Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns (GRaBS)
Funding
INTERREG IVC – Priority 2: Environment and Risk Prevention – Sub theme: Natural and Technological Risks
Researchers
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jeremy Carter.
Researchers: Prof. Simon Guy, John Handley, Richard Kingston, Dr. Sarah Lindley, Yi Gong, Aleksandra Kazmierczak and Gina Cavan.
Summary
The Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns (GRaBS) project aims to improve the regional decision and policy making process in relation to the planning and development of new and existing urban areas in eight EU member states in the context of climate change. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are now at their highest for 3 million years and as a result urban areas are vulnerable to impacts including increased temperatures and flooding. Regional spatial planning and urban design can provide solutions to reduce vulnerability and risk. Green infrastructure including gardens, parks, productive landscapes, green corridors and green roofs and walls and blue infrastructure such as water bodies, rivers, streams, floodplains and sustainable drainage systems, play a vital role in creating climate resilient development, a role, which is currently not sufficiently recognised and utilised and lacks integration in main stream planning.
The project involves 14 partners drawn from eight member states representing a broad spectrum of authorities, climate change challenges and with varying degrees of related strategic policy and experience. The project facilitates the much needed exchange of knowledge and experience and the actual transfer of good practice on climate change adaptation strategies to local and regional authorities. In addition a climate change vulnerability and risk assessment tool will be produced through this interregional collaboration. Through stakeholder and community engagement, as well as the development of regional policy networks, partners will produce High Level Policy Statements and Climate Change Adaptation Action Plans to ensure climate resilient future development in their regions. In this process, partners will take part in thematic seminars, study visits, and a mentoring programme as well as apply the climate assessment tool in their own locality.
A key outcome of GRaBS will be a user-friendly and easily transferable and replicable strategic planning methodology together with a vulnerability and risk assessment tool available to all European regional and local municipalities. The project will also deliver a database of good practice green and blue space adaptation approaches and Expert Papers for dissemination throughout Europe. By advancing the knowledge and expertise of partner staff, decisions makers, politicians and communities, regional and local municipalities will be able to make a more informed and strategic response in the context of climate change adaptation. In the long term, communities will reduce their vulnerability to the environmental, social and economic damage related to climate change impacts including extreme temperature increases and flooding incidents.
GRaBS is an EcoCities associated project.
Project duration: September 2008 - September 2011.
Budget: 3.3 Million Euros.
Further information: GRaBS website.
Contact
Email: Jeremy Carter.