Two weeks ago I went to Berlin - to the World Green Infrastructure Congress (WGIC), mostly. Those of you who have been following this blog for a while might know that lately I've become more interested in how to green urban areas. And this mainly is what "green infrastructure" stands for. If you want to be even more precise, it is to do with greening buildings or built structures: roofs, facades, inside them - the whole lot. As opposed to conventional parks, gardens and allotments on the ground. So in order to learn more about the current state of affairs - or debate - in this field I went to said conference. It proved highly interesting.
Just one example of urban greening: green wall at Stratford shopping centre in East London
Like for many people probably, it was Patrick Blanc with his artistically planted green walls who first captured my attention and imagination years ago. What a vision: a city where instead of staring at grey concrete and dirty bricks the walls were covered in lush greenery! I remember breaking my budget when his book "The Vertical Garden. From Nature to the City" was first published... Hence I really had looked forward to his introductory talk - the sprinkling of "stardust" to the conference - and he didn't disappoint. Lively and engaging he took everyone on a journey from his first attempts at creating green panels in his home about 30 years ago to the high-profile and highly prestigious projects of latter years.
Being a plant scientist first, he spoke about how he searches around the world for plants (or plant communities) that are naturally adapted to growing on near-vertical surfaces: from boulders and waterfalls in the tropical rainforests to cliff faces in karst mountains. These natural candidates he then aims to harness for use in his Mur Végétals. Visual appeal (different textures and shapes, for instance) being as - or almost as - important as adaption to the situation. Lately, he seems to increasingly look for plants native to a project's location: in an example from Japan he pointed out how he had collected plants from mountains and forests just 15 - 20 km away, had a local nursery propagate them to provide the numbers required and then included them in the green wall, adding educating panels for people to relate to it all the better.
Patrick Blanc during his talk at the WGIC 2017 in Berlin, about plants growing naturally on vertical cliffs
What distinguishes his walls from many other offerings that exist today, I think, is that they are also a form of art - almost like a painting. The drifts of plants flow into each other seamlessly whilst with more conventional green walls you'll get what I'd call a "pixelated effect", the grid of modules clearly visible. Which, of course, makes maintenance easier since you can easily exchange plants that have died or suffered for new ones.
I have heard people say that Blanc's are - in terms of the benefits usually expected of green walls - among the least efficient. This may well be, but as a means of raising awareness, capturing the public imagination - in short: in terms of marketing and public relations and making the case for greening facades - they are hard to surpass. I witnessed a lady working for a large store with an indoor green wall by Blanc who was there to meet participants of the WGIC on a field trip to green infrastructure examples around Berlin: she positively eulogised about Blanc's work. It seemed genuine, all the more so for being expressed privately in talk with some visitors rather than in an official capacity.
A Patrick Blanc green indoor wall - or Mur Vegetal - at Dussmann department store in Berlin
But back to the conference. There were two days jam-packed full of talks – almost 100 – and the biggest challenge, for me at least, was to choose which ones to attend as usually five took place at the same time! Which, I guess, is a credit to the organizers (chiefly, the German wing (FBB) of the World Green Infrastructure Network as well as its European counterpart (EFB) ) - for putting together such a high-calibre programme. Speakers as well as participants (more than 800 had registered) came from all over the world, making this a truly international affair. Apparently, it was the biggest such conference about green infrastructure held in Europe to date by a wide margin.
Topics covered ranged far and wide: from urban rainwater management to research into the improvements to room-climate plants can make – and how to keep the latter happy, too. From a survey of the vegetation on green roofs 20 – 30 years after they had been installed to talks on zero-acreage farming (the latter is the term used for urban food production which does not take up a separate “foot print” on the ground because it uses roofs, facades or rooms in existing buildings). From the legal framework and financial incentives available to build green infrastructure to IT tools designed to help architects, landscape designers, developers and those responsible in local authorities to do just that and work towards greener cities. And of course there were many real-life and best practice examples as well as bold visions for the future.
