The Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (URBES) project released a factsheet on green infrastructure that highlights how cities can use green infrastructure to tackle economic, environmental and social challenges while becoming more resilient to climate change, improving quality of life and strengthening the economy.
The factsheet describes the European Union's (EU) Green Infrastructure Strategy, which aims to create a policy framework for promoting green infrastructure projects, and the benefits of green infrastructure in urban areas.
28 October 2014: The Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (URBES) project released a factsheet on green infrastructure that highlights how cities can use green infrastructure to tackle economic, environmental and social challenges while becoming more resilient to climate change, improving quality of life and strengthening the economy. The factsheet describes the European Union’s (EU) Green Infrastructure Strategy, which aims to create a policy framework for promoting green infrastructure projects, and the benefits of green infrastructure in urban areas.
The factsheet, titled ‘Green Infrastructure, a Wealth for Cities,’ showcases the Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Plan 2020 of Barcelona, Spain, which presents a vision of the city where green infrastructure is essential to a healthy, productive urban environment and green corridors enhance city biodiversity and link urban areas with the surrounding environment. Through this plan, Barcelona aims to raise awareness on the importance of integrating green infrastructure into its urban landscape and to maximize its urban green space. Barcelona’s trees eliminated over 300 tonnes of air pollutants and offset around 19,000 net tones of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to the factsheet, which emphasizes the ecosystem services provided by urban trees.
Recommendations for implementing green infrastructure in urban areas include: assessing green infrastructure benefits; increasing public awareness to help prioritize urban green space development and ecological restoration; creating platforms to enhance capacity building; and exchanging best practices. The factsheet also recommends investing in green corridors, roofs and walls, urban forests and parks and wetlands.
URBES is a three-year research project that aims to bridge the knowledge gap on the links between biodiversity, ecosystem services and urbanization. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability are responsible for communication and training on the URBES project. [Publication: Green Infrastructure, a Wealth for Cities] [URBES Website]