve health and well-being and to ensure we leave future generations with improved air and water quality, create richer habitats for wildlife and of course omit wasteful pollution from landfill and […]
Building for a Healthy Life
Building for a Healthy Life (BHL 2020) updates England’s most widely used design tool for creating places that are better for people and nature. The document highlights a 12-point structure that reflects recent changes to legislation (NPPF) and in response to user feedback and best practice. Findings have been in collaboration with Homes England, NHS […]
Designing a 15 Minute City
Before COVID 19 and the need for working at home became essential, a ’15 minute City’ concept seemed near to impossible. Now, these barriers have been removed, the world has slowed down and multiple lockdowns have been relaxed, our hectic lives now feel less busy. Our days used to consist of long commutes and constantly […]
SuDS Slowing the Flow.
Stormwater management is close to the heart of GreenBlue Urban. This month has seen us assess the best-practice methods, products and case studies within our industry, conclusively finishing with our ‘Festival of Ideas, Guest Panel Webinar’. Combining the Blue with the Green was famously the deciding factor on our company name change back in 2013, […]
The History of Urban Drainage & the Need for Change
Sustainable surface water management is not just a modern innovation, there is evidence from antiquity that it was in use fairly extensively. Cultural and citizen knowledge were closely related to the design and planning of these early drainage systems, supplying the basis of what would become modern water management engineering. Water management was highly influenced […]
Why the Water Industry is Better Together
Guest Blog:- Faye Gennard – World of Water Water is our most precious resource and it may come as no surprise that when we search for life, what we are actually searching for is water. No living organism can live without it, but, as any water professional will tell you, humans can’t live with it […]
Are there Post Planting Constraints?
Many potential tree-planting schemes are cancelled because of misunderstandings over the long term requirements of trees. Concerns over local authority adoption, potential commuted sums and maintenance issues can lead to trees being viewed as liabilities rather than the incredible assets that they truly are. Let’s take these issues apart, as a better understanding of these […]
Trees in the Urban Realm – Legacy or Liability
As soon as tree planting is proposed in our congested urban areas, the full plethora of challenges quickly become obvious. When planning urban tree planting, an understanding of the constraints that urban areas present are critical if long term canopy cover is going to be possible. Our most recent webinar challenged the urban planting myths […]
Planting Trees on Rooftops and Podium Decks
In our increasingly dense towns and cities, we are having to find new and creative ways to get trees and other green elements to establish in constrained situations and around and over other buildings. Many developments are now maximising the potential of the site by building below ground – car parks, storage areas or other […]
Right Tree, Right Place
One of the best known arboricultural statements is Right tree, Right place – often used to explain the species choice or planting site for new trees. Unfortunately, this phrase has become a bit hackneyed and is really too simplistic for useful application in urban planting schemes, where there are so many factors involved. Alan Simson, […]