Topics covered ranged far and wide: from urban rainwater management to research into the improvements to room-climate plants can make – and how to keep the latter happy, too. From a survey of the vegetation on green roofs 20 – 30 years after they had been installed to talks on zero-acreage farming (the latter is the term used for urban food production which does not take up a separate “foot print” on the ground because it uses roofs, facades or rooms in existing buildings). From the legal framework and financial incentives available to build green infrastructure to IT tools designed to help architects, landscape designers, developers and those responsible in local authorities to do just that and work towards greener cities. And of course there were many real-life and best practice examples as well as bold visions for the future.
One of those bold visions... Brilliant except for those with vertigo, perhaps.
As I do not have a specialist area of interest, I tried to attend as broad a range of talks as possible, with perhaps a small bias towards trends and visions for the future. Of these, one of the most impressive I thought the presentation by speakers from Singapore who told the audience about the city state’s Greening the Skies programme: a concerted effort to green a city where due to the extremely limited space available (in terms of land area) the only way for developers is upwards.
The most impressive bit of all is that much of this green infrastructure isn’t just plans on a drawing board - but exists for real already. It definitely wasn’t just my jaw which dropped! There was an audible murmur and sighing amongst the audience, the general consensus seeming to be that many wished they would be given the chance to create projects like these just once in their life… And that we had a lot of catching up to do in these parts of the world!
In fairness though: the climate in Singapore is so conductive to plant growth you could probably plant a broom stick and it would sprout leafs – a definite advantage compared to our European cities where you often have to content with (and find suitable plants for) freezing conditions in winter and hot periods of draught in summer. Still: as a vision of what can be done if the political will and commitment is there, these talks certainly were an inspiration.
Nearer to home there were case studies from Berlin and other German and European cities, such as Vienna, Paris, Porto and Amsterdam. For London, Dusty Gedge - who also is President of conference co-organisers EFB - gave a ten-year review of “Delivering Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure” in my adopted city, and Pete Massini spoke about “Greening a green city – the London experience”. Personally, I’ve always considered Berlin to be a much greener city than London, but I suspect statistics aren’t on my side: it’s just that trees in streets are much more visible than the many private gardens and squares tucked behind houses and walls.
The most impressive bit of all is that much of this green infrastructure isn’t just plans on a drawing board - but exists for real already. It definitely wasn’t just my jaw which dropped! There was an audible murmur and sighing amongst the audience, the general consensus seeming to be that many wished they would be given the chance to create projects like these just once in their life… And that we had a lot of catching up to do in these parts of the world!
In fairness though: the climate in Singapore is so conductive to plant growth you could probably plant a broom stick and it would sprout leafs – a definite advantage compared to our European cities where you often have to content with (and find suitable plants for) freezing conditions in winter and hot periods of draught in summer. Still: as a vision of what can be done if the political will and commitment is there, these talks certainly were an inspiration.
Nearer to home there were case studies from Berlin and other German and European cities, such as Vienna, Paris, Porto and Amsterdam. For London, Dusty Gedge - who also is President of conference co-organisers EFB - gave a ten-year review of “Delivering Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure” in my adopted city, and Pete Massini spoke about “Greening a green city – the London experience”. Personally, I’ve always considered Berlin to be a much greener city than London, but I suspect statistics aren’t on my side: it’s just that trees in streets are much more visible than the many private gardens and squares tucked behind houses and walls.
 Traditional methods still valid: green wall in London... |  ... and Berlin (view from my hotel window). |
So why do we need green infrastructure in the first place? As I wrote in an earlier post, urban green is not just a "nice-to-have-if-you-can-afford-it" kind of thing: there are reasons galore to green up our cities. The positive effect of nature on human well-being - physical as well as mental - are well-documented. But there is much more: in times of shrinking natural habitats for flora and fauna, urban green increasingly helps protect biodiversity by adding man-made refuges and by creating wildlife corridors. Obviously, it thus increases urban biodiversity, too.
And if you look at it more selfishly: urban green improves air quality and reduces a city’s heat island effect when temperatures are rising – something we all benefit from. It also can play a role in reducing energy consumption and using energy more efficiently. For example, one speaker mentioned findings that the air-conditioning system of a building with a green roof needs 20 - 50 % less energy than one without a green roof – quite simply because the green infrastructure will have cooled the air down a bit already before it enters the air-conditioning system.
