Green Infrastructure; a Growing Need
The inaugral SGIF conference, Green Infrastructure: a growing need, was held in Glasgow's City Chambers on 6th & 7th October 2015.
The conference aimed to showcase some of Europes best examples of green infrastructure projects, and celebrate Scotlands contribution. The conference was opened by Dr Aileen McLeod MSP, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform on the morning on 6th October, who spoke enthusiastically about the role of green infrastructure in todays society, including how it can help tackle environmental inequalities, health and wellbeing issues and, of course, climate change.
Keynote speakers included Prof Richard Ashley, speaking about multiple benefits of green infrastructure; Dr Bent Braskerud from the Norwegian Centre for Soil and Environmental Research speaking about turning SuDs into standard practice in Norway, and Prof Richard Mitchell from Institute of Health & Environment, University of Glasgow speaking about if greenspace can do more for reducing health inequalities in Scotland than politics and policy. The first day was summed up by Roger Crofts from Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
Inspiring presentations were given by Tony Barrett from AECOM, looking at how the UK can learn from green infrastructure projects in Australia; Sue Illman from Illman-Young Landcape Architects, looking at the practicalities of retrofitting green infrastructure into development, it's pros and cons; and Marc Granen from Phytokinetic talking about a range of green infrastructure projects in Barcelona.
We had engaging presentations on what Glasgow itself is doing to address urban drainage, planning and green space issues by increasing green infrastructure; green infrastructure from a biodiversity point of view, looking at water voles and amphibians; and how a range of green infrastructure interventions can easily be included into new developments or re-developments from BREEAM and Scottish Wildlife Trust. The conference also provided opportunities for several Master and PhD projects to be presented, giving delegates an insight into current research and early outcomes.
Copies of the presentations are available to download here:
Richard Ashley: Synchronicity: Multiple benefits of Green Infrastructure
David Hay: M etropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership
Fraser Maxwell: GI audits and delivering GI in our towns and cities
Maggie Keegan: A Natural Capital Standard for G I
Dr Bent Braskerud: Raingardens in Norway - the works in introduce SuDs into routine business
Tony Barrett: Lessons on down under from Down Under
Sue Illman: Retrofitting SuDs and Oakley, a case study
Cary Buchanan: BREEAM and Green Infrastructure
Gillian Dick: Developing Subsurface Planning – 3D BIM, Glasgow pilot for the UK
Deryck Irving: Could an existing urban centre be retrofitted to incorporate effective levels of Green Infrastructure?
Peter Philips: How can ecosystem services help us plan better urban GI?
Cath Scott & Robyn Stewart: Fossorial Water Voles in Glasgows East End images and text
Marcia Rae: The role of SuDS as habitats and as part of wildlife corridors
Rich Mitchell: Health Inequalities, can greenspace to what politics can't?
Marc Granen: Urban Landscape - new challenges for a global problem
Larissa Naylor: Enhancing Hard Infrastructure Assets to improve Ecosystem services and resilience
A special issue of the RSGS publication "The Geographer" was produced in Summer 2016, covering many of the presentations above.
Many thanks to all who made our conference so successful.
