Why Green-Blue Infrastructure is a Win-Win for New Developments
UK construction sector insiders have been paying close attention to government announcements over the past week or so – there have been quite a number of them – and preparing to ramp up as a result. From the new homes target of 1.5 million by 2029, to the New Hospital Programme, via National Planning Policy […]
How to Design for Urban Trees That Thrive (Part 1)
Picture this: A landscape architecture firm has been awarded the bid for the landscape design of Main Street in the prominent metropolis of Big City, USA. The city’s goal is to establish large-canopy urban trees that will line the streets for generations to come. The benefits are clear – from increased property values to cleaner […]
Smart, Scalable SuDS: Strength in Numbers
Climate change and urbanisation are pushing our drainage networks to the edge of their capabilities – and beyond. A combination of a preference for impermeable surfaces, population growth and more intense rainfall events (owing to climate change) has left our sewer networks struggling to cope. The result? More frequent surface water flooding, overwhelmed wastewater treatment […]
Are Sponge Cities the Future of Urban Resilience?
The concept of the sponge city has emerged as a sustainable way to tackle the mounting challenges of climate change, including the mitigation of urban flooding and offsetting the increasing difficulty of living in urban areas. By enabling the flow of natural water cycles through the use of sustainable drainage solutions (SuDS) installed on a […]
2025: The Year of Green-Blue Innovation
Last year, 2024, was meant to be a threshold moment for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), with the long-awaited implementation of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 in England poised to transform how new developments manage surface water. The year began with optimism, fuelled by rising awareness of (and urgency around) climate […]
Research Data Proves ArborFlow Tree Pit Efficacy
There’s a strong case for including trees in urban streetscapes, thanks to a wide variety of community wellbeing advantages, from providing shade to pollution reduction. In addition, attenuation and water treatment benefits can be maximised by using tree pits to improve tree health, within a SuDS. But is it really worth specifying tree pits? Our […]
COP29: The Critical Role of Water Management in Climate Resilience
The COP29 Declaration on Water for Climate Action, signed by 57 countries at the recent UN Climate Summit in Baku, highlights the essential role of water management in tackling climate change. As SuDS specialists, we’re encouraged by its strong alignment with the principles of Sustainable Drainage Systems. Here’s how we feel the Declaration’s key themes […]
The Hidden Costs Of Flooding
There can be few people in the UK unaware of the risk of flooding rising year on year. The effects of climate change, the fact that more homes are being built for a growing population, and the pressure on green spaces are all causal factors that have been highlighted in the news for years. But […]
Raingardens: SuDS for flood prevention and community wellbeing
Raingardens have been gaining a much higher profile, lately. They’re not just talked about by local authorities, water companies and professionals working in relevant fields, but by the public, too, and especially by gardeners and garden designers. This sustainable method of stormwater management is now reaching a tipping point, where the driving factors for installation […]
The Challenge of SuDs on Small Sites
It’s the developer’s nightmare: a small site and the local authority wants Biodiversity net gain, plenty of green space, tree lined streets and now is looking for SuDs. Where are they going to put the buildings? GreenBlue Urban are used to these difficulties; in fact we look at them as opportunities to showcase best collaborative […]