With climate change and its accompanying challenges for the environment as well as the economy, green infrastructure will be increasingly instrumental – even decisive - to help us cope. Those were, of course, prominent themes. But a very large number of talks also looked at the non-quantifiable benefits of getting more plants (and with them nature) into cities. In addition to the above mentioned effects on human well-being, increasingly the focus - not just of research - is on social cohesion, too. About creating places to get together, learn and interact, such as community gardens or social enterprises.
And if you look at it more selfishly: urban green improves air quality and reduces a city’s heat island effect when temperatures are rising – something we all benefit from. It also can play a role in reducing energy consumption and using energy more efficiently. For example, one speaker mentioned findings that the air-conditioning system of a building with a green roof needs 20 - 50 % less energy than one without a green roof – quite simply because the green infrastructure will have cooled the air down a bit already before it enters the air-conditioning system.
With climate change and its accompanying challenges for the environment as well as the economy, green infrastructure will be increasingly instrumental – even decisive - to help us cope. Those were, of course, prominent themes. But a very large number of talks also looked at the non-quantifiable benefits of getting more plants (and with them nature) into cities. In addition to the above mentioned effects on human well-being, increasingly the focus - not just of research - is on social cohesion, too. About creating places to get together, learn and interact, such as community gardens or social enterprises.
The "Mobile Green Living Room" (Helix MGZ), stationed here outside the conference location, can easily be pulled by a lorry to where it is needed or wanted and provides an instant oasis to find shade (on the back side) and rest.
Another talk I particularly liked was one on biophilic design: The speaker argued that evolution had hardwired us to like certain natural features - such as water or a sheltered spot with a good view or vantage point - which were of advantage to our ancestor's survival and that hence we consider these to represent beauty. Apparently, the term was first used in 1973 by Erich Fromm with many publications into the subject following since. Referencing from some of these, he pointed out that there is a clear business case for biophilic design which means designing environments based on human evolutionary preferences.
To take just the example of the work place: productive, healthy people are good for business. With the mantra "where we feel well, we perform well", productivity is the watchword here. Especially, he said, since productivity costs are 87 times greater than energy costs in the workplace. In one example there was apparently a 299% return on investment. There are, the speaker claimed (and it sounds logical enough), huge potential financial savings to be had across many sectors of society. It is actually possible to scientifically measure the physiological impact of design (i.e. the health benefits or lack thereof) - such as for instance on blood pressure. He thus urged architects, landscape designers and of course developers to turn to and apply biophilic design - and not just in commercial developments.
Finally, on the practical side of things (and without having expert knowledge to boost this claim), technology developed by European project Green4cities is likely to prove particularly useful and relevant in the near future. It is billed as a planning and certification tool for green infrastructure that can be fully integrated in the urban planning and development process. Detailed simulations of microclimates (of e.g. an urban area in its present state as well as with planned changes implemented), of water retention, wind fields and the storing of CO2 are just part of it. There is also a "toolbox" for urban development and planning which starts with an assessment of the current situation and its problems leading to a simulation of more general or large-scale urban designs and/ or allows the detailed planning for individual quarters.
In hindsight, the timing of the conference seemed almost prophetic: Just a week later Berlin was hit by downpours which dumped a month’s worth of rain in just two hours, resulting in national news-making flashfloods. It certainly will have hammered home the urgency of the conference’s message to politicians from Berlin’s senate and civil servants, several of whom had attended. I’m sure they’ll do even more now – and hopefully even faster – to increase the city's green and the number of modern, nature-inspired features. And yes, one would hope this to happen everywhere in the world!
For those interested, here is a list of talks and speakers at the WGIC 2017, with many presentations for downloading as a PDF.
As for myself – I’ve only become more fascinated and curious about the whole subject area. So expect to hear more of that in the future of this blog!
For those interested, here is a list of talks and speakers at the WGIC 2017, with many presentations for downloading as a PDF.
As for myself – I’ve only become more fascinated and curious about the whole subject area. So expect to hear more of that in the future of this blog!
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