Bringing Together a Wealth of Expertise for – “Suds in the City”

In the fourth of the 2019 roadshows GBU has undertaken, having visited Glasgow, Leeds and Cambridge, the team arrived in Manchester. We have had a long and robust relationship with City of Trees and it was timely that we collaborated to bring together speakers on the topic of SUDS in the City. Making the explicit […]

How to Incorporate Biodiversity Net Gain & SuDS on New Developments

It has now been confirmed in the Spring Statement that the Government will pass legislation to put Biodiversity Net Gain on a statutory basis and with this in mind we have to ask ourselves what does this mean and how can we design, construct and implement bold and ambitious schemes to not only improve on […]

Evolving our Understanding to Meet Drainage Solutions

GreenBlue Urban’s Charlotte recently attended the CIWEM Spring Conference in Birmingham to learn about the ways in which we can evolve an understanding to meet new and old challenges when it comes to water management. Keynote speaker Mark Worsfold from Water UK, outlined the latest developments in DWMP (Drainage Waste Water Management Plans). He explained the […]

In Collaboration with Private and Public Sectors

Last week saw the first of a series of collaborative roadshow events, which took place at Southside Housing Association, Glasgow. The event co-hosted by CSGN, GreenBlue Urban and Southside HA provided a platform for stakeholders across the public and private sector divide to present innovative SUDs projects and discuss barriers and opportunities for the implementation […]

The cost of soil compaction

It was a privilege to attend the Sustainable Soils Alliance event in Westminster this week focusing on the economics and valuation of soil.  As our readers will be aware, the importance of soil cannot be underestimated. It is the fabric, the building block of our landscape and for our trees, a vital source for them […]

Pioneering Natural Green Infrastructure Solutions

It has been an immense pleasure to get to know members of the SUDs / LID community working tirelessly to deliver green infrastructure schemes across our towns and cities as part of the Water Resilient Cities project (2Seas Eu Interreg funded) and other GreenBlue Urban sponsored associations like the Green Infrastructure Foundation, the American Society […]

Maximising Land Value through SuDS

As we all are aware, land is a limited commodity – it’s not being made anymore. Pressure on housing means that as economies we need to provide homes for our increasing population, and there is a strong case for resisting urban sprawl into our green fields. Land values have reflected these challenges, with a direct […]

It’s a HAPPY NEW YEAR for Welsh SUDs!

Following a series of consultations on Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS), Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 comes into force in Wales this new year. From January 7th 2019, all proposed new developments with 1 house or more in Wales are required to include SuDS and must comply with the Welsh […]

A Tour of Greener Grangetown

Opened just recently, the pioneering SUDs scheme, ‘Greener Grangetown’, is situated in the heart of Cardiff city centre. Whilst we can point you to the technical details of the scheme and wax lyrical about the hydrology and engineering involved, this blog focuses on the human and community narrative surrounding this project. Ian Titherington, lead Drainage […]

Why Species Selection Is So Important when Planting Urban Trees

Working with associations that encourage urban designers and policy makers to create more sustainable and livable urban areas is exactly what GreenBlue Urban are all about. Organizations like the Urban Design Forum and Urban Design London work hard to ensure that the cities we build are places where people want to live, work, and play. Mature urban trees […]