CABE and Natural England are calling on the government to prioritise funding for green assets such as parks, trees and open spaces. The two government advisors on urban design and the natural environment are organising a conference this week which will start a debate about how we can create more liveable places.
They argue that since we are faced with two urgent and fundamental challenges – climate change and the recession – investment in ‘grey’ and ‘green’ infrastructure needs to be rebalanced.
The spend on grey schemes, like building and expanding roads, is out of kilter with the spend on assets like street trees, parks and green spaces. The public funding ‘pot’ can not realistically be expected to accommodate both fully.
CABE has stated that if just 10% of the national £10 billion budget to widen and build roads was put aside, that could pay for 40 new parks, half a million new street trees, one and a half million square metres of green roofs, and 1000 miles of safe greenways for cyclists and pedestrians.
The creation and maintenance of green infrastructure could generate new and sustainable jobs in the private sector, as well as creating desirable areas to live and work, stimulating local business and attracting inward investment. Investment in green roofs, for instance, would not only protect cities from flooding by absorbing heavy rain, cool the air in summer, improve air quality and support biodiversity, but it would also create many new jobs, claims CABE.
Richard Simmons, CABE chief executive, says that we have to redesign our towns and cities in response to the imperative of climate change. He believes that the intention of urban design should be to reduce, absorb and capture more carbon dioxide. “Greening towns and cities needs to be part of the Green New Deal, as much as technology,” he says.
