When so much of the green space in our cities is in the form of nature strips, current restrictions on plantings are denying us the many social and environmental benefits of more diverse greenery.
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Articles on Green infrastructure
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From happier and healthier residents to more resilient buildings – green roofs offer significant benefits to cities.
Greater urban density is making it harder to preserve, let alone increase, tree cover. It's vital, then, to demonstrate the full value of green infrastructure for healthy liveable cities.
The values of a national park, translated to an urban context, to make life better for local people.
Expanding green cities needs a holistic approach, and learning from Melbourne and Canberra is a good place to start.
As the population of the world’s cities grows, so too does resource and energy use as well as waste generation. We can combat these issues with a circular economy that uses nature as a template.
Two trends in Australia, an ageing population and warming climate, are increasing the threat that heatwaves pose to our health. Increasing vegetation cover is one way every city can reduce the risk.
There are other things which cause air pollution – cars, for example – which will have a much bigger impact.
Urbanisation is the main reason for rising temperatures and water pollution, but receives little attention in discussions about the health of water streams, reefs and oceans.
Private finance crashed the economy and is too consumed by the profit motive to be a reliable ally against climate change. We should not allow COP24 to be their board meeting.
Taking this step may improve the quality of life for vulnerable people and reduce the amount of air conditioning they use, making their neighborhoods less prone to power outages.
It's not all bad news at Bonn – with low carbon precincts, living infrastructure and urban networks, cities are leading the charge against climate change.
Residents often have concerns about informal green space but some still use it. Work to enhance these areas should aim to resolve these concerns without destroying what residents do value.
Drains take up precious but inaccessible open space in our cities. Converting these to living streams running through the suburbs could make for healthier places in multiple ways.
The US wants to invest in more infrastructure to handle our rainfall and melted snow. Stormwater credits could help cut costs and protect the environment.
The American Society of Civil Engineers gives US infrastructure a D+. What is it that we're doing wrong?
If infrastructure is to meet the needs and challenges of an uncertain future, we need to move beyond the AAA ratings mindset and aim for net-positive social and ecological outcomes as well.
Greening cities that are becoming denser is a major challenge. City-dwellers' health benefits from both well-designed green spaces and urban density, so we must manage the tensions between them.
For a small price, Donald Trump could score the easy win he's been waiting for.
Recently published research has found that the concentration of poorer people in hotter places is a real problem for cities' capacity to cope with climate change.
Top contributors
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Professor of Human Geography and Planning, University of Tasmania
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Senior Lecturer in Urban and Environmental Planning, Griffith University
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Sustainability, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
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Professorial Research Fellow, Victoria University
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Chair of Urban & Regional Planning and Director of Canberra Urban & Regional Futures, University of Canberra
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Professor, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney
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Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
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PhD candidate, RMIT University
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Professor of Enterprise and Competitiveness, University of Birmingham
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Collaborative Research Fellow, Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, Victoria University
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Senior Lecturer in Urban Geography, University of Salford
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Chair, Smart Cities Research Institute, Swinburne University of Technology
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Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Sheffield Hallam University
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Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources and Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida
