Maintenance – Who is Responsible?
One of the most frequently asked questions when planning Green Infrastructure in our urban areas is who will maintain it? And what’s the cost? Whilst maintenance-free trees and planting schemes do not exist, careful specification of the planting methodologies can reduce maintenance to a minimal level. Historical tree failures – both in terms of failed […]
Good Design Starts Below Ground
It’s all too easy when designing an urban space, to begin with, what we have at or above ground level, superimpose our new vision over this and sell the idea to the client on this basis. However, we at GreenBlue Urban believe that good design starts below ground. In our experience, the best results come […]
Multi-Functional Blue-Green Developments
The 25-year Environmental Plan (2018) and more recently The Environment Bill (2020) has been a clear driver to connect more people to our environment, improve health and well-being and to ensure we leave future generations with improved air and water quality, create richer habitats for wildlife and of course omit wasteful pollution from landfill and […]
Multi-Functional Blue-Green Developments
The 25-year Environmental Plan (2018) and more recently The Environment Bill (2020) has been a clear driver to connect more people to our environment, improve health and well-being and to ensure we leave future generations with improved air and water quality, create richer habitats for wildlife and of course omit wasteful pollution from landfill and […]
Building for a Healthy Life
Building for a Healthy Life (BHL 2020) updates England’s most widely used design tool for creating places that are better for people and nature. The document highlights a 12-point structure that reflects recent changes to legislation (NPPF) and in response to user feedback and best practice. Findings have been in collaboration with Homes England, NHS […]
Designing a 15 Minute City
Before COVID 19 and the need for working at home became essential, a ’15 minute City’ concept seemed near to impossible. Now, these barriers have been removed, the world has slowed down and multiple lockdowns have been relaxed, our hectic lives now feel less busy. Our days used to consist of long commutes and constantly […]
SuDS Slowing the Flow.
Stormwater management is close to the heart of GreenBlue Urban. This month has seen us assess the best-practice methods, products and case studies within our industry, conclusively finishing with our ‘Festival of Ideas, Guest Panel Webinar’. Combining the Blue with the Green was famously the deciding factor on our company name change back in 2013, […]
The History of Urban Drainage & the Need for Change
Sustainable surface water management is not just a modern innovation, there is evidence from antiquity that it was in use fairly extensively. Cultural and citizen knowledge were closely related to the design and planning of these early drainage systems, supplying the basis of what would become modern water management engineering. Water management was highly influenced […]
The History of Urban Drainage & the Need for Change
Sustainable surface water management is not just a modern innovation, there is evidence from antiquity that it was in use fairly extensively. Cultural and citizen knowledge were closely related to the design and planning of these early drainage systems, supplying the basis of what would become modern water management engineering. Water management was highly influenced […]
Why the Water Industry is Better Together
Guest Blog:- Faye Gennard – World of Water Water is our most precious resource and it may come as no surprise that when we search for life, what we are actually searching for is water. No living organism can live without it, but, as any water professional will tell you, humans can’t live with it […]