Our Roadmap to 2030
Date of Conference
10 May 2016
Speakers
John Middleton (Chair of our WM Sustainability and Public Health Network)
Justin Milward (Woodland Trust)
Madalena Vaz Monteiro (Forestry Commission)
Richard White (City of Wolverhampton Council)
Professor Pat Saunders (Staffordshire University)
Dean Hill (Dudley Council)
Clive Robinson (University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire, Chair of our WM NHS Sustainability Network)
Sarah Dandy (Centre for Sustainable Healthcare)
Nick Grayson (Birmingham City Council)
Purpose of the Conference
This Green Spaces workshop, run in partnership with Learning for Public Health West Midlands, was all about bringing together the multi-faceted benefits of green infrastructure, whether it be in the form of urban forests, green walls or parks. The workshop aimed to show how integrating green space into urban planning and design can result in many benefits, namely to help alleviate flooding, mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce air pollution, carbon sequestration and improve mental and physical health.
However, one key theme across all presentations and discussions was around the economic benefits of green infrastructure – not least that it is estimated that the UK’s trees are worth a staggering £270bn to the UK economy. This is why ensuring that green space is not just an afterthought is hugely important when planning cityscapes or re-developments.
Feedback from the Conference
100% of delegates who completed an evaluation form considered the Conference to be good to excellent in terms of it’s organisation and content, with 100% of delegates feeling that the aims had been met to an excellent or good standard.
Contact Information
Contact enquiries@swm.org.uk or call 0121 237 5890 for more information.
Downloads
(John Middleton)
The role of trees and woodland in GI and flood alleviation (Justin Milward) – contact us for slides
Green infrastructure and the urban heat island (Madalena Vaz Monteiro)
Greening an Urban Canyon to Reduce Exposures to Harmful Pollutants (Richard White & Pat Saunders) – contact us for slides
Benefits of green spaces for people’s physical health (Dean Hill) – contact us for slides
Benefits of green spaces for people’s mental health – Coventry example (Clive Robinson)
Benefits of green spaces for people’s mental health – NHS Forests programme (Sarah Dandy)
Birmingham’s Natural Capital and Green Spaces Plan (Nick Grayson)
