How Bioretention Tree Pits can Manage Stormwater at Source
At GreenBlue Urban we have been continuously innovating to develop engineered solutions that not only provide amenity and biodiversity value, but add the critical element of sustainability to the process of integrating trees into the urban landscape. With a particular focus on SUDs / LID, stormwater practitioners across diverse practices have been considering the importance […]
Discussing the adverse impacts of Microplastics
Today plastic is a vital raw material, integral to the manufacture of everyday products. Ten years ago, the plastics industry accounted for more than 1.4 million jobs in over 62,000 companies across the European Union. However, their disposal on an ever-increasing scale results in significant global impacts on wildlife from marine environment pollution. Microplastics are […]
Making Urban Trees Great Again!
In the consideration of what it actually means to be ‘great’, we should look at what it requires to accomplish equitable and sustainable cities for all. We applaud sportsmen and women and the heroes of ancient mythology for greatness but surely we can achieve greatness without recourse to tribalism, factionalism or exclusionary agendas. It is […]
Embedding Canopy Cover from the Start
We quite often see new developments and prominent city-centre regeneration schemes lauded and awarded for their novel approach to architecture. The evolution of building materials available to make our built forms smarter and more efficient as well as more pioneering in terms of structural engineering capabilities is also increasingly well understood. However, what we don’t […]
Collaborators Join Force for our VIP Event
It was a great pleasure for the GreenBlue Urban to invite friends, colleagues and collaborators to celebrate the opening of our new London Design Studio in the heart of London’s thriving creative district of Clerkenwell. A stone’s throw from major transport hubs it makes the ideal location for Architects, Landscape Architects, Contractors, Developers, Planners and […]
Long Term Successful Tree Planting and the Rise of the Planter
Following some activity in the Twittersphere regarding the trees in planters in Kings Cross, a site adjacent to where we have delivered trees into our cell systems which provide for adequate soil volume and access to irrigation and the correct drainage, we felt duty-bound to respond. In order to maximise the benefits of urban trees […]
Green Infrastructure Walking Tour in Toronto
At GreenBlue Urban we are constantly committed to engaging a broad range of professionals to share our experience of urban tree pit design and especially the approaches to LID/(SuDS) tree pits in constrained urban environments. Planners hold the key to setting the policy framework that enable us to develop more sustainable and resilient cities and […]
Bringing Together a Wealth of Expertise for – “Suds in the City”
In the fourth of the 2019 roadshows GBU has undertaken, having visited Glasgow, Leeds and Cambridge, the team arrived in Manchester. We have had a long and robust relationship with City of Trees and it was timely that we collaborated to bring together speakers on the topic of SUDS in the City. Making the explicit […]
It’s All About Root Physiology!
Root physiology is an extraordinary subject and little understood. It is generally assumed that roots absorb moisture from the soil. However, it is only the Piliferous layer of the hydrotropic roots prior to the Meristem of the root activity that carry out this vital function. Here the Epidermis of the hydrotropic root is surrounded by […]
Discussing Future Approaches to ‘Green Streets’ in Leeds
In collaboration with Leeds City Council, Professor Alan Simson the Institute of Chartered Foresters and GreenBlue Urban were delighted to deliver another successful roadshow focused on the ‘Green Streets Principles’ that have been adopted by Leeds, Kirklees council and other adjacent local authorities. The event was designed to highlight the importance of considering the requirements […]