Urban Green Infrastructure

Urban greeningUrban greening is on rise worldwide due to its wide-ranging direct and indirect benefits. These direct benefits can span from working as a passive barrier between vehicles and pedestrians in near-road environments, capturing particulate matter from the atmospheric environments and mitigating the impact of urban heat islandUrban Heat Island (UHI) at cityCity scale, acting as nature-based solutions to abate the impact of natural hydro-meteorological hazards such as flooding and heatwavesHeatwave, to indirectly foster biodiversity. A careful planningPlanning of green infrastructureGreen infrastructure (GI) in urban areasUrban areas can thus offer various ecosystemEcosystem services if implemented in a holistic manner by considering any downsides such as biogenic volatile organic compound emissions, pollen, or the implementation of the wrong types at the wrong place. This chapter discusses the diverse application of GI in urban environmentsUrban environments from street-scale implementation such as in roadside environments to the cityCity scale for exploiting their benefits at city scale. The chapter covers their importance, specific considerations needed for their implementation, and benefits brought by them whilst considering any unintended downsides. Whilst GI cannot be the sole answer to air pollutionAir pollution and climate changeClimate change mitigation issues in cities, they are an important, cost-effective part of a holistic solution, which embraces urban design, reduces exposureExposure to emissions, natural hazardsNatural hazards (e.g. floodsFlood, droughtsDrought, landslidesLandslides, etc.), and contributes to improved healthHealth and well-beingWellbeing.