Green infrastructure for human health, climate adaption and biodiversity in urban areas

Urban green infrastructure is the effective tool for increasing resiliency of cities to effects of climate change and making cities more attractive, both for people and animals. However, while the evidence of the benefits of green infrastructure is mounting, there is a shortage of practical knowledge for green infrastructure design. More knowledge is required on how to design with green infrastructure and unlock its ability to deliver multiple benefits. This study was conducted under the supervision of Sweco and focused on the developing of green infrastructure design guideline for climate adaptation, biodiversity and human health. Overall, new approach was developed that considers multiple design characteristics, such as the location, structural traits of vegetation and its spatial arrangement. The guideline was applied in Presikhaaf, Arnhem, which showed that implementing green infrastructure in the existing urban landscape is a challenging process due to many spatial constraints. Nevertheless, the objective of the study has been met, and the developed guideline has a potential to be useful for practitioners in the field, especially where the new development is planned.