If you’ve noticed more lush medians and plant-covered roofs in cities, it’s not your imagination.
Incorporating more natural elements in urban landscapes is a growing management solution for the planet’s increasing climate hazards (SN: 3/10/22). Rain gardens, green roofs and landscaped drainage ditches are all examples of what’s known as green infrastructure, and are used to manage stormwater and mitigate risks like flooding and extreme heat. These strategies sometimes double as a community resource, such as a recreational space.
But a major problem with green infrastructure is that the planning processes for the projects often fail to consider equity and inclusion, says Timon McPhearson, an urban ecologist and director of the Urban Systems Lab in New York City, which researches how to build more equitable, resilient and sustainable cities. Without an eye on equity, plans might exclude those most vulnerable to climate disasters, which typically include low-income communities or minority groups (SN: 2/28/22).
There has been talk of fostering equity and inclusion in urban planning for some time, McPhearson says, but he wanted to know if there had been any follow-through. After analyzing 122 formal plans from 20 major U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Detroit and Sacramento, he and colleagues found that most government-affiliated green infrastructure plans are falling short. The researchers focused on plans produced or directly supervised by city governments, as non-profit organizations tend to be more inclusive, the study says.
Over 90 percent of plans didn’t use inclusive processes to design or implement green infrastructure projects, meaning communities targeted for upgrades often didn’t have a chance to weigh in with their needs throughout the process. What’s more, only 10 percent of plans identified causes of inequality and vulnerability in their communities. That matters because without acknowledging the roots of injustices, planners are unable to potentially address them in future projects. And only around 13 percent of plans even defined equity or justice, the researchers report in the January Landscape and Urban Planning.
2023-02-06 10:00:00
Original from www.sciencenews.org
Facing a climate emergency, cities around the world are exploring various ways to mitigate the effects of climate change, with green infrastructure increasingly coming to the fore. However, despite the promise of green infrastructure to improve local ecosystems and creatures, the plans – and their implementation – risk leaving populations that are already experiencing the most vulnerability out of improved conditions.
Green infrastructure is broadly defined as any engineered or constructed infrastructure that incorporates sustainable environmental principles or natural elements within their design. Examples include green roofs, vertical gardens, parklets, green walls, urban wetlands, and rain gardens. The broad array of green infrastructure has the potential to reduce impacts from climate change on cities such as flooding, air pollution, and stormwater runoff. It not only serves an environmental purpose but also offers an opportunity to improve the livability of cities by adding more green space in areas.
Yet, despite this potential, many of the plans for green infrastructure initiatives in cities risk leaving vulnerable populations out. Part of the issue stems from a lack of representation of those vulnerable populations within decision-making roles or councils. This can lead to people not being consulted in developing the strategies, or not being included in any consultation processes at all.
Furthermore, the physical barriers that can arise from construction can be difficult for vulnerable populations to navigate and prevent them from accessing green spaces. Examples include stairs and ramps that are not suitable for people with limited mobility, uneven surfaces that are inaccessible for strollers and wheelchairs, and shading from trees that does not provide enough shade for people with limited vision.
Additionally, there is often a socio-economic divide in regards to access to green infrastructure, with those from vulnerable populations likely having limited resources to access and maintain the infrastructure. This means that those from more advantaged backgrounds are able to access the benefits of green infrastructure while those who are most vulnerable are left behind.
Within the current climate emergency, it is essential that plans for green infrastructure are inclusive and equitable. To that end, it is necessary to ensure that consultation and decision-making processes include those from vulnerable populations, that physical barriers are removed wherever possible, and that access to and maintenance of the spaces remain a priority. This will allow all members of the community to benefit from green infrastructure and create a healthier and more equitable living environment for us all.