Working with nature to enhance urban liveability: The multi-functional role of urban blue green infrastructure

Blue green infrastructure (BGI), the integration of green spaces and water management, is seen as essential to solving urban and climate challenges. Middlesex University London research has directly contributed to the recognition of sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) as core components of BGI and providers of multiple ecosystem services within urban areas.

 

Issue

The average annual cost of flooding in the UK is £1.3 billion, rising to £1.6 billion in relation to the winter 2016/2017 floods. Part of the UK’s response to tackling urban flooding on this scale was the adoption of the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) requiring the use of SuDS in all new and re-developments.

 

Approach

Middlesex University field and desk-based (modelling) research has established the performance of SuDS/BGI to treat a range of contaminants (conventional and those of emerging concern) transported by urban stormwater runoff. This includes the development of a novel approach to mitigate impacts of road runoff on receiving water quality at a catchment and local scale.

 

Impact

Middlesex University research contributed to the development of National Best Practice guidelines to support consistent interpretation and implementation of the requirement to use SuDS in all new and re-developments, as outlined in the Flood and Water Management Act (2010). These guidelines are used by all 343 local authorities in England and surface water management practitioners.

The research is currently informing policy development in two key areas: the mitigation of diffuse urban pollution using SuDS/BGI and its use within urban planning. The Greater London Authority, Transport for London and the Environment Agency released a joint statement promoting the road pollutant hot spot screening tool as best practice in identifying locations for the introduction of road-side SuDS/BGI within London.

Middlesex University’s work has been adopted within urban planning legislation of three municipalities within the metropolitan Area of Belo Horizonte (BH), Brazil.

 

More information

• Read the full impact case study in the REF21 database

• Geography and environmental sciences - Middlesex University

Institution: Middlesex University London

Researchers: Professor David Ball, Emeritus Professor Bryan Ellis, Dr Meri Juntti, Professor Lian Lundy, Emeritus Professor Mike Revitt