A year after the publication of CIHT’s report ‘Green and Blue Infrastructure: A transport sector perspective’ we look at the work CIHT has done to progress one of the main recommendations set out in the report – to promote awareness and understanding of Green and Blue Infrastructure.
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Green and Blue Infrastructure (GBI) is a term given to natural and semi-natural features, interventions and structures such as street trees, green roofs/walls, rain gardens, swales, filter strips, which all integrate into the management train of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS)).
GBI can bring many social, environmental and economic benefits to a local area. For roads specifically, GBI can reduce the effects of climate change by providing shade to streets, carbon capture and flood water drainage. Roads also serve a purpose as linear green linkages, whereby the strips of trees and plants that run alongside roads provide a means for connecting green spaces and reversing the effects of biodiversity fragmentation. Additionally, if more road space is allocated to GBI, walking and cycling can become a more attractive mode of transport, helping to increase active travel.
Despite the many improvements GBI can bring to an area, in 2023 CIHT published the results of a survey which suggested that:
On this basis, CIHT published a report in February 2023 (Green and blue infrastructure: A transport sector perspective) which made several recommendations to our members, central government agencies, and local authorities, highlighting the need for:
In the GBI report, CIHT acknowledged that we must play an active role in promoting the benefits of GBI and increase the sector’s knowledge and awareness of GBI.
Over the course of the last 12 months, we have done this through many activities, which you can see below.
In this webinar, the highlights of CIHT’s GBI report were presented by James Elliott (Elliott Asset Management), who chaired the steering group responsible for the report. We then explored examples of GBI, the benefits they bring and how they can be properly implemented with a talk from Dr Gemma Jerome (Building with Nature) on the use of Sustainable Drainage Systems, and Sue James (Trees and Design Action Group) with Hen Abbott (Gloucestershire County Council) on issues surrounding street trees.
>>> CIHT Members can watch a recording of the CIHT Masterclass on Green and Blue Infrastructure for Climate Resilient Roads here>>> Access the Key Takeaways from CIHT Masterclass on Green and Blue Infrastructure for Climate Resilient Roads here
We developed a CIHT Learn course to serve as an introduction to GBI, which we hope will fill the knowledge gaps that were identified in the GBI report.
By completing this course, we believe that:
The CIHT's "Introduction to Green and Blue Infrastructure" is an excellent, user-friendly resource for anyone interested in sustainable development. It's informative, practical, and easy to follow.
The inclusion of case studies is a major plus, the course simplifies complex concepts, making it accessible for all levels of participants.
Whether you're a professional or just curious, this guide is an asset for a greener future. Highly recommended!
- GreenBlue Urban
I found the GBI CIHT Learn course to be enjoyable and very informative. Not only did it provide clarity around the language used, it gave me a great technical baseline of the benefits of this complex topic. I would recommend it to all members, at all stages of their careers.
- Peter Molyneux FCIHT, Managing Director at Peter Molyneux Consulting Ltd
>>> CIHT Members can access the 'Introduction to Green and Blue Infrastructure' CIHT Learn course for FREE here
On 27 June 2023, in partnership with the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), CIHT hosted a roundtable that sought to overcome challenges which currently hinder integrating Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) on our highways.
The key messages from the roundtable were:
>>> Read a full write up of the roundtable here
Isobel Wilson, CIHT Policy Advisor and James Elliott FCIHT, Elliott Asset Management won the PIARC UK Climate Change and Resilience award for their research paper titled ‘How to encourage Green and Blue Infrastructure in the Transport Sector’, which was adapted from the CIHT GBI report.
Isobel and James then went on to present this research paper at the 27th World Road Congress in Prague, highlighting the environmental, economic, social and health benefits of GBI as well as the barriers to GBI implementation in the UK – a lack of awareness and associated negative connotations.
CIHT’s Green and Blue Infrastructure report was presented at the 21st Annual Transport Practitioner’s Meeting in Greenwich in June 2023 during the ‘Our Spaces’ session, and at the Climate Resilient Streets conference in November 2023 during the ‘Why partnership working is key to transforming our streets’ session.
CIHT will also be hosting a session at the Trees, People and the Built Environment conference in April 2024 looking at ‘Roads as green spaces’
During this panel discussion with practitioners who have experience in researching and implementing trees on our streets and roads, CIHT Chief Executive Sue Percy will investigate what more the highways and transport industry can do to shift the narrative on highways being places solely for vehicular movement to safe active travel routes, biodiverse, green links, and places for people.
Following on from the work CIHT has done on GBI, a new project we are undertaking this year will look at the need for maintenance and renewals and the additional challenges of adapting our infrastructure and services in the face of the effects of extreme weather events to create a resilient infrastructure (materials, design and construction processes).
If you would like to be involved in this project, or would like to offer your opinion on resilience in the highway sector, please email technical@ciht.org.uk.
Have you been involved in a project that has implemented GBI within the streetscape? Why not enter it into the ‘CIHT Creating Better Places Award’ category.
The CIHT Awards is an annual global competition that can provide the work you are most proud of with the international recognition it deserves. The awards celebrate your innovative work, what it takes to be the best and the incredible benefits your work and the highways and transportation sector bring to society.
Your role is to produce incredible work, our role is to celebrate best practice, promote your professionalism and give it the biggest stage.
>>> Click here to enter your project for the 2024 CIHT Awards
For enquiries about the 2024 CIHT Awards please contact awards@ciht.org.uk
For any press enquires please contact communications@ciht.org.uk
For any technical enquiries please contact technical@ciht.org.uk